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While you were sleeping: 18th February 2017
Late night drama sees O'Sullivan ward off a menacing Phahlane, Trump re-evaluates Flynn's Russian connections, and whale explosions a real danger in New Zealand.
Tuesday, 14th February 2017
“You cannot hope to bribe or twist, thank God! the British journalist. But, seeing what the man will do unbribed, there’s no occasion to.”
Humbert Wolfe
STORY OF THE DAY
House of Cards: O’Sullivan vs Phahlane – who will outwit, outlast, outplay?
By MARIANNE THAMM
The dramatic Hollywood-style arrest of forensic investigator Paul O’Sullivan after he had been pulled over by a convoy of at least eight vehicles carrying around 17 plain clothes cops outside Pretoria on Monday, while it was no doubt intended as a show of force, is not good PR for the country’s most powerful policeman at present, acting Commissioner Kgomotso Phahlane. O’Sullivan and attorney Sarah Jane Trent, fresh from her weekend ordeal behind bars, were nabbed as they left Afriforum’s offices. In a late-night High Court bid O’Sullivan pulled out an ace – a previously granted court order preventing his arrest.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
Trump to re-evaluate Flynn’s Russian connections
National Security Advisor Bill Flynn has announced his resignation. Flynn had been exposed as having discussed sensitive political matters with the Russian ambassador, despite denying doing any such thing publicly. Clearly, the White House had been doing a little too much Rushin’ before Flynn’s appointment. Keith Kellogg has become the interim replacement.
UN panel holds emergency armyworm meeting in Zimbabwe
An outbreak of armyworm in Zimbabwe is threatening to devastate an already devastated agricultural sector. The outbreak of “fall” armyworm has left Zimbabwean farmers somewhat clueless as to how to treat the pests, as it is a first for Southern African farms. A working theory at present is that the caterpillars arrived in Zimbabwe on plants imported from South America.
Playboy brings back the nudity
Playboy has announced that it will resume publishing nudity in its magazine. Hugh Hefner’s son Cooper Hefner announced via Twitter that: “Nudity was never the problem because nudity isn’t a problem. Today we’re taking our identity back and reclaiming who we are.” The magazine’s circulation dropped dramatically last year when nudity was cut from the publication. Whether its subscribers will return from their now-online sources remains to be seen.
Exploding whales threaten NZ beach
The world’s third-largest beaching of whales saw a beach in New Zealand tragically saturated with over 700 of the beached creatures last week. With most of them dead, New Zealand authorities have closed the beach to the public for fear of exploding carcasses. As the gases in the remaining 300 whale carcasses expand, explosions are not uncommon. The smell, meanwhile, could only be described as “terrific”.
IN NUMBERS
8.6%
The rise in sales seen by Miller High Life after airing a one-second advert in the Super Bowl.
FACTS OF THE DAY
Today is Singles Awareness Day. It is also Valentine’s Day.
Vin Diesel is a self-confessed World of Warcraft fan. He plays for the Horde. Ronda Rousey has also acknowledged playing the game with Diesel.
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