News 16:00

BULLETIN 23 May 4 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Moeletsi Mbeki slams Team SA’s handling of the white genocide claims in the US
# A court dismisses a bid to halt former apartheid police’s trial in the Caiphus Nyoka murder case
# And motorsport: George Russell says Mercedes needs to find more performance in Monaco this weekend

# The chairperson of the South African Institute of International Affairs, Moeletsi Mbeki, has criticised Team South Africa’s handling of a controversial white genocide question at the White House in the US. Mbeki says they should have rehearsed who would respond. Speaking to SABC News, he further accused US president Donald Trump of attempting to build a colony in South Africa through divisive rhetoric and political manipulation:

# The Gauteng High Court sitting in Benoni has dismissed a Section 174 application by two apartheid-era police officers accused of the murder of Caiphus Nyoka. The Congress of South African Students activist was shot nine times in 1987. Leon van den Berg and Abraham Engelbrecht argued the state didn’t present a compelling case, but the court disagreed. The National Prosecuting Authority’s Lumka Mahanjana confirmed the trial continues from 8 to 19 September:

# The minister of Police Senzo Mchunu says 22 police members were killed in the first three months of this year, with ten deaths recorded in Gauteng. Six died while on duty, and 16 were off duty. Delivering the latest crime statistics, Mchunu reaffirmed government’s commitment to intensifying efforts to protect law enforcement and combat crime across the country:

# French actress Catherine Deneuve has joined over 900 celebrities who have signed an open letter denouncing the alleged genocide in Gaza. The petition began circulating during the buildup to the Cannes film festival. Other signatories include “Schindler’s List” star Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Jonathan Glazer, “Lupin” star Omar Sy, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon, Pedro Almodovar and Mark Ruffalo. The initiative, called “Artists for Fatem”, was sparked by the killing of Palestinian photojournalist Fatima “Fatem” Hassouna, who was the subject of a documentary that premiered at Cannes.

# Motorsport: George Russell believes Mercedes needs to find more performance in the car at this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix. The Briton finished seventh at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola last weekend, the first time this season he has finished outside the top five. Russell, who is currently fourth in the drivers’ championship, says the new two-pit-stop regulation for Monaco will be an opportunity for Mercedes.

# And the financial indicators: The dollar trades at 17-rand-99-cents and the euro at 20-rand-34-cents. One British pound costs 24-rand-25-cents and Bitcoin trades at 108-thousand-129-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-350-dollars-20-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 63-dollars-15-cents a barrel.

Stay tuned for more news………….