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While you were sleeping: 8 January 2016

While you were sleeping: 8 January 2016
John Stupart
By John Stupart
8 Jan 2016
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China's markets tumble, North Korean sanctions loom, and Event Horizon is coming in 2017.





“The older I get, the less interested I am in how the West sees Africa, and the more interested I am in how Africa sees itself.”


- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie


















WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING



China's 2016 had all the promise of robust economic activity. This has now promptly gone right over the railing and into the deep end. China and Asian markets in general are set for their worst week in four years. Investors are dumping risky assets left right and centre, amidst a gloomy outlook for China's recovery. Markets around the world have also been hurt, however, lest anyone think the gloom is restricted to Asia.

Adding insult to the market-related injury, United States secretary of state John Kerry has told China to get tough on North Korea. Kerry's remarks were based on the argument that China's soft diplomacy has failed miserably. North Korea possibly detonating a hydrogen bomb would, after all, prove a strong supporting point for such an accusation. The United States, however, consider an almost-complete economic and trade isolation of North Korea to be the correct solution.


President Barack Obama is due to meet with Silicon Valley bigwigs today. The topic? Terrorism. More specifically, how to combat terrorism through technology. Google, Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft will all be in attendance today, as well as Apple's chief executive Tim Cook. 

A network of nine telescopes are due to capture a black hole's event horizon in 2017. The Event Horizon Telescope project has completed technical preparations for capturing this momentous occasion. The project will focus on Sagittarius A*, a black hole in the Milky Way's centre. Sagittarius A* appeared to win out as a target over China's markets right now, but it was a close decision.

Gabon striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been chosen as the Confederation of African Football's player of the year. Aubameyang narrowly beat Ivory Coast's Yaya Toure. The first footballer from Gabon to win the award, the Bundesliga striker has led the pack in goals scored this season, currently sitting at 18 in 17 matches.

 












FINANCIAL INDICATORS









Oil=$34.19 Gold=$1,108.44 Platinum=$873.80
R/$=15.95 R/€=17.33 R/£=23.28 $/€=1.08
JSE All Share=48,052.78 DJIA=16,598.16 FTSE 100=5,954.08: Source












IN NUMBERS








64


The percentage of adult Americans who 'give'. In this case, 'giving' is defined as those who in a month gave money to charity, gave time to those in need or helped a stranger. South Africa rated 40 percent.





Today in 1912 the ANC was founded. Now, over a century later, the founding words of unity couldn't be farther from the reality.


Fact of the day: The United Nations' library recently announced its most checked-out book. This was, depressingly, the doctoral thesis Immunity of Heads of State and State Officials for International Crimes









Weather: 



Bloemfontein: min: 19° max: 34°, sunny
Cape Town: min: 17° max: 28°, cloudy
Durban: min: 21° max: 23°, rainy

East London: min: 19° max: 22°, rainy
Johannesburg: min: 19° max: 33°, rainy
Kimberley: min: 21° max: 34°, sunny
Nelspruit: min: 18° max: 29°, rainy
Pietermaritzburg: min: 16° max: 19°, rainy
Polokwane: min: 18° max: 32°, rainy
Port Elizabeth: min: 18° max: 24°, cloudy
Pretoria: min: 20° max: 33°, rainy


 













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