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While you were sleeping: 15 September 2017

While you were sleeping: 15 September 2017
John Stupart
By John Stupart
15 Sep 2017
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North Korea fires second missile over Japan, and Cassini bids NASA farewell.





TGIF, 15 September 2017


"Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity, nothing exceeds the criticisms made of the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed and well-fed"
Herman Melville




 



 















Reports emerged this week that the ANC in Mpumalanga was going to support ANC Treasurer Zweli Mkhize for the position of party leader in December. Coming in a week in which the party’s KwaZulu-Natal leadership lost a crucial court case, and as divisions in the party deepen, it appears that a realisation is dawning of just how close the party could be to an irrevocable split. Coming with that realisation is the search for candidates who can keep the party together, and get it over the existential hurdle that December is becoming. This means it may be time to consider the possibility of Mkhize becoming leader of the ANC, and then President of South Africa. On the national campaign trail he may be the one person who could bridge the urban/rural divide. But his Achilles’ heel could well be the ANC itself, and whether he would be able to exert control over it. 





 



 



 









North Korea fires missile over Japan



For the second time in less than a month, North Korea has fired a missile over Japan. This time, a ballistic missile was sent soaring overhead Hokkaido. The move was a direct reaction to Security Council sanctions put into effect against the country. The United States called on China and Russia to take "direct actions" in retaliation, effectively attempting to hand over the diplomatic mess it created to neighbours of North Korea.





 





Bin Laden's son calls for Syrian jihad



Hamza bin Laden, Osama bin Laden's son, has called for Muslims to wage jihad against "crusaders" and Shiites in Syria. Bin Laden the younger had become a vocal propagandist in the wake of bin Laden the senior's death in 2011. Intelligence analysts have Hamza pipped as the next leader of al-Qaeda. Expect his face on a deck of cards near you.





 









Pope calls DRC 'predatory state'



The Papal representative has stated that the Pope will not visit Kinshasa until elections are held. Calling the DRC a "predatory state", Monsignor Luis Mariano Montemayor noted that the Pope was "saddened" by the political divide between Congolese people and its political fat cats.





 





Last farewell for Cassini



Nasa's Saturn explorer Cassini has run out of fuel as expected, putting it on a collision course with its host planet. Launched 20 years ago, Cassini circled Saturn and contributed to an enormous amount of knowledge about the solar system. Cassini will make one final contact with Nasa this morning, following which it will plunge into Saturn, allowing it a heroic Viking-esque end to its life.





 









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IN NUMBERS


2



The years in prison an ex-Mckinsey CEO was sentenced to. His name? Rajat Gupta.





 









FACTS OF THE DAY



Today is International Day of Democracy. Otherwise known as World Opposite Day in North Korea.


Taylor Swift owns the rights to "This Sick Beat"





 
















 









FEATURED ARTICLES










































































































OPINIONISTAS















The Other News Round-Up: The AI Gaydar


A column by MARELISE VAN DER MERWE



 










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