Monday, 7 May 2018
Story of the Day
Eskom puts the brakes on Gupta insider Mark Pamensky’s R1-million-plus legal bill
By Jessica Bezuidenhout
A deal which sought to indemnify former Eskom board member Mark Pamensky from the payment of legal fees following the State Capture scandal has come under scrutiny as the state-owned company now seeks to recover all moneys that were paid to his lawyers “in error”. Pamensky is the businessman who was so tight with the Guptas that some of his “Hi Chair” emails to Atul Gupta have saddled him with allegations that he breached the Companies Act, the Public Finance Management Act and the Prevention of Organised Crime Act.
While You Were Sleeping
Iran warns US over nuclear deal
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has issued a stern warning to the United States over President Donald Trump’s threats to withdraw from the deal. Rouhani cautioned that the US would regret it “like never before”. The Trump administration has been characteristically vague over the “terrible flaws” it wants fixed in the deal, alluding largely to rather subjective “sunset clauses” in the 2015 Obama-brokered deal as problematic.
Crime shoots up in London with teens killed, injured
A spate of shootings in London on Saturday and Sunday has left one teenager dead and two others severely wounded. A 17-year-old was shot and killed in Hackney on Saturday, and the next day, 13 and 15-year-old teens were injured in a second shooting near the suburb of Harrow. London, unaccustomed to gun-related violence, is understandably shocked. President Trump, Tweeting from his glass house, labelled it a “war zone”, apparently heedless of the hypocrisy.
SANZAAR dismisses threats of Boks leaving Super Rugby
SANZAAR, the ruling body for Super Rugby owned by South Africa, Australia, Argentina and New Zealand, has dismissed rumours of a South African migration to European rugby. This followed the leaking of a preliminary review of Super Rugby that indicated a drastic departure from the current format, which also included a possible invite to the United States to join and the departure of more entrenched franchises.
Hezbollah looks to increase political gains in Lebanon
Hezbollah looks set to become the majority winner of Lebanon’s first general election in decades. The Iranian-backed militant group will not enjoy an iron hand of power, however, as it was announced that the victory margins were thin enough to maintain a political status quo.
In Numbers
112
The number of seconds of the longest echo ever recorded. It was of a pistol shot in a Scottish fuel depot.
Facts of the Day
Today in 1945 General Alfred Jodl signs official surrender papers, ending Germany’s role in World War II. It takes effect the next day.
Robin Williams was voted “Most Humorous” and “Least likely to succeed” in school.
Weather
BFN: min: 6° max: 23°, cloudy
CPT: min: 13° max: 22°, rainy
DBN: min: 15° max: 27°, sunny
EL: min: 16° max: 30°, sunny
JHB: min: 9° max: 21°, sunny
KIM: min: 8° max: 27°, sunny
NLP: min: 10° max: 27°, sunny
PMB:min: 11° max: 28°, sunny
PE: min: 12° max: 29°, cloudy
PTA: min: 11° max: 23°, sunny
Financial Data
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