--- title: "While you were sleeping: 14 March 2018" description: "Tillerson out in the cold, Japan considers North Korea meetup, and gender pay gap gets real on The Queen set." type: "NewsArticle" publisher: "Daily Maverick" site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za" section: "Newsdeck" author: "John Stupart" author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/johnstupart/" canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2018-03-14-while-you-were-sleeping-14-march-2018/" published: "2018-03-14T06:04:01" lang: "en-ZA" word_count: 775 --- # While you were sleeping: 14 March 2018 > Tillerson out in the cold, Japan considers North Korea meetup, and gender pay gap gets real on The Queen set. By John Stupart · Published 14 March 2018, 08:04 SAST ## Content **Wednesday, 14 March 2018** *“The AK-47 was christened with blood not as a tool for liberation or to defend the Soviet Union from invaders. It made its debut smashing freedom movements. It was repression’s chosen gun, the rifle of the occupier and the police state.”* **CJ Chivers** ![Image](https://i2.createsend1.com/ei/d/73/E4F/D7E/csimport/849x493q70merten-Moyan-et-al.053153.jpg) STORY OF THE DAY [Parliament: Humiliated Moyane, know-nothing Gigaba, no-show Guptas & Zuma & Myeni](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-oitlix-l-x/) By MARIANNE MERTEN. It’s “Kafkaesque” for MPs to be refused reports – already in the public domain – regarding the disciplinary acquittal of Jonas Makwakwa, the tax collector’s Business and Individual Tax Chief Officer. He returned to work on 1 November 2017, following a year on paid suspension after the watchdog of dodgy financial transactions, the Financial Intelligence Centre, raised the red flag over mysterious payments into his bank accounts. After months of playing kick for touch with Parliament’s finance committee, SARS Commissioner Tom Moyane on Tuesday was instructed to hand over those reports on Friday morning, and to answer questions next week. WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING [Tillerson firing confirmed by Trump](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-oitlix-l-m/) President Donald Trump has confirmed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's firing, with one White House official claiming the reshuffle was to precede the impending North Korea meeting. Tillerson reportedly did not hear from Trump about his axing first-hand. Tillerson will probably not be missed by anyone, having a dubious track record in office. The rate of departures in the Trump administration, however, is beginning to resemble OR Tambo Domestic Arrivals on a Friday. [Japan mulling over North Korea meeting](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-oitlix-l-c/) Taking a leaf from Kim Jong Un's book, Japan announced that it was considering hosting a summit with North Korea's Dear Leader. Foreign ministry officials could not completely confirm the reports, however. As Japan's government attempts to furiously back-pedal from a graft scandal, the summit announcement and its timing is unlikely to have been coincidental. [Students to stage anti-gun walkout](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-oitlix-l-q/) Exactly one month to the day since the deadly Florida shooting, students will walk out of their classrooms nationwide. Except for Texas, apparently, where officials have threatened any anti-gun protesting students with a three-day suspension. The White House has been quick to walk back its promises of meaningful gun control laws, indicating that the protest is necessary now more than ever. [Outrage as Queen's consort earns more](http://email.touchbasepro.com/t/d-l-oitlix-l-a/) Netflix's The Queen might be a runaway hit, but Prince Philip, or rather actor Matt Smith, was revealed to have been earning more per episode than The Queen, or Claire Foy. Producers defended the discrepancy on account of Smith's popularity as Doctor Who, but fans point out that this should have been rectified straight after season one. This is one corgi that just won't come to the parlour, apparently. IN NUMBERS 30BC The earliest date when D20 dice were discovered. They were found in Egypt. FACTS OF THE DAY Today is **Albert Einstein's birthday**. The father of relativity was born in 1879 and died in 1955. Iceland has a tradition called **Jólabókaflóð**. During said celebration, families exchange books on Christmas Eve and spend the night reading and eating chocolate. 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