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While you were sleeping: 2nd March 2017
Chaos in Fillon camp ahead of elections, oldest fossils in the world discovered, and Oscars accountants out of the club.
Thursday, 2nd March 2017
“What and how much had I lost by trying to do only what was expected of me instead of what I myself had wished to do?”
Ralph Ellison
STORY OF THE DAY
Analysis: Endangering social grants is the ANC’s own catastrophic mistake
By STEPHEN GROOTES
Many a big crisis is a series of seemingly isolated events in different sectors at the same time. Sometimes they’re a flash in the pan, doing limited damage. But sometimes they arrive at the same historical moment as other events, merging into messy chaos. They are often the work of different actors, pulling in different directions. This makes blame hard to pin down. But we are about to have a crisis that is entirely different. The fiasco around the social grant payments is entirely the making of the people responsible and no one else’s. Should the worst happen, the results of the crisis and their impact on South Africa are too ghastly to contemplate. But the cooler analytical heads now also have to measure the political price the ruling party is going to pay because of the reckless actions by one Bathabile Dlamini.
Chaos in Fillon camp ahead of French elections
With elections scheduled next month, France’s conservative presidential candidate Francois Fillon has been hit with a major setback. The candidate is to be charged in relation to a fake jobs scandal. In reaction, the centrist UDI party announced their suspension of their endorsement of Fillon. He now — like every politician in history — intends to stubbornly cling to power, with an announcement today expected to say as much.
Oldest fossils on earth discovered
Life began at least 3.8 to 4.3 billion years ago, according to a new fossil find. Discovered by Dominic Papineau, a professor at University College London, the fossils indicate that life began much sooner after the planet’s formation than initially thought. This could have significant implications for other planets that possess a similar geology and atmosphere to ancient earth’s.
Al-Bashir appoints Prime Minister
Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has appointed a prime minister late on Wednesday. The first such appointment since the coup, Bakri Hassan Saleh was given the post. The appointment of Saleh is expected to be followed by a cabinet reshuffle today.
Oscars accountants out of the club
PricewaterhouseCoopers’s two accountants responsible for the greatest bungling of results in its 89-year history will not return to the awards show. Brian Cullinan and Martha Ruiz handed the wrong envelope to Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, with Cullinan apparently the primary individual at fault. Cullinan had tweeted pictures of Emma Stone just prior to the Moonlight/La La Land stuff-up.
IN NUMBERS
516
The number of administrative positions in the US requiring Senate approval that have yet to have nominations submitted.
FACTS OF THE DAY
Today in 1990 Nelson Mandela is elected deputy president of the ANC.
Do you think you have fake pockets in your suit? Think again, most (decent) suit jackets have the pockets sewn shut to preserve the garment during packing.
FEATURED ARTICLES
Crime tragically claims the life of talented ‘War Horse’ puppet maker
BY ADRIAN KOHLER & BASIL JONES
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