Trump holds off resuming war with Iran, polls show low support for hostilities
US President Donald Trump’s latest statement that he is holding off a military attack on Iran at the request of Gulf states – saying “serious negotiations are now taking place” – comes amid a drop in his approval rating, with polls showing the war is increasingly unpopular at home. According to a New York Times/Siena poll published yesterday, some 64% of voters believe going to war with Iran was the wrong decision, and with just 37% of voters approving of Trump’s performance as president. In a social media post, Trump said he had been informed a deal would be made that would be “very acceptable” to the US, adding there would be “NO NUCLEAR WEAPONS FOR IRAN!” But he warned the US would be ready to “go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice” if there was no acceptable deal. A senior Iranian military commander is quoted as urging the US not to make “strategic mistakes and miscalculations again”.
Ebola deaths grow as cases reported over wider area
Democratic Republic of Congo health officials have reported that the Ebola outbreak has claimed at least 131 lives, with more than 513 cases suspected. The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak of the current strain of Ebola an international emergency. Local health officials said cases were now being reported over a wider area. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda.
Gauteng education department casts doubt on decentralisation
Gauteng education MEC Lebogang Maile has suggested that providing public schools with money to cover their own expenses, in collaboration with the private sector and municipalities, in terms of a decentralisation model should be revisited. This comes after a Pretoria High Court order last week – following an urgent application from AfriForum and some schools – ordering the Tshwane metro to immediately restore the power supply to schools that had fallen into arrears. Maile said: “This confirms the importance of protecting the education system in Gauteng, and in South Africa. Educational services are not a privilege given based on financial means. It is a constitutionally protected right of all the children in our country.”
Musk to appeal after losing OpenAI court action
Elon Musk has said he intends to appeal yesterday’s US jury ruling against him in his lawsuit against OpenAI, which found the artificial intelligence company not liable to the world’s richest person for having allegedly strayed from its original mission to benefit humanity. Musk repeated his claim that OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and President Greg Brockman viewed OpenAI as a means to amassing great wealth.
Israel detains SA humanitarian ambassador in action against Global Sumud Flotilla
Israeli forces which intercepted the Gaza-bound Global Sumud Flotilla have detained South African humanitarian ambassador Faizel Moosa, who was on board one of the vessels, his family said in a statement. Moosa is the son of late Judge Essa Moosa, renowned for his work defending political detainees as a lawyer during apartheid. The family has called on International Relations and Cooperation Minister Ronald Lamola and the Department of International Relations and Cooperation to urgently intervene to establish Moosa’s condition, ensure access to medical care and secure his release.
Sources: Reuters, BBC, The Guardian, Netwerk24, News24