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While you were sleeping: 29 August 2017

While you were sleeping: 29 August 2017
John Stupart
By John Stupart
29 Aug 2017
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North Korea fires missile over Japan, Sea Shepherd calls it quits, and Houston rescue services rush into overdrive.





Tuesday, 29 August 2017


“Have you ever noticed how ‘What the hell’ is always the right decision to make?” 
Terry Johnson




 



 













STORY OF THE DAY


Scorpio: How Sars’ Gupta investigations bit the dust


By REBECCA DAVIS for SCORPIO.





Last week, Scorpio & amaBhungane revealed just how little the Gupta brothers were paying in personal income tax – and questioned how their high-flying lifestyle did not raise red flags at Sars. We have since learnt that a specialised unit within Sars did attempt to investigate the Gupta family in what was described as a “massive preliminary investigation”. What shut it down appears to have been the fall-out at the revenue service following the fake Sars “rogue unit” allegations in 2014, yet another significant casualty of the conveniently timed black ops targeted at Sars.





 



 



 









North Korea fires missile over Japan



North Korea has sharply escalated matters by launching a missile straight over Hokkaido, Japan. The launch saw Japanese authorities trigger prefecture-wide alarms, advising locals to find a bunker and stay there. In what sounds a bit like the Cold War gone hot, Japan had ordered an emergency meeting of the Security Council. Nothing quite says "enough is enough" like an enemy missile over your airspace.





 





Small window for rescue opens in Houston



Rescue teams rushed on Monday to evacuate hundreds of Texans stranded in the streets before Hurricane Harvey returns. At least 8,000 people have now been evacuated, with the storm threatening to make another return over the city some time today. So far six people have been killed in the hurricane, with emergency call operators receiving a "staggering" volume of help requests.





 









Sharapova shines in US Open



Maria Sharapova has made her first mark at the US Open, defeating Simona Halep 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 in her first Grand Slam since the end of a doping ban. After despatching Halep Sharapova fell to her knees in tears, saying afterwards that it was "so much more" than just another normal day on the court.





 





Sea Shepherd abandons anti-whaling hunt



Eco-militant Sea Shepherd announced on Tuesday that it was abandoning its attempts to disrupt Japanese whaling. SS argued that the Japanese military and economic power was overwhelming. Founder Paul Watson explained that they were being monitored with real-time satellite imagery, making it impossible to intercept whalers. It's almost as if the Japanese military doesn't have a volatile Korean neighbour that could use that satellite imagery better.





 









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IN NUMBERS


1,000



The factor by which the number of man hours to produce a ton of steel was reduced from 1920 to 2000.





 









FACTS OF THE DAY



Today is the International Day Against Nuclear Tests.


Selfie sticks are banned in all Disney Theme parks.





 
















 









FEATURED ARTICLES






























































































OPINIONISTAS



























Dismissing the “alt-right” is a mistake


A column by IVO VEGTER



 










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