“If I were the father of such a monster, I would shut my mouth in shame.”

-  French foreign minister Alain Juppe reproaching Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah’s father, who hired an Algerian lawyer to sue French special police over his son’s death.

Source: TIME

Image: The Mail & Guardian

The planned Freedom Front Plus protest over e-tolling on the N1 highway was declared illegal because the group had not applied for permission.

“The police and metro police have declared this gathering illegal and they have said we must actually go through their channels in future,” Freedom Front Plus spokesperson Anton Alberts said today.

Read more here (via City Press)

Gunman’s father to sue France, Arab League backs Syria peace plan and Madonsela condemns Secrecy Bill. Here are the morning headlines you need to know:

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Buy the 29th issue NewsNow or NuusNou to learn more!

“Afrikaners are not hated or the object of contempt but it is a fact that all the streets in the city are named after Afrikaners. It will never be argued that Afrikaners did not play a role but the city must represent everyone’s past.”

- Tshwane mayor Kgosientso Ramokgopa, who dismissed allegations that Afrikaans names were being targeted in the renaming of the Pretoria’s streets.

Source: The Mail & Guardian

A student who mocked Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba on Twitter after he collapsed during a match was jailed yesterday for inciting racial hatred.

Liam Stacey, 21, who received a 56-day jail sentence for his actions, provoked revulsion with comments that included “LOL [laugh out loud]. F*** Muamba. He’s dead!!!”, made while the Bolton Wanderers star still lay on the pitch. The 23-year-old midfielder was left fighting for his life after suffering a heart attack in a televised FA Cup tie against Tottenham Hotspur on 17 March.

Read more here (via The Independent)

Do you think a 56-day jail sentence is fair punishment? Share you thoughts by commenting below.

Media giant News Corp has been accused of sabotaging its rivals by distributing pirated pay-TV smart cards to millions of customers around the world, adding pressure to the Rupert Murdoch-owned empire already under fire over hacking claims in Britain.

A four year investigation by Australia’s Financial Review newspaper found that the company set up a secret unit to crack the codes of its competitors. The pirated cards were then sold on the black market, costing rival broadcasters tens of millions of dollars.

Read more here (via Al Jazeera)

The Nelson Mandela Centre of Memory and Internet giant Google have launched a thoroughly searchable, fully interactive archive website that brings thousands of Nelson Mandela’s diaries, letters, books, interviews, video clips and much more, including reminisces from friends, colleagues and family members to the global public.

This is the latest Google Cultural Initiative project that is making worldwide digital access to important historical, cultural and scientific materials available to scholars, students and the average person. J Brooks Spector was at the Mandela Centre for the launch.

Read the full story here (via The Daily Maverick)

Syria accepts peace plan, Eurozone crisis ‘almost over’, and judgement looms for Dewani. Here are the morning headlines you need to know:

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James Cameron’s record-breaking dive, Kenya’s major oil breakthrough and Tiger Woods’ stellar comeback. We round up the five stories that dominated Twitter today:

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Derick Watts & The Sunday Blues, the local comedy duo who brought you the hit Rebecca Black parody ‘Braaiday’, are back with a spot-on spoof of car guard culture in South Africa. Take a look:

Do you think the latest parody measures up to ‘Braaiday’? Share your thoughts by commenting below.

“You must never buy the story that we are anti-white and we want whites to be driven to the sea. I would die in defence of the white minority – they must enjoy the same rights as Africans. But when we say we must share, it doesn’t mean we are fighting – we are actually protecting you.”

- Former ANCYL leader Julius Malema, during his acceptance of the Newsmaker of the Year 2011 award in Pretoria on Friday evening.

Source: News24

Macky Sall claims presidential victory, Malema to take on ANC, and ‘Titanic’ director takes the plunge. Here are the morning headlines you need to know:

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Looking at the costs of Don Draper’s lush life, what strikes us most is just how impossibly good the dashing, inscrutable star of TVs “Mad Men” had it — at least in terms of his personal finances.

The fictional ad man, played by Jon Hamm, lives a kingly (and often quite drunken) life on a salary of $45,000 a year plus a $2,500 bonus. In 2012 dollars, that translates into an annual salary of $356,510.

Click here to check out the Credit Sesame’s infographic, which translates Draper’s life into 2012 terms (via The Huffington Post)

Unlike many companies trying to find cash reserves to pay out to shareholders, the world’s most valuable company is only now deigning to do so.

Apple will finally reward shareholders with a quarterly dividend, a move that again shows there’s a new sheriff in town.

Apple last paid a dividend in 2005 because founder Steve Jobs was opposed to such payouts. New CEO Tim Cook clearly thinks otherwise. But a few analysts said Cook had no choice. “Apple has to give back to shareholders so it can continue- taking from consumers or else the company might experience some sort of massive revolt,” the International Business Times’ David Magee wrote.

Apple will pay a $2,65 (R20,14)a share dividend and buy back $10bn (R76bn) in stock.

The tech giant – valued at nearly $555bn (R4,2tr) – generated about a third of its cash last year after record sales of its iPhone and iPad mobile devices.

For more tech news, buy the 28th issue of NewsNow magazine – now on sale for only R10.

Corruption charges that haunted President Jacob Zuma for seven years may be on the cards again.

The Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) granted the appeal by the Democratic Alliance (DA) for the release of records of the decision to suspend the charges. In April 2009, shortly before Zuma became president, acting national director of public prosecutions Mokotedi Mpshe withdrew the charges, citing “abuse of process” and arguing they were politically motivated.
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When fraud and corruption charges were dropped against Jacob Zuma in 2009 just weeks before general elections, this paved the way for him to become president, even without answering questions about South Africa’s tainted arms deal.

The DA has now won access to the National Prosecuting Authority’s records of that controversial decision and hopes to show the withdrawal of charges was politically expedient and not defensible in law. This could lead to a reopening of the case against Zuma.

Instead of seeing this as a chance to clear his name, the president and ANC see the court action as a DA game designed to score political points. If the DA does benefit, the blame must go to the ANC, which has been loath to tell the full truth about the arms deal. Expect a drawn-out fight that will end long after Zuma’s likely re-election as ANC leader in December in Mangaung. Read our report on pg 6.

Meanwhile, SA is increasingly churning out more films every year and their quality is improving thanks to massive investments in new studios. Don’t miss our In-depth on pg 10. Enjoy the read!

Waldimar

NewsNow editor
@waldimar

Calling all bibliophiles! Every week, we’re giving away two fantastic books to two lucky readers in our online book competition. ‘Like’ us on Facebook and visit our Win with NewsNow and Wen met NuusNou tabs in order to enter. Winners will be announced in the magazine. Terms and conditions apply!

THIS WEEK’S BOOK:

Cooking with Jenny Morris

By Jenny Morris. Published by Jonathan Ball

Jenny Morris, the irrepressible Giggling Gourmet, welcomes you into the warm, fragrant kitchen of The Cook’s Playground, her culinary school based in Cape Town. Drawing on the treasured childhood memories that shaped her abiding love of food, Jenny has created a definitive collection of taste sensations. An inspired and adventurous cook, she transforms the simplest, freshest ingredients into tantalising feasts to share with family and friends on any occasion.
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Syria’s first lady faces travel ban, Ramphele criticises SA education system and Pretoria’s name to stay. Here are the morning headlines you need to know:

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Zuma’s 2009 case is back in play, Mogoeng shows his true colours and we examine South Africa’s blossoming film industry. Here is a sneak peek of what you’ll find inside the 28th issue of NewsNow – now on sale for only R10!

(more…)