South Africa, World
While you were sleeping: 23 February 2018
NRA accuses gun reformers of politicisation, massive cocaine bust at Russian embassy, and Haiti suspends Oxfam operations.
TGIF, 23 February 2018
“Life is a disease: sexually transmitted, and invariably fatal.”
Neil Gaiman
STORY OF THE DAY
Ingonyama Trust: Ramaphosa warned that meddling with KZN tribal land means ‘playing with fire’
By CARIEN DU PLESSIS
Amakhosi in KwaZulu-Natal are threatening that there will be hell to pay should control of tribal land be taken away from them, and true to their word the issue surfaced in the first parliamentary debate of the year. With the ANC fractured as it is in the province, and with a general election just over a year away, this matter could menacingly hang around for a while yet.
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING
NRA decries ‘politicisation’ of Florida tragedy
The National Rifle Association has fired back at mounting protests and calls for gun control measures, calling it a “politicisation” of the Florida shooting. NRA head shill Wayne LaPierre called the demand for stiffer gun control “a classic strategy right out of the playbook of a poisonous movement”. If hypocrisy were a firearm, it would have backfired in LaPierre’s oblivious face by now.
Massive cocaine bust in Russian embassy in Argentina
If you think it’s just South Korea that Russia’s been banned from skiing in, think again. Police have seized a whopping 400kg of cocaine from the Russian embassy in Buenos Aires. Several members belonging to a trafficking syndicate were arrested. Holding a street value of $62-million, the cocaine was being shipped via the Russian diplomatic courier service.
Haiti Oxfam operations halted over abuse allegations
Haiti has announced that British charity Oxfam has been suspended from its operations in the country. This suspension is pending an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse by Oxfam staff. In its statement, Haiti called Oxfam’s conduct “reprehensible”.
Mid-East peace proposal to be served up
US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley has announced that they would be submitting a proposal for peace between Israel and Palestine to the UN shortly. Haley acknowledged that the plan “won’t be loved by either side”, but that it was a “template” for dialogue. Given the loss of Jerusalem from the bargaining table already, it is unlikely Palestinian authorities will be particularly warm towards any American proposal.
IN NUMBERS
6,893
Height in metres of the world’s highest active volcano – Ojos del Salado.
Follow a team of six South Africans as they climb Ojos in their quest to impact the lives of 600,000 preschool children daily. theunlimitedchild.org
FACTS OF THE DAY
Today is National Banana Bread Day in the US. This very well ought to be a worldwide celebration.
Fortune cookies originated from San Francisco.
FEATURED ARTICLES
State of the Western Cape: Heckling and interruptions punctuate Zille address
BY SUNE PAYNE & LEILA DOUGAN
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