Newsdeck
While you were sleeping: 7 December 2016
Trump makes a meal of Japan deal, Djokovic and Becker split, and Beyonce dominates Grammy nominations.
“To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer.”
Paul R. Ehrlich
STORY OF THE DAY
Channelling Mandela: Ramaphosa and Kathrada’s truths of our time
By RANJENI MUNUSAMY
Consider this: If things went differently at the recent ANC national executive committee (NEC) meeting, Cyril Ramaphosa would now be President of South Africa. Ramaphosa would have been the most obvious candidate to step into the breach had the NEC decided to recall President Jacob Zuma. Although Ramaphosa still insists on flying below the radar, he must now know how close he is to the top job – if the Zuma camp does not crush him. On the third anniversary of Nelson Mandela’s passing, Ramaphosa delivered a thinly veiled analysis of the state of the nation. ANC stalwart Ahmed Kathrada was a lot more forthright.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
Trump makes a meal of SoftBank deal
Donald Trump laid it on thick about a potential $50 billion investment deal by SoftBank during the second leg of his ‘victory tour’. The Japanese telecommunications giant, with Taiwanese company Foxconn, committed to investing in US start-ups. But, while crowing about the deal, the Orange Menace slammed local aerospace company Boeing, which is (or at least, was) constructing two new Air Force One jets at a cost of $4 billion.
Hammond begins non-EU Brexit tour in SA
Britain’s finance minister, Philip Hammond, has begun the South African leg of his Brexit reassurance tour. Starting today, Hammond will attempt to smooth over big business’s concerns about the fate of Britain. Because nothing quite says “don’t panic” quite like a hasty ministerial-level reassurance tour around the world.
World number two Novak Djokovic has confirmed his split from
Beyoncé has received no fewer than nine Grammy Award nominations, including Album of the Year. Beyoncé will compete against Adele, who had also received a nomination in that category late on Tuesday. Beyonce’s album ‘Lemonade’ has thus far propelled the artist far ahead of other rivals for the impending February awards show.
IN NUMBERS
78
The number of
FACT OF THE DAY
Today in 1869 Jesse James committed his first bank robbery.
Frosted Flakes icon Tony the Tiger has had to make an appeal on Twitter for ‘furries‘ to stop sending him anthropomorphic porn.
FEATURED ARTICLES
Africa Research Institute: Seven things to understand about elections in Ghana
BY AFRICA RESEARCH INSTITUTE.
OPINIONISTAS
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