"I think that if ever a mortal heard the word of God it would be in a garden at the cool of day."
– F. Frankfort Moore
| WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING |
The Syrian opposition's lead negotiator has noted that he is coming under pressure from US secretary of state, John Kerry. The group of rebel and opposition groups, the High Negotiation Committee, has refused to attend negotiations until all attacks and blockades cease, and all detainees released. Not disclosed were the whereabouts of the Low or Medium Negotiation Committees.
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have remained cool and aloof at the possible entry of Michael Bloomberg into the election race. Bloomberg announced he might enter the race as an independent should Clinton fail the primaries. The social democrat in the pigeon loft, Bernie Sanders' reponse has been to dismiss Bloomberg as "another billionaire" in the race. Regardless, having a coherent billionaire with a decent haircut may well siphon much-needed Democrat votes away from Sanders.
ISIL has published a video reportedly showing the identities of the November Paris attackers. In addition to their faces, their last statements prior to the terror attacks were released. The video also flashed footage of British Prime Minister David Cameron expressing solidarity while displaying the message "Whoever stands in the ranks of kafir (infidels) will be a target for our swords."
Toshiba looks set to sell off parts of its chip business. This is a direct response to the EU courts upholding a $148 million fine against the tech giant and a $1.3 billion accounting scandal. According to Reuters, this would include the sale of NAND flash memory operations, among other divisions. Regardless, Toshiba should likely be thankful it is still in business following such massive scandals.
The Denver Broncos have dug deep to defeat the New England Patriots in the US NFL. The 20-18 loss, attributed by Patriots' coach Bill Belichick to "small mistakes", has allowed Payton Manning's Bronco's entry into Super Bowl 50. A missed extra-point kick by Stephen Gostkowski, his first such error in 10 years, sent shockwaves through the team and added to a list of errors in a game that allowed few, if any, to pass unpunished.
| IN NUMBERS |
29
The anticipated depth of snowfall, in inches, for Washington DC over the weekend and following days.
| FACTS OF THE DAY |
Today in 1945 saw the end of the Battle of the Bulge. The German defeat opened up the way for an Allied advance into Germany, hastening the ultimate surrender of the Axis.
Fact of the day: Delta Airlines explicitly allows each passenger from Hawaii a single baggage item of pineapples.
Fact of the day: Delta Airlines explicitly allows each passenger from Hawaii a single baggage item of pineapples.
| WEATHER |
Bloemfontein: min: 18° max: 28°, sunny
Cape Town: min: 21° max: 25°, rainy
Durban: min: 23° max: 26°, rainy
East London: min: 21° max: 24°, rainy
Johannesburg: min: 16° max: 28°, sunny
Kimberley: min: 19° max: 30°, sunny
Nelspruit: min: 20° max: 33°, rainy
Pietermaritzburg: min: 15° max: 25°, rainy
Polokwane: min: 20° max: 30°, cloudy
Port Elizabeth: min: 19° max: 23°, rainy
Pretoria: min: 18° max: 30°, rainy
Johannesburg: min: 16° max: 28°, sunny
Kimberley: min: 19° max: 30°, sunny
Nelspruit: min: 20° max: 33°, rainy
Pietermaritzburg: min: 15° max: 25°, rainy
Polokwane: min: 20° max: 30°, cloudy
Port Elizabeth: min: 19° max: 23°, rainy
Pretoria: min: 18° max: 30°, rainy
| FINANCIAL DATA |
Oil=$32.18 Gold=$1,097.95 Platinum=$832.50
R/$=16.46 R/€=17.78 R/£=23.49 $/€=1.07
JSE All Share=47,661.87 DJIA=16,093.51 FTSE 100=5,900.01: Source
| The Daily Maverick Audio Show (now on iTunes) |
| NOW ON DAILY MAVERICK |