Dramatic Notre-Dame attack thwarted

[Daily Maverick] FIRST THING with JOHN STUPART Wednesday, 7 June 2017 “I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott STORY OF THE DAY [The Guptas’ racism and their manipulation of race in South Africa]( By RANJENI MUNUSAMY There are many things that are offensive about the conduct of the Gupta family. Their sense of entitlement to South Africa’s resources and disdain for the country’s people are perhaps most infuriating. The deluge of information being released into the public domain about their dodgy business practices and manipulation of political leaders and government officials might create a sense of powerlessness among ordinary citizens. But there should never be hopeless acceptance of the Guptas’ corrupt and immoral practices. Neither should South Africans turn a blind eye towards their racism and exploitation of race dynamics in the country. [French police shoot Notre-Dame attacker]( A hammer-wielding attacker was shot and injured by French police today. Shouting "this is for Syria!", the 40-year-old Algerian doctoral student attacked police in Notre Dame with a hammer. Hit in the chest by a bullet, the attacker has been stabilised and looks set for the mother of all interrogations once he heals up. [Trump takes Qatar isolation credit, blames hackers]( President Donald Trump has waded coif-first into the Qatar crisis, claiming that his recent trip to Saudi Arabia was the reason for the Gulf State and its regional neighbours' isolation of Qatar. US Intelligence officials, meanwhile, revealed that they believed a Russian hacking attempt planted a fake news story in the state news outlet in Qatar, eliciting the diplomatic meltdown. In all, a hot, sticky mess no sane president would generally want to claim responsibility for. [UN commander calls for Congolese peacekeepers to leave]( Lieutenant-General Balla Keita, the UN force commander for the Mission in Central African Republic, has revealed in a leaked memo that he wants Congolese soldiers out of the country. Ill discipline, sex exploitation and fuel trafficking were all crimes laid at the Congolese MINUSCA force's door. In 2016, 120 of the 750 soldiers had already been sent back for related crimes. [No feathers on T-rex: Study]( A new research report has shown that the Tyrannosaurus rex had scales, not feathers. Rescuing the fearsome dinosaur from a pathetic, feathery revisionist characterisation, a team of researchers analysed skin samples to establish the scaled truth. Birds of a feather may flock together, but a scaled T-rex doesn't give a damn about your dinosaur-related proverbs. — PICTURE OF THE DAY BY EPA/ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN US World War II veterans attend a ceremonial handover of the US flag, which was carried during D-Day in 1944, at the National Military Museum in Soesterberg, The Netherlands, 15 September 2016. The flag fluttered on the stern of a US Navy ship that led the invasion fleet. The museum has the flag on loan. IN NUMBERS 190 The minutes in running time of Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds FACTS OF THE DAY Today in 1975 the first Cricket World Cup begins. There is an Egyptian god for endlessness or infinity. His name translates to "Huh". FEATURED ARTICLES [The Guptas’ racism and their manipulation of race in South Africa]( [The Guptas’ racism and their manipulation of race in South Africa]( BY Ranjeni Munusamy [Scorpio and amaBhungane #GuptaLeaks: Guptas planned to buy Primedia and build a government-supported media empire]( [Scorpio and amaBhungane #GuptaLeaks: Guptas planned to buy Primedia and build a government-supported media empire]( BY amaBhungane & Scorpio [Nehawu demands suspension of Secretary to Parliament Gengezi Mgidlana]( [Nehawu demands suspension of Secretary to Parliament Gengezi Mgidlana]( BY Marianne Merten [GroundUp: Hundreds of thousands of home owners do not have title deeds]( [GroundUp: Hundreds of thousands of home owners do not have title deeds]( BY GroundUp [ISS Today: The Lord’s Resistance Army is far from finished]( [ISS Today: The Lord’s Resistance Army is far from finished]( BY ISS TODAY [Emergency 10111 workers threaten to strike over salaries, with Vavi federation’s backing]( [Emergency 10111 workers threaten to strike over salaries, with Vavi federation’s backing]( BY PUSELETSO NTHATE [Theatre Review: The Eulogists takes politics to performance]( [Theatre Review: The Eulogists takes politics to performance]( BY Carla Lever [Street Talk: What turns you ON? Part 2. (Video)]( [Street Talk: What turns you ON? Part 2. (Video)]( BY Street Talk OPINIONISTAS [Subversion, treason and other frivolities]( [Subversion, treason and other frivolities]( A column by Oscar van Heerden [The Me and We Generation]( [The Me and We Generation]( A column by Mike Abel [Corbyn at the hustings: For the many, not the few]( [Corbyn at the hustings: For the many, not the few]( A column by Vashna Jagarnath [#ZilleTradeOff: Why Helen Zille could be found guilty]( [#ZilleTradeOff: Why Helen Zille could be found guilty]( A column by Siya Khumalo [A hidden disgrace: Young girls being raped to uphold culture]( [A hidden disgrace: Young girls being raped to uphold culture]( A column by Relebohile Motana — Weather BFN: min: 7° max: 22°, sunny CPT: min: 11° max: 13°, rainy w/gales DBN: min: 19° max: 27°, sunny EL: min: 22° max: 29°, cloudy JHB: min: 5° max: 20°, sunny KIM: min: 6° max: 22°, sunny NLP: min: 5° max: 25°, sunny PMB: min: 6° max: 25°, sunny PE: min: 16° max: 25°, sunny PTA: min: 5° max: 22°, sunny Financial Data Oil=$50.26 Gold=$1,293.64 Platinum=$961.16 R/$=12.81 R/€=14.45 R/£=16.54 $/€=0.88 JSE All Share=52,251.87 DJIA=21,136.23 FTSE 100=7,524.95 [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( Copyright © 2017 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Daily Maverick First Thing subscriber list. [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](