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While you were sleeping: 17 October 2017

While you were sleeping: 17 October 2017

Iraqi forces occupy Kirkuk, freak storm kills three in Ireland, and an iceberg could save Cape Town.

Tuesday, 17 October 2017

“What is to be done with the millions of facts that bear witness that men, fully understanding their real interests, have left them in the background and rushed headlong to meet peril and danger?” 
Fyodor Dostoyevsky

 
 

If the ANC’s Integrity Commission had any lingering doubts, Friday’s Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) judgment confirming the reinstatement of 18 charges of 783 counts against President Jacob Zuma should have cleared it all up. Precedents have been set. Former Minister of Communications Dina Pule resigned in 2013 after an investigation by Parliament’s ethics committee; in 2014 the Integrity Commission asked Northern Cape ANC Chair John Block – later sentenced (in 2016) to a 15-year jail term – to resign, and in 2016 Western Cape Chair Marius Fransman was asked to step away pending charges of sexual assault. Will the Integrity Commission bear its fangs when it comes to Zuma? 

 
 
 

Iraqi forces reach Kirkuk

Less than a day after intervening in Kurdish-controlled territory, Iraqi forces have occupied Kirkuk. Iraq’s military swept across the region following a disputed independence referendum. Given the resilience of Kurds and the history of Kirkuk, a long, nasty insurgency is certainly not off the table.

 

Freak storm hits Ireland

At least three people have died and 360,000 have been left without power in Ireland. An “unprecedented” storm struck the country on Monday as a result of Hurricane Ophelia. The storm, a downgraded version of the hurricane, was the largest ever to reach so far north since 1939.

 

#CapeWaterGate: iceberg could solve water crisis

At first glance, the thought of towing an iceberg to Cape Town to provide fresh water seems ridiculous. At second glance, it still seems a bit strange. But a precedent for it exists, and in 2018 the UAE will be taking delivery of its very own iceberg. REBECCA DAVIS peels back the ridiculous and looks at the science.

 

Florida declares emergency over white supremacist problem

Florida’s governor has declared a state of emergency ahead of a white supremacist event scheduled for Thursday. The event features Richard Spencer, a particularly odious racist responsible for inciting violence in a march in August. A state of emergency declaration will provide Florida with enough security, and tear gas, for each and every white supremacist.

 
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IN NUMBERS

85%

The percentage by which dogs are calmer when listening to solo piano music at 50-60bpm during firework shows.

 

FACTS OF THE DAY

Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.It starts in Saxonwold.

Zebras are actually black with white stripes.

 

 

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Weather
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CPT: min: 9° max: 15°,  cloudy
DBN: min: 13° max: 19°, cloudy
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JHB: min: 7° max: 23°, sunny
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MHK: min: 13° max: 29°, sunny
PMB: min: 9° max: 19°, rainy
PE: min: 8° max: 20°, cloudy
PTA: min: 12° max: 27°, sunny

Financial Data
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DJIA=22,934.36
FTSE 100=7,526.97

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