Expensive DM168 readers,
Phew! It appears like the arena went stir-crazy this week and I simply stepped off the mum of all curler coaster rides. No surprise my blood drive went on crimson alert.
On Tuesday, 22 August, our Day-to-day Maverick website online nearly collapsed on account of a large allotted denial of provider (DDoS) assault from India. It got here when we printed a document via Peter Fabricius that Indian Top Minister Narendra Modi had refused to disembark from his aircraft at Waterkloof Air Drive Base as a result of President Cyril Ramaphosa wasn’t individually there to satisfy him. In the end, President Ramaphosa despatched Deputy President Paul Mashatile to fetch Modi and therapeutic massage his massive ego.
We had to offer protection to our web page via combating get admission to to our website online’s guests in India — a bummer for individuals who sought after to be told. Thankfully, DDoS can’t contact old-school printing presses, so DM168 is alive and neatly, and can be to be had on retail cabinets on Saturday morning.
On Wednesday, former US president Donald Trump got here up tops as Republican supporters’ favorite candidate although he didn’t take part within the Republican debate along with his warring parties. Like our very personal Jacob Zuma, folks can’t lend a hand loving fats cat, populist, sexist, ethically questionable geriatric dangerous boys like Zuma and Trump.
As we all know, Zuma were given his get-out-of-jail-free card as a result of our prisons are too complete. Trump were given the thumbs-up from Republican fanboys and ladies although he faces prison fees for looking to overturn the 2020 US election end result, his alleged mishandling of labeled subject material after he left the White Area, in addition to prison fees for falsifying industry information.
Additionally on Wednesday, the arena was once speculating whether or not that different outdated dangerous boy, Russian President Vladimir Putin (Trump and Zuma’s excellent good friend), had in spite of everything were given his revenge towards his employed gun, Wagner warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led the failed rebellion towards the Kremlin two months in the past. Prigozhin and his lieutenants had been on board his personal jet when it mysteriously exploded and fell from the sky close to Moscow. Trump and Zuma must be cautious; Prigozhin was once additionally as soon as a super mate of Putin’s.
Including to the madness, round midweek North Korea’s superb chief, Kim Jong-un, flexed his army muscle via checking out his newest secret agent satellite tv for pc rocket, inflicting Japan to reserve citizens of its southern island of Okinawa to evacuate to protected puts.
The superb chief is most certainly in point of fact mad that he’s no longer as fashionable because the South Korean Ok-pop boy band BTS, or certainly all of the different bands in that nation’s colourful adolescence tune scene that experience conquered the arena. Perhaps Kim had to persuade himself that, although he would possibly not have as excellent a haircut or tens of millions of younger boys and girls screaming adoringly at him, it’s would possibly that issues. No longer reasonably — the rocket failed. And Ok-pop remains to be flying during the stratosphere.
I concede which you can no longer have waited with bated breath for the following mad transfer via a large guy baby-kisser — and as a substitute selected to make like an ostrich and get on with what issues maximum to you on your day-to-day existence. Taking a destroy from the social streams of reports noise is a certain tick for excellent psychological well being.
That’s the place our weekly newspaper DM168 is available in to make sure that your blood drive stays strong while you’re neatly knowledgeable, impressed and entertained. Listed here are my 5 favorite tales on this week’s version, which I counsel you web page via, pause and revisit, together with your toes up and your beverage of selection in hand.
1. Cyril shines at BRICS
Each South African information web page has reported at the day-to-day drama of the much-awaited BRICS Summit in Sandton. President Ramaphosa made a good mark at the world degree this week, and there have been many behind-the-scenes negotiations and results that experience a pertaining to South Africa’s position on the planet of industry and geopolitics. Our newshounds at the scene – Queenin Masuabi, Peter Fabricius and Ferial Haffajee – document at the debates, discussions and selections, and solution the “so what” query about what in point of fact happened in Sandton and the way that would possibly impact us as South Africans.
2. Prof Thuli Madonsela’s lengthy stroll to unfastened scholars from debt
The ones of you who’re avid readers of DM168 will know that even if it kind of feels just like the apocalypse is on my doorstep, I can at all times attempt to discover a tale to uplift your spirit and remind you that each 2nd of existence is sacred. Our two younger writers Kristin Engel and Tamsin Metelerkamp have written about a great initiative via former public protector Thuli Madonsela. She has launched into a 300km stroll from Stellenbosch to Cape Agulhas to boost budget to pay scholars’ ancient debt in order that they may be able to pursue their {qualifications} and make stronger their lives.
3. Mockingly talking
Our soothsayer and satirist, Malibongwe Tyilo, is again to tickle your humorous bone along with his hilarious take at the politicians who give us a ache within the neck. I’m no longer going to offer away the name of the game of his magical salts. Suffice to mention, Mali made my day.
4. Southern African get away
Bridget Hilton-Barber has been regaling us together with her weekly descriptions of an epic 40-day, 10,000km highway travel from her domestic in Limpopo all of the method to Rwanda and again once more. She and her good friend Hugh Fraser drove by the use of Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Burundi, Malawi and Mozambique to connect to folks, puts and probabilities. This week, she writes about Day 16, once they made it to magical Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania – however best after a lot jaw-grinding and teeth-gnashing.
5. Just right information for wage earners
Our inimitable private finance editor, Neesa Moodley, has excellent information on getting slightly extra bang to your dollar. She explains how our nominal take-home pay has greater for the second one consecutive month owing to inflation falling sooner than anticipated to a two-year low of four.7% in July, from 5.4% in June. Now that’s slightly of much-needed cheer for the ones folks lucky sufficient to be hired.
On a facet observe, because of all of our readers who stuffed in remaining week’s survey — you’ve got given us many ideas that we’re sifting via to make stronger our providing to you. I want to attraction to these of you who purchase the print model of our newspaper at shops to take this one remaining alternative to have your say via answering our survey right here.
I can announce the fortunate reader who received a bog down of books in subsequent week’s newspaper. If you purchase the newspaper this weekend and fill within the survey via Monday morning at 9am, you are going to nonetheless be in line to win.
Please write to me at [email protected] together with your feedback, perspectives, ideas and reflections, which I can post on our Letters web page.
Till subsequent week, yours in defence of fact,
Heather
This tale first gave the impression in our weekly Day-to-day Maverick 168 newspaper, which is to be had countrywide for R29. DM168 is to be had on the market in any respect retail shops from Saturday, 26 August.
