Foul Play Suspected In Double Agent Drama

[Daily Maverick] FIRST THING with JOHN STUPART Tuesday, 6 March 2018 “A lot of people ask me if I were shipwrecked, and could have only one book, what would it be? I always say, 'How to Build a Boat'.” Stephen Wright STORY OF THE DAY [TRAINSPOTTER: Cyril Ramaphosa and his many big, fat, mayo-drenched polony sandwiches]( By RICHARD POPLAK The rise of Cyril Ramaphosa was supposed to give South Africans a chance to have a nice cup of tea following the nine-year Zuma donnybrook. Instead, the ANC reboot has sent ripples into the farthest corners of the country’s body politic. The single most explosive issue – land – has now been detonated, and it’s worth asking whether Ramaphosa has the nous, the power and the personnel to deal effectively with the challenges that lie ahead. Or will he be force-fed the political equivalent of a meat tube made of the assholes and snouts of pigs? WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING [Russian double agent in critical condition]( Sergei Skripal, a Russian double agent involved in one of the United Kingdom's greatest spy swops, is in a critical condition after exposure to an "unknown substance". Russia has a proven track record for poisoning its old spies, having killed Alexander Litvinenko with radioactive polonium (non-Enterprise brand). Skripal and a 30-year-old woman were found unconscious in Salisbury, forcing the area's closure and subsequent hazmat-suited scouring. [Historic talks begin between North and South Korea]( Dear Leader Kim Jong Un has conducted talks with an envoy from Seoul. Discussions focused on a possible summit with a delegation from South Korea. Also, South Korea's envoys stated their intention to encourage the North's engagement with the international community. Given the White House's views on "Little Rocket Man", reunification might be a more realistic objective. [USS Lexington wreckage discovered]( Lost during the Battle of the Coral Sea in 1942, the American carrier USS Lexington has been found. The Lexington suffered significant damage by the Japanese in the first engagement between aircraft carriers in history. Microsoft's co-founder Paul Allen discovered the wreck using his own research vessel. Settled 3,000m underwater and 800km from Australia, the ship is not likely to be a well-visited attraction any time soon. [Turkey fines Italian for truffle smuggling]( Hold on to your truffle pigs, Turkey is on the prowl for smugglers. An Italian citizen was fined almost 100,000 euros for attempting to bring white truffles out of Turkey. Holding nearly 29kg of white truffles, the culprit would have made a tidy sum had he got away with it. With the going truffle rate at 250 euros a kilo, trying to get Turkey to play nice with truffles has never been harder. PICTURE OF THE DAY By EPA-EFE/PAUL BUCK Sam Rockwell, winner of the Best Supporting Actor Award for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Frances McDormand, winner of the Best Actress for Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Allison Janney, winner of the Best Actress in a Supporting Role Award for I, Tonya, and Gary Oldman, winner of Best Actor for Darkest Hour pose in the press room during the 90th annual Academy Awards ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, US, 4 March 2018. IN NUMBERS 19 The number of years in prison that journalist Yusuf Ruzimuradov spent. He had been convicted of sedition charges in Uzbekistan. FACTS OF THE DAY Today is the Day of the Dude. If you practice [Dudeism]( , this is your dudesmas. Your dudedan, if you will. The average European eats less than one tablespoon of American Peanut butter in an entire year. FEATURED ARTICLES [Listeriosis outbreak: The blame games begin]( [Listeriosis outbreak: The blame games begin]( BY Rebecca Davis [Analysis: With Bogeyman Zuma behind, SA steps into the Political Unknown]( [Analysis: With Bogeyman Zuma behind, SA steps into the Political Unknown]( BY Stephen Grootes [Magashule holds the Aces: He’s still the ‘hidden hand’ in the Free State, say ANC members]( [Magashule holds the Aces: He’s still the ‘hidden hand’ in the Free State, say ANC members]( BY Greg Nicolson [‘There are no holy cows’: Nhlanhla Nene talks the economy and corruption at Fedusa conference]( [‘There are no holy cows’: Nhlanhla Nene talks the economy and corruption at Fedusa conference]( BY Daily Maverick [Op-Ed: Rebuilding South Africa's political life]( [Op-Ed: Rebuilding South Africa's political life]( BY Raymond Suttner [Sympathy for the Prisoner, Part One: How years ‘awaiting trial’ takes its toll on the incarcerated]( [Sympathy for the Prisoner, Part One: How years ‘awaiting trial’ takes its toll on the incarcerated]( BY Nkateko Mabasa [Israeli Arab politicians visiting SA underscore the complexities of the Knesset]( [Israeli Arab politicians visiting SA underscore the complexities of the Knesset]( BY J Brooks Spector [Parliament: Everyone’s talking about us but not with us – sex worker]( [Parliament: Everyone’s talking about us but not with us – sex worker]( BY Suné Payne OPINIONISTAS [Expropriation without compensation is unnecessary, and will lead to tears]( [Expropriation without compensation is unnecessary, and will lead to tears]( A column by Ivo Vegter [Who gives in South Africa and to whom?]( [Who gives in South Africa and to whom?]( A column by Shelagh Gastrow [#WhiteWater versus #CapeWaterGate – how easily labels mislead]( [#WhiteWater versus #CapeWaterGate – how easily labels mislead]( A column by Ian von Memerty — Weather BFN: min: 16° max 33°, sunny CPT: min: 17° max: 24°, cloudy DBN: min: 22° max: 27°, rainy JHB: min: 16° max: 26°, cloudy KIM: min: 18° max: 34°, cloudy MHK: min: 18° max: 31°, rainy NLP: min: 18° max: 32°, cloudy PE: min: 17° max: 33°, sunny PMB: min: 19° max: 31°, rainy PTA: min: 18° max: 29°, cloudy Financial Data Oil=$65.50 Gold=$1,319.81 Platinum=$961.81 R/$=11.84 R/€=14.59 R/£=16.38 BTC/$=11,541 JSE All Share=57,912.40 DJIA=24,787.73 FTSE 100=7,115.98 [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( Copyright © 2017 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. 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