All eyes on Batohi, Biden's hints at 2020 run, Huawei's 3-D phone

[Click here for the web version of this email]( [FIRST THING With John Stupart]( Wednesday, 5 December 2018 “A fanatic is a man who, when he's lost sight of his purpose, redoubles his effort.” Poul Anderson Story of the Day [Shamila Batohi’s ascent to the top of NPA pyramid brings sense of hope and new, better beginning]( By Stephen Grootes South Africa has a new National Director of Public Prosecutions. This is a statement that you will have read in the past, several times, in fact. And now Advocate Shamila Batohi is stepping into a position that has proved to be so poisoned by politics that none of its appointees has come even close to surviving the full ten-year term. There are challenges galore in store for her. But there is also a sense of optimism that perhaps, just perhaps, things may well be about to change at the NPA with Batohi at the helm. While You Were Sleeping [Biden hints at presidential run]( Former US vice president Joe Biden has hinted that he may make a run for president in the 2020 elections. Speaking during his book tour, Biden stated that he thought he was "the most qualified person in the country to be president". Somewhere in the Clinton manor, the sound of gnashed teeth and cracking knuckles can be heard. [Senators rally against Trump over Khashoggi evidence]( A closed CIA briefing for US Senators has elicited a bipartisan chorus of agreement that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Trump-supporting stalwart, called the evidence a "smoking saw" in reference to the beheading and dismemberment of Khashoggi. [Four indicted for Panama Papers fraud]( American authorities have indicted four people on fraud charges relating to information gleaned from the Panama Papers leaks. The four represent a variety of organisations, but broadly stand accused of laundering money through offshore accounts in the Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca & Co. As the first such charges stemming from the Panama Papers, these will hopefully not be the last. [Huawei leads the charge into 3-D camera phones]( Huawei Technologies will be revealing a new phone that can take three-dimensional photos. Holding the project alias "Princeton", the as-yet-unnamed model will utilise a Sony-made sensor suite to create the 3-D model. Before you think this is a gimmick, however, consider the possibility of using your hand as a real, actual wand-casting member of Hogwarts in a video game. The future, as it were, is now. Picture of the Day By EPA-EFE/SHAWN THEW The casket containing the body of former US President George HW Bush lies in the Rotunda of the US Capitol in Washington, DC, US, 3 December 2018. Bush, the 41st President of the United States (1989-1993), died in his Houston, Texas, home surrounded by family and friends on 30 November 2018. In Numbers 792,985 The number of signatures submitted to the Australian parliament in protest against rising beer prices. This was the largest petition in the country's history. Facts of the Day Today is World Soil Day. Check your pot plants today. The Ying Yang symbol actually predates Taoism, having been used on Roman Army shields at least 700 years earlier. Featured Articles [Assembly votes to amend Constitution amid scenario planning for 2019 election, legal challenges]( By Marianne Merten [Warning of possible Islamic State holiday terror attacks in SA carries little weight]( By Jasmine Opperman [Public representatives must be held accountable for government debt]( By Simi Siwisa [Shamila Batohi tasked with fighting factionalism and putting out fires in the NPA]( By Greg Nicolson [Appeal Court strikes down infamous locomotive contract]( By GroundUp [Gabon’s Constitutional Court again protects the ruling party]( By ISS Today Opinionistas [Using crime as an election issue will not be easy for the DA]( A column by Faiez Jacobs & Khalid Sayed [Why Communications Minister is legally obliged to respect SABC’s independence and work with its board]( A column by Pierre De Vos [Only Cyril Ramaphosa can get the SABC out of this crisis]( A column by William Bird [Organic farming, a money-making racket with mystical origins]( A column by Ivo Vegter [National Health Insurance, a building block towards universal healthcare]( A column by Busani Ngcaweni Weather BFN: min: 17° max: 33°, sunny CPT: min: 14° max: 20°, sunny DBN: min: 18° max: 24°, cloudy EL: min: 18° max: 24°, cloudy JHB: min: 17° max: 31°, sunny MHK: min: 21° max: 36°, cloudy NLP: min: 18° max: 36°, rainy PE: min: 16° max: 22°, cloudy PMB:min: 15° max: 25°, rainy Financial Data Oil=$61.68 Gold=$1,238.23 Platinum=$ R/$=13.84 R/€=15.69 R/£=17.59 JSE All Share=52,234.55 DJIA=25,027.07 BTC$=3 865 [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( [Fb] [Tweet] [Link] [Yt] Copyright © 2018 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. 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