While you were sleeping

Bill Gates is the world’s richest person again, according to this year’s Forbes billionaire index. Gates, with an almost inconceivable net worth of $72.7 billion, unseated Mexican telecoms magnate Carlos Slim ($72.1 billion) from the top spot. This is despite Gates giving away $28 billion over the last few years through the development work of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
LA Times, Huffington Post

Three United Nations military observers were kidnapped by armed men from their compound in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria. They were held for about five hours before being released. This is the third kidnapping incident involving UN staff since March, underscoring how dangerous the area is to work in. It’s not clear who was responsible this time round.
Reuters, AP

British fertility experts have devised a new technique that’s been hailed as a major breakthrough for in-vitro fertilization (IVF). By taking thousands of snapshots of developing embryos, researchers say they can help doctors select those with the lowest risk of chromosomal abnormalities. “In the 35 years I have been in this field, this is probably the most exciting and significant development that can be of value to all patients seeking IVF,” said Simon Fishel, a leading fertility doctor.
Guardian, Independent

England’s Football Association has unveiled a new set of punitive measuresdesigned to combat racism. The ‘entry-level’ punishment for any player being racist is a five-match ban, although this can be longer. A second offence gets an automatic ten-match ban. Any clubs that have two or more players found guilty of such offences will also face charges, and could have points deducted.
Fifa, Fox

Financial indicators:
Oil=$103.75  Gold=$1385.72  Platinum=$1483.5
R/$=9.33  R/€=12.02  R/£=14.24  €/$=1.29
JSE All Share=41,427.76 (1.01%)  DOW=15,233.20 (-0.28%)  FTSE=6,687.80 (-0.09%)
Sources: Bloomberg, Fin24

In Cape Town, deputy international relations minister Marius Fransman and the family ofDr. Cyril Karabus will tell us when the good doctor is coming home.

Finally some meaningful action for Lions fans: It’s the Vodacom Cup final, and the Lions will take on the Pumas in Nelspruit (7.10pm).

Fact of the day: We use the verb ‘to decimate’ as a synonym for annihilate, massacre or slaughter; a general term meaning to kill or destroy in large numbers. But that’s not strictly accurate – actually, it’s not accurate enough. The word comes from a particularly vindictive form of collective punishment in ancient Rome. A batch of mutinous soldiers/recalcitrant townsfolk/unruly slaves would be divided into groups of ten, and then one unfortunate from each group would be chosen by lot to be executed, reducing their overall number by one-tenth (the Latin decem). So next time you use ‘decimated’ in casual conversation, make sure you count the bodies first.

Weather:

Bloemfontein: min: 4°, max: 19°, partly cloudy
Cape Town: min: 8°, max: 21°, partly cloudy
Durban: min: 15°, max: 21°, clear
East London: min: 10°, max: 18°, clear
Johannesburg: min: 8°, max: 21°, clear
Kimberley: min: 10°, max: 21°, clear
Nelspruit: min: 9°, max: 25°, clear
Pietermaritzburg: min: 7°, max: 15°, clear
Polokwane: min: 9°, max: 26°, clear
Port Elizabeth: min: 8°, max: 18°, clear
Pretoria: min: 9°, max: 23°, clear
Source: AccuWeather