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While you were sleeping: 30 January 2018

While you were sleeping: 30 January 2018
John Stupart
By John Stupart
30 Jan 2018
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CIA warn the Russians are coming, fines laid down for major banks, and Brexit destined to stuff up Britain regardless of outcome.





Tuesday, 30 January 2018


“There is little man has made that approaches anything in nature, but a sailing ship does.” 
Allan Villiers




 



 















The South African Post Office, scheduled to partner with Sassa in the payment of social grants come April 2018, as well as lobby group the Black Sash, have sounded the alarm, claiming that the agency is delaying the process and that Sassa’s reports to the Constitutional Court lacked detail and specifics. All of this is taking place in the slipstream of Treasury’s refusal to approve a deviation for R11-million, requested by Sassa, to reappoint a workstream found irregular in the first place. 





 



 



 









WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING










CIA warns the Russians are coming for the mid-term



The Central Intelligence Agency has warned that Moscow will be involved in the upcoming 2018 US mid-term vote. Agency director Mike Pompeo stated on Monday that he had not seen a significant decrease in their activity. Given what's at stake, you can be sure the Democrats will be trying desperately to figure out a way to thwart the Russians this time around.





 





US fines major banks



Deutsche Bank, UBS and HSBC were all fined by American authorities for manipulating futures markets and commodities. The three will pay a fine of $46.6-million in order to quell allegations of "spoofing" markets and precious metals futures. The banks' traders make thousands of fraudulent orders in an attempt to create pressure on other traders to buy at inflated prices. Given the size of the fine and the fatness of these three banks' coffers, this unscrupulous behaviour is unlikely to end any time soon.





 









FBI deputy calls it quits



US FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe has announced his departure after President Donald Trump accused him of being a Democratic partisan. McCabe, a career G-man, had been harshly criticised for his loyalty to former director James Comey and played an important role in the clearing of Hillary Clinton 's personal email scandal. The Sentient Naartjie did not forget this, evidently.





 





Britain worse off in any Brexit scenario



The British Government is desperately delaying the release of another report that indicated that the country would be worse off regardless of what deal it struck with the EU. The leaked report showed that economic growth in any Brexit scenario will be hard hit, with the best option, remaining in the European single market, showing at least a 2% drop in growth. No deal, and the report's findings show an expected 8% drop. Expect your plucky local Brexit-zealot to disfavour any such report or quantitative indication of their impending doom.





 









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IN NUMBERS


250



The number of different warning calls your average crow has.





 









FACTS OF THE DAY



Today in 1982 the first computer virus is launched.


Carl Sagan helped with the mathematic modelling for a possible American nuclear bombing of the moon.





 










FEATURED ARTICLES






















































































































OPINIONISTAS







































Davos: A very icy African agenda


A column by CHIPO DENDERE



 










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