President-elect Donald Trump produced a predictable first press briefing. Blaming intelligence agencies and the media for “phoney” information relating to Trump and secret links with Russia, Trump also weirdly accepted that the Kremlin interfered with the US elections. CNN was called “fake news” and a refusal to divest from his businesses, and Trump’s tune has not changed one whit.

South Africa’s foremost political cartoonist has had his Daily Maverick debut. Zapiro’s first cartoon on DM has been released today. Be sure to check in and have a look at today’s offering.

The company that owns both Google and Google X has announced it is abandoning its plans to roll out global internet via drones. Alphabet will now instead be focusing its efforts on balloons. The cost and technical requirements of UAVs simply did not compare to that of balloons when it came to delivering internet to remote and poorly-developed communities.

New research by American scientists has shown the way in which stress can contribute to heart disease. A highly active amygdala, a part of the brain, can lead to increased bone marrow activity and inflammation of the arteries, leading to increasing heart disease and stroke risks. Although a link was long-suspected, this is the first published article showing just how it was so.

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