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While you were sleeping: 6 April 2017

While you were sleeping: 6 April 2017
John Stupart
By John Stupart
6 Apr 2017
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Aung Suu Kyi denies Rohingya ethnic cleansing, Trump demotes Steve Bannon, and Barry Manilow comes out of the closet.





Thursday, 6 April 2017


"The deployment of millions cannot be improvised."
General Helmuth von Moltke




 



 















After four days of late-night announcements, angry press conferences, furious statements, and leaked speeches, it was time for the first major ANC structure to meet to discuss President Jacob Zuma, and the reaction to his factional reshuffle and removal of Pravin Gordhan from the Finance Ministry. In the end, the National Working Committee, surprising no one, simply resolved to “discuss” with Cosatu and the SACP their calls for Zuma to leave. At first glance it looks almost as if nothing has changed, that Zuma is still the MacDaddy of our politics, and the game goes on the same way as it has for many years. But look a little deeper, and it’s possible that the rules of the game have actually changed quite dramatically. 





 



 



 









Suu Kyi walks back on Rohingya ethnic cleansing



Proving the adage that even the best of politicians, given enough power, will become hopelessly inept lickspittles, Aung San Suu Kyi has denied the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya people in Myanmar. Despite her government and country officially and unofficially discriminating against the group, who are denied citizenship, Suu Kyi noted that the ethnic cleansing conducted against them was "too strong" a term.





 





Bannon excused from the NSC



Staying on the topic of lickspittles, President Donald Trump has seen fit to remove the White House's resident antichrist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council. Acting on the advice and urging by his National Security Advisor HR McMaster, Bannon was removed from the top-level meetings. The move is a positive one, both in that Trump appeared capable of resisting his Sith lord and in his ability to listen to good advice.





 









US warns of unilateral action in Syria



If the United Nations failed to take action against Syria and its chemical attack this week, the United States has warned it will take unilateral action. Considering everyone and their A-10 Warthog is already unilaterally involved in Syria, this threat is not particularly serious yet. However, given the seriousness of the chemical attack by the Assad regime, it would behove the UN to do something actionable.





 





Barry Manilow opens up about his homosexuality



After four decades of keeping it a secret, singer Barry Manilow announced late on Wednesday that he was in a relationship, and had been, with another man for several decades. Arguing that he did not want to disappoint fans, Manilow, now 73, decided to keep it a secret until now. The fact that he also has an album coming out in April couldn't possibly have anything to do with the announcement.





 









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IN NUMBERS


13



The number of years in which Portugal's capital moved from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro.





 









FACTS OF THE DAY



Today in 1994 saw the beginning of the Rwandan genocide.


Braille was originally used as a means for French spies to communicate in the dark.





 









FEATURED ARTICLES







































































































































Op-Ed: The Price of shunning the ICC


BY KAAJAL RAMJATHAN-KEOGH



 






















OPINIONISTAS



















































The Merchant of Venice – From Russia with love


A column by OSCAR VAN HEERDEN



 






















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