Newsdeck
While you were sleeping: 11 November 2016
Anti-Trump protests continue, Obama calls first meeting "excellent", and Leonard Cohean dies aged 82.
“There is a crack in everything. That’s how the light gets in.”
Leonard Cohen
STORY OF THE DAY
No Confidence: ANC’s diversion-spin goes into overdrive for Zuma, again
By MARIANNE THAMM
While the result of the vote on a DA motion of no confidence in President Zuma in the National Assembly on Thursday was predictable in its failure, what did emerge more fully during the heated debate is the ANC counter-narrative that those opposed to President Zuma were somehow working towards “regime change” and were opposed to the President’s project of “economic transformation”. Addresses by Minister of Water and Sanitation Nomvula Mokonyane and Minister of Home Affairs Malusi Gigaba served more to deflect attention from the damaging political fallout of the President’s serial transgressions and offences. By MARIANNE THAMM.
Protests against Donald Trump’s shock election victory continued into their second night. The protestors comprise mostly students, however, and do not appear to be gaining any sort of momentum beyond a few thousand members at most. The general theme of the outbursts across several cities appeared to be that of outrage at Trump’s victory. Incoherent outrage. But outrage nonetheless.
Obama calls Trump talk ‘excellent’
The first meeting between President Barack Obama and President-elect Donald Trump was hailed as ‘excellent’. Amid a flurry of speculation on the mood in the White House, Obama and Trump spent most of their time discussing staffing and general transition issues. No crates of gold leaf for the inevitable White House redecoration were spotted, however.
Taliban attack German consulate in Afghanistan
A massive truck bomb struck a German consulate in Mazar-i-Sharif overnight. Killing two, the attack was in retaliation for an American bombing in Kunduz that may have killed several civilians. The Taliban blast, however, injured over 100 civilians, at least a tenth of whom were children.
Famous songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen has died at age 82. Cohen’s publicist announced the news overnight, with the cause of death undisclosed. Cohen had released a final album, titled ‘You Want it Darker’, just last month, a work which actually reflected on his impending death.
IN NUMBERS
1.63m
Stalin’s height. The Soviet tyrant was shorter than Napoleon.
FACT OF THE DAY
Today is Remembrance Day. If you see a
Donald Trump is the oldest president to be elected to
FEATURED ARTICLES
OPINIONISTAS
11/9: A moment that froze us in time
A column by JUDITH FEBRUARY