News 17:00

BULLETIN 15 May 5 pm

Good afternoon. I am……..

In this bulletin:

# Cabinet confirms a phased withdrawal of SANDF forces from the Democratic Republic of Congo
# Stage 2 load-shedding is set to be suspended later tonight
# And Athletics SA calls for a funding boost after the World relays success

# Cabinet has confirmed a phased withdrawal of South African National Defence Force soldiers from the Democratic Republic of Congo. This follows the end of the Southern African Development Community mission’s mandate. The deployment was part of efforts to stabilise the east of the DRC, where armed conflict has displaced thousands of people. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says soldiers will return home in stages to ensure a smooth and secure transition:

# Eskom says stage two load-shedding will continue during this evening’s peak from 4 pm to 10 pm, but will be suspended afterwards. The utility says one-thousand-175 megawatts has already been restored since the start of the week, with another one-thousand-850 megawatts expected to return by tomorrow evening. Eskom spokesperson Daphne Mokwena says these improvements, along with sufficient emergency reserves, are helping to stabilise the grid:

# Russian president Vladimir Putin sent aides and deputy ministers for peace talks with Ukraine in Turkey today, spurning Kyiv’s challenge to go there in person to meet president Volodymyr Zelensky. Putin earlier proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul, and Zelensky promised to be waiting for him. Reuters reports Putin kept the world guessing about his plans for days, while the Kremlin named a lower-level delegation which was described by Kyiv’s European allies as a snub. It’s still inclear how Ukraine would respond.

# Athletics South Africa’s president, James Moloi, is urging for increased funding to support Team SA, following their performance at the World Relay Championships in Guangzhou, China. The men’s and women’s four-by-100-metre and four by 400-metre, plus the mixed four-by-400 teams booked their place at the World Championships in Tokyo in September. Moloi highlighted the need for more resources to sustain their success.

# The financial indicators: The dollar trades at 18-rand-2-cents and the euro at 20-rand-20-cents. One British pound costs 23-rand-99-cents and Bitcoin trades at 102-thousand-737-dollars. Gold sells at three-thousand-190-dollars-96-cents a fine ounce and Brent crude oil is quoted at 64-dollars-13-cents a barrel.

# And finally: American actorTom Cruise received a five-minute standing ovation after premiering Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Directed by Christopher McQuarrie, the cast includes franchise stalwarts like Simon Pegg and Ving Rhames and Hayley Atwell, Vanessa Kirby, and Angela Bassett. Sixty-two-year-old Cruise, who did his own stunts in the movie, says he is grateful that for 30-years he has been able to entertain fans with this franchise. The movie opens in theatres next Friday.

Stay tuned for more news………….