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While you were sleeping: 1 December 2016
Colombian crash cause revealed in audio leak, FARC peace deal ratified, and Brexit fueled hate crime: study.
Thursday, 1st December
“We must have a pie. Stress cannot exist in the presence of a pie.”
David Mamet
STORY OF THE DAY
Grant Switchover 2017: Sassa misses deadlines on deliverables for handover
By MARIANNE THAMM
The Constitutional Court will soon be tasked with supervising the legal process of the massive handover of the distribution of social grants to some 17-million South Africans and worth R10-billion a month as the South African Social Security Agency has been unable to implement five of seven deliverables set out in a 2014 ConCourt ruling. Sassa is due to take over the payments on April 1. And in what amounted to an extraordinary last-minute bid to dodge responsibility, Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Social Development on Wednesday that answering questions about the agency’s contingency plans would put her department and the entire process at risk. By MARIANNE THAMM.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
Colombia crash aircraft had no fuel
A recording of the panicked pilot flying doomed flight LaMia 2933 has revealed that his plane had run out of fuel. In the leaked audio, pilot Miguel Quiroga is allegedly heard he needed a priority landing due to “fuel problems”. A refuelling stop had been scheduled in Bogota, but Quiroga had opted to skip it, believing the flight would have enough gas to reach Medellín.
Colombia’s house of representatives has ratified a crucial peace deal with FARC. Passing the motion 130 votes to nil, President Juan Manuel Santos credited the “landmark backing” he received for the motion. Despite a referendum saying the people wanted otherwise, peace will be forced upon them whether they like it or not.
Brexit encouraged hate crimes: study
A new study has linked hate crimes in the United Kingdom to the Brexit ‘leave’ campaigners. The (UK) Institute of Race Relations noted that almost half of the 134 racist incidents reported in the media in the UK directly invoked slogans or messages used during the Brexit campaign. Sticks and stones may break bones, but words will certainly hurt you too, it seems.
Carlsen retains chess champ status
Norwegian Magnus Carlsen defeated Russian challenger, Sergei Karyakin, in a marathon championship tiebreaker to become world chess champion. Again. Carlsen has ascended to the heights of his discipline three times now, approaching legends such as Garry Kasparov. Carlsen and Karyakin are only 26-years-old.
IN NUMBERS
23
The number of times per year on average that the Empire State Building is hit by lightning.
FACT OF THE DAY
Today is World Aids Day.
Human birth control pills are as effective for gorillas. Why anyone would give that a test is an absolute mystery.
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