While you were sleeping: 18 February 2016

Car bombing kills 28 in Turkey, Apple resists US court, and Pacman loses Nike deal.

By John Stupart

18 Feb 2016

"Where they burn books, they will in the end also burn people."

– Heinrich Heine

Story of the Day

Blaming Zuma for everything: Good Tactics, Terrible Strategy
In the last two days almost all opposition parties in Parliament have vented their collective spleen at President Jacob Zuma. There has been almost no direct criticism of the ANC and much of the criticism has been personal and insulting. On one score, this could work well; Zuma has, after all, provided the opposition with a large stash of ammunition. But in the longer run, this could prove a poor investment. Because Zuma will not be President-of-the-ANC-forever and all this invective could one day bite back. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

While you were sleeping

At least 28 killed so far in Ankara blast
A bomb attack in Ankara has thus far left at least 28 dead and over 60 people wounded. A car packed full of explosives was detonated near military buses parked by the Turkish Armed Forces' headquarters.
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Trump leads polls nationally
Donald Trump has polled ahead of his Republican rivals by more than 20 points. This week, a Reuters-led poll showed the orange menace leading, with 40% of those polled in favour of the man. The poll also showed that a Democratic candidate should comfortably defeat the Republican choice in the presidential election.
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Apple resists decryption order
Apple has firmly opposed a United States court court order that they assist government officials in unlocking the encrypted iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters. Although crucial in this one specific case, Apple has argued that developing any kind of decryption tool would be a slippery slope privacy-wise.
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Nike drops Pacman
Nike has shed itself of its lucrative sponsorship of boxer Manny Pacquiao after the athlete issued a torrent of homophobic comments. Pacquiao referred to homosexuals as "worse than animals", a statement Nike rightly called "abhorrent".
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In Numbers

1.23

The cost in dollars for a year's rent in the German town of Fuggerei.

Facts of the Day

Today in 1900 British forces suffered their single worst losses during the Second Boer War. This was at the first day of the Battle of Paardeberg.

Fact of the day: Americans spend more on pets annually than Germany's entire defence budget.

Weather & Financial Data

BFN: min: 19° max: 29°, rainy
CPT: min: 17° max: 26°, sunny
DBN: min: 23° max: 31°, rainy

EL: min: 22° max: 33°, rainy
JHB: min: 18° max: 29°, rainy
KIM: min: 22° max: 33, rainy
NLP: min: 20° max: 31°, cloudy
PMB: min: 17° max: 31°, rainy
PKN: min: 18° max: 32°, cloudy
PE: min: 21° max: 25°, rainy
PTA: min: 20° max: 31°, rainy

Oil=$34.39 Gold=$1,207.61 Platinum=$943.29
R/$=15.49 R/€=17.56 R/£=22.14 $/€=1.11
JSE All Share=50,039.31 DJIA=16,423.46 FTSE 100=6,030.32 : Source