The Gathering gears up for heated day's debate

[Daily Maverick] FIRST THING with JOHN STUPART Thursday, 3 August 2017 "Only the young have an explanation for everything.” Isabel Allende STORY OF THE DAY [Scorpio & amaBhungane #GuptaLeaks: TRAINSPOTTER – How the Canadian government helped the Guptas buy their private jet]( By RICHARD POPLAK Export Development Canada, the state-owned agency that extends credit to Canadian exporters and their customers, concluded a $41-million financing deal with the Guptas’ Westdawn Investments in late 2014. The money was loaned so that they could purchase their Bombardier business jet, which became infamous as ZS-OAK, and has flown South African politicians and officials across the globe. Once again, the leaks reveal how major international entities were willing to overlook the Guptas’ political exposure, potentially breaking their own laws and regulations in the process. [LIVE: The Gathering - Media Edition]( Pravin Gordhan, the People's Bae, and a host of other political and media-related leaders will all be speaking today at the Daily Maverick Gathering. [Click through here]( to follow it all live from 9am onwards. If you're not in Cape Town attending, this should be your news channel for the day. [Hyperloop one step closer to reality]( Elon Musk's transportation brainchild Hyperloop successfully passed another test milestone. The Hyperloop One organisation announced that the closed system tested successfully at speeds of over 300km/h. Combined with tentative government "approval" to build a commercial system, Hyperloop may be a reality sooner than you think. [Grumbling Trump signs off on Russian sanctions]( President Donald Trump signed Congress-punted Russian sanctions into effect overnight, all the while complaining that his divine will would be a more suitable anti-Russian salve than Congressional politics. The move is likely to annoy Russia in all the wrong ways that affect the Trump familia. Russia's prime minister Dmitry Medvedev retorted that the move "ended hopes" for improved US/Trump-Russian relations. [South Asia to hit unliveable temperatures by 2100]( South Asia is expected to hit unsurvivable levels of heat if nothing is done to mitigate global warming. The study was released in the journal Science on Wednesday, and showed a worrying prevalence for dangerous, 35 degree plus temperatures in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, among others. Given the populations and agricultural importance of these regions, a 2100 scenario would leave many people either dead or close to it. — PICTURE OF THE DAY By EPA/NIC BOTHMA A Secretary Bird rolls its eyes back as it squawks at the World of Birds Wildlife Sanctuary in Cape Town, South Africa, 2 August 2017. Located in the picturesque valley of Hout Bay the World of Birds is the largest bird park in Africa. Over 3,000 birds of 400 different species are uniquely presented in over 100 spacious landscaped aviaries where visitors are able to walk through allowing intimate closeness with the birds. The park is one of Cape Town's premier tourist attractions accomodating over 100,000 visitors annually. Created by Walter Mangold in 1973, the sanctuary cares for all kinds of injured and sick birds and small animals. With a no-kill policy every creature is taken care of on a daily basis by the 40 permanent staff members. IN NUMBERS 33 The estimated number of bird species made extinct by cats. FACTS OF THE DAY Sauron's tower is technically six times the height of the wall in Game of Thrones. Today is the Daily Maverick Gathering Media edition. FEATURED ARTICLES [Scorpio & amaBhungane #GuptaLeaks: TRAINSPOTTER – How the Canadian government helped the Guptas buy their private jet]( [Scorpio & amaBhungane #GuptaLeaks: TRAINSPOTTER – How the Canadian government helped the Guptas buy their private jet]( BY amaBhungane & Scorpio [ANC Leadership Race: CR17 hits back at claim ‘bossy whites’ control its campaign]( [ANC Leadership Race: CR17 hits back at claim ‘bossy whites’ control its campaign]( BY Greg Nicolson [Analysis: No confidence motion – when hype and history collide in a political game of chess]( [Analysis: No confidence motion – when hype and history collide in a political game of chess]( BY Marianne Merten [Education: South African schools’ ongoing wrestle with racism reveals gaps in policy]( [Education: South African schools’ ongoing wrestle with racism reveals gaps in policy]( BY Rebecca Davis [Op-Ed: Tough choices in store for South Africa’s research-intensive universities]( [Op-Ed: Tough choices in store for South Africa’s research-intensive universities]( BY DAVID DICKINSON [Op-Ed: The end for ‘baseloadism’ in South Africa and the need for ‘flexible’ power generation]( [Op-Ed: The end for ‘baseloadism’ in South Africa and the need for ‘flexible’ power generation]( BY Chris Yelland [Condolences pour in after MP dies in Paarl car crash]( [Condolences pour in after MP dies in Paarl car crash]( BY Janet Heard [Talks continue as health lab strike suspended]( [Talks continue as health lab strike suspended]( BY ORATENG LEPODISE OPINIONISTAS [The time to pay your TV licence is now – well, almost]( [The time to pay your TV licence is now – well, almost]( A column by Wayne Duvenage [Renaming Rhodes University: In search of a new name to reflect the past, present and future]( [Renaming Rhodes University: In search of a new name to reflect the past, present and future]( A column by Stephen Grootes — Weather BFN: min: 7° max 22°, sunny CPT: min: 10° max: 17°, cloudy DBN: min: 16° max: 25°, sunny EL: min: 10° max: 26°, sunny JHB: min: 8° max: 19°, sunny KIM: min: 8° max: 25°, sunny MHK: min: 8° max: 23°, sunny PMB: min: 9° max: 29°, cloudy PE: min: 10° max: 25°, sunny PTA: min: 9° max: 21°, sunny Financial Data Oil=$51.42 Gold=$1,273.24 Platinum=$947.74 R/$=13.20 R/€=15.60 R/£=17.45 $/€=0.87 JSE All Share=54,888.89 DJIA=21,975.62 FTSE 100=7,423.66 [FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO A FRIEND]( Copyright © 2017 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. 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