Latest news with #Stalingrad
The Citizen
07-07-2025
- Politics
- The Citizen
Zuma can only appeal for 'my removal if he's convicted'
The arms deal case was declared trial-ready four years ago but has been delayed by Zuma's repeated failed efforts to force the removal of Billy Downer. State prosecutor Billy Downer has opposed Jacob Zuma's latest legal move, arguing that the former president's latest bid to force his removal should only be heard if—and when—Zuma is convicted and sentenced in his arms deal corruption case, which has been dragging on for the 'better part of 21 years'. In April 2025, Judge Nkosinathi Chili dismissed Zuma's second application bid to have Downer removed, saying he did not believe the former president's right to a fair trial would be compromised if Downer remained as a prosecutor. Zuma instructed his lawyer, Advocate Dali Mpofu, to petition the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) to appeal Chili's ruling. Legal framework In papers filed before the SCA, Downer argues that the legal framework and arguments surrounding Zuma's application for leave to appeal to remove him are clear and well-established. 'As the High Court's refusal of Mr Zuma's attempt to have me removed as a prosecutor was a decision made during a criminal trial, it may be appealed only if and when Mr Zuma is convicted and sentenced.' Downer also argues that Zuma's prosecution has been dragging on for the better part of 21 years. The delay has in large part been due to Mr Zuma's alleged 'Stalingrad strategy', through which he allegedly seeks to avoid having to face the charges against him. 'He does this by launching and prosecuting multiple challenges of various kinds. They have all failed. He then pursues them through successive attempts to appeal. When a challenge finally peters out, he initiates a fresh challenge through another round of litigation. The purpose is contrary to his public rhetoric that he wants his day in court – to avoid ever standing trial,' Downer said. ALSO READ: Zuma and Thales applications for summary acquittals dismissed Stalingrad Strategy Downer further argues that the 'Stalingrad strategy' used by Zuma raises 'spurious objections' which are dismissed by the court, but the former president pursues them on appeal 'as far as he possibly can'. 'Once the case is finally dismissed on appeal, he raises another point (or sometimes the same point again) in another case and repeats the exercise. 'Those who employ the Stalingrad defence do not seek merely to delay the start or the continuance of the criminal trial against them. They also use it to attempt to delegitimise the prosecuting authority and/or the prosecutors assigned to conduct the prosecution. Some accused persons use it to attempt to delegitimise the court,' Downer argued. Dismiss Zuma appeal Downer argued it is crucial for the SCA to summarily dismiss Zuma's latest appeal bid. 'The state views this as yet another instalment in Zuma's alleged 'Stalingrad strategy', aimed at delaying the criminal trial indefinitely. The SCA's decision could either reinforce or challenge the judiciary's stance on curbing such tactics.' Downer argues that he accepts that, subject to the court's inherent power to curb abuses of its process, an accused has a right to raise procedural objections 'however bad they might be.' 'The trial court, however, retains a discretion to order that the trial proceeds, in line with its obligation to ensure that the speedy trials for which section 35(3)(d) of the Constitution provides do take place.' In February 2025, Mpofu argued that it was 'racist and condescending' to assume that the former president's team was following Advocate Kemp J Kemp's Stalingrad legal strategy in fighting the state corruption in 2018. ALSO READ: Zuma trial: 'Downer can't be a prosecutor and accused in same matter' – Mpofu Trial delays In the affidavit, Downer detailed how Zuma's alleged Stalingrad Strategy had delayed his trial for years after then-acting NPA head Mokotedi Mpshe's unlawful 2009 decision to withdraw the corruption case against Zuma and French arms company Thales was invalidated. The charges against the duos were reinstated in 2018. Zuma and Thales then tried, and failed, to seek permanent stays of their prosecution last month. Quest to remove downer Zuma's insistence that he was owed a long and complex ruling on his latest attempts to remove Downer — despite the fact that multiple courts had conclusively rejected his various complaints — was just one of many arguments he made to the SCA as part of his efforts to revive an appeal that Chili found to have no reasonable prospects of success. Zuma's second failed attempt to force Downer's removal followed his unsuccessful efforts to privately prosecute Downer and journalist Karen Maughan for the alleged violation of the NPA act through the sharing of publicly available court papers, which contained a sick note from one of the former president's doctors. Plea On 26 May 2021, Zuma and Thales pleaded not guilty to charges against them. Zuma objected to Downer leading his prosecution on behalf of the NPA, accusing the advocate of prosecutorial bias, claiming that Downer lacked the title to prosecute him. Trial Judge Piet Koen dismissed the application, in which Zuma accused Downer of unlawfully leaking publicly available court documents and the sick note to Maughan. Now Downer is using Koen's unchallenged ruling on that special plea application, where the judge found there was 'no scope' for Zuma to appeal the dismissal of his special plea 'In the absence of a prompt resolution of that real issue between the parties, there is no scope for an appeal prior to conviction, based on section 17(1)(c) of the Superior Courts Act, to argue the SCA should reject the former president's latest appeal to force his removal. ALSO READ: Zuma unsuccessful in bid to change April 2025 arms deal trial date [VIDEO] Delays Koen found Zuma's 'prosecution and trial have already been delayed considerably and unreasonably, which makes an intermediate appeal, which will cause even further delay, contrary to the interests of justice. Koen said allowing an appeal at this stage would be contrary to the SCA's duty to actively discourage preliminary and 'piecemeal litigation, but obviously always within the confines of fairness.' Abuse of court Downer argues that this ruling stands and makes it clear that the SCA should dismiss Zuma's latest appeal attempt, and that the former president should finally face trial. 'I respectfully submit that this application for leave to appeal is part of a continuing process of the abuse of court process. It is a further repetition of arguments which have repeatedly been rejected by the courts. 'The proposed grounds of appeal have no reasonable prospect of success. And there is no other compelling reason why the appeal should be heard, I respectfully ask that the application be dismissed with the application for condonation,' Downer said. Zuma and Thales trial will be back in court in December. Charges The 81-year-old Zuma and French arms manufacturer Thales are facing multiple charges, including fraud‚ corruption, money laundering, and racketeering, in connection with the controversial multibillion-rand arms deal procurement concluded in the late 1990s while he was vice president. It is the state's case that Zuma was kept on a corrupt retainer by his former financial advisor, Schabir Shaik, who then allegedly used his political clout to further his own business interests. ALSO READ: Zuma suffers yet another defeat in private prosecution of Downer and Maughan
Globe and Mail
31-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Quant Signals Point to High-Probability Trades in UNH, CVX and SOUN This Week
In the film 'Enemy at the Gates,' an early scene set in the midst of the Battle of Stalingrad shows the classic Soviet meatgrinder attack: essentially, it's an attempt to overrun enemy positions with massive scale, irrespective of the cost. Because this brute Russian logic applies throughout the underlying society, it's a human rights catastrophe. But applied to data? The statistical implications are impregnable and that's the beauty of the Playmaker forecasting model I've been using over the past month-and-a-half period. Fundamentally, the discipline of trading — specifically options trading — focuses on probabilities. Because the framework is short term and defined, the emphasis is less on the 'why' of a particular asset or security and more on the 'how': how much, how fast and, most importantly, how likely. Generally, there are two ways of approaching the probabilistic dilemma. The standard American or western approach is to attempt to find signals and patterns in the continuous scalar signal that is the share price. Here, stochastic calculus and partial derivatives are deployed to estimate future price ranges. However, with the advent of artificial intelligence, analysts no longer need to estimate probabilities; they can directly count the datapoints in brute fashion at blistering scale and speed. But in order to make data comparisons across vast ranges of time, it's important to compress this demand profile into its most elemental, binary form. And that's what the Playmaker does, count tens of thousands of market breadth datapoints — or sequences of accumulation and distribution — to identify highly probabilistic trades. I'm not here to tell you why I think these stocks may move higher. Frankly, that's irrelevant. No, I'm letting the data guide the discourse. Below are three stocks to put on your watchlist for the coming week. UnitedHealth (UNH) Let's start with a controversial idea in the form of UnitedHealth (UNH). The healthcare giant has just about hit every branch of the ugly tree. You don't need me to rehash the same tired narratives. What you might not be aware of is that from a market breadth perspective, UNH stock may be signaling a reversal pattern. In the past two months, UNH stock has printed a '4-6-D' sequence: four up weeks, six down weeks, with a net negative trajectory across the 10-week period. In 66% of cases, the following week's price action results in upside, with a median return of 2.88%. Should the 4-6-D sequence pan out as projected, UNH stock could potentially reach over $310 within a week or two. What makes this setup so intriguing is that, as a baseline, the chance that a long position will be profitable over any given week is only 54.49%. Therefore, the 4-6-D shifts the odds firmly in favor of the bullish speculator. With the above market intelligence in mind, I'm looking at the 305/310 bull call spread expiring June 20. This transaction involves buying the $305 call and simultaneously selling the $310 call, for a net debit paid of $260. Should UNH stock rise through the short strike price at expiration, the maximum reward is $240, or a payout of over 92%. Chevron (CVX) Thanks to widescale societal changes combined with economic challenges, circumstances have not been favorable for the oil industry. Since the start of the year, supermajor Chevron (CVX) has struggled for traction, with CVX stock losing almost 6%. For context, the benchmark S&P 500 — which isn't exactly storming up the charts — is up half-a-percent. Still, market breadth data provides a different impression of the hydrocarbon juggernaut. In the past two months, CVX stock printed a 3-7-D sequence: three up weeks, seven down weeks, with a net negative trajectory across the 10-week period. Notably, this relatively rare pattern generates a 70.27% probability that the following week's price action will rise, with a median return of 2.6%. On Friday, CVX stock closed at $136.70. If the implications of the 3-7-D pan out predictably, it may soon reach over $140. Now, Chevron exemplifies why a Barchart Premier membership is worth its weight in gold. With Premier access, traders can drill down the available bull spreads for the June 20 expiration date. Specifically, the 138/140 bull spread is enticing because $140 is a legitimately rational target and the payout is robust at over 104%. In my opinion, the aforementioned spread is favorably mispriced. SoundHound AI (SOUN) I don't mean to rehash an idea that I already discussed just a few weeks ago. Still, SoundHound AI (SOUN) is awfully intriguing because of its relatively low share price and high popularity among retail traders. This presents on occasion a favorably combustible mix that, if timed correctly, could generate significant gains in a short period. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that SOUN stock had printed a 3-7-D sequence: three up weeks, seven down weeks, with a net negative trajectory across the 10-week period. At the time, I mentioned that the pattern generated a 58.33% probability that the following week's price action will result in upside, with a median return of 13.58%. This time around, we're back at a similar juncture with a 3-7 sequence. However, the twist is that the 10-week period has resulted in a positive trajectory. The 'U' iteration of the 3-7 has materialized only six times since SoundHound's public market debut. And in all six cases, the following week's price action swung higher, with a median return of 15.08%. Generally, I take 100% success ratios with a huge grain of salt. Still, the 3-7 sequence, whether of the up or down variety, ultimately favors the bulls. If you're willing to play the numbers game, the 10/11 bull call spread expiring June 20 is awfully tempting.
Russia Today
22-05-2025
- Russia Today
Body found inside the head of iconic WW2 monument
A body has been discovered inside the head of 'The Motherland calls', an iconic 85-meter statue in the city of Volgograd, according to Russia's Investigative Committee. Volgograd, which was known as Stalingrad from 1925 to 1961, saw one of the Second World War's deadliest and most pivotal battles. 'The Motherland Calls', by architect Evgeny Vuchetich, was erected in 1967 to commemorate the defenders of the city and remains the tallest statue of a woman globally. The local branch of Russia's Investigative Committee has told RIA Novosti on Thursday that a probe has been launched into the death of a man inside the statue, who they described as a tourist. A source cited by the news outlet later identified him as the principal of the Moscow State Academy of Physical Education, Nikolay news website reported that he had started to feel unwell during an excursion inside the statue and passed away before paramedics could reach him. Later in the day, the academy announced on its website that Chesnokov had passed away at the age of 68. Chesnokov was a former track and field athlete, a Doctor of Sciences in Pedagogy, a professor and a member of the expert council at the Russian Sports Ministry. He had been the principal of the Moscow State Academy of Physical Education since May 2023.
Times
04-05-2025
- General
- Times
The 11 best Second World War books — chosen by Dominic Sandbrook
I have never understood why people complain there are so many books about the Second World War. As the deadliest conflict in history, consuming the lives of at least 70 million people, it showed human nature at its most extreme, from the heroism of airmen and resistance fighters to the cruelty and sadism of inquisitors and torturers. It shattered empires, redrew the maps of entire continents and fundamentally changed the lives of hundreds of millions of people. Why wouldn't we want to write and read about it? Not surprisingly, therefore, subjects such as Churchill and Hitler, the Nazis, the Holocaust, Dunkirk and Stalingrad have commanded the attention of some of our greatest writers. No list of the war's finest books can be definitive, but for
News24
25-04-2025
- Politics
- News24
The scramble to undo VAT hike; KZN flood disaster: Today's top 7 stories in 7 minutes
News24 brings you the top stories of the day, summarised into neat little packages. Read through quickly or listen to the articles via our customised text-to-speech feature. Zuma loses latest bid for Downer's removal, then argues for acquittal due to trial delays - Jacob Zuma's lawyers argue for his acquittal due to trial delays causing the death of "crucial" witnesses, a claim disputed by the NPA, who blame Zuma for the delays. - The NPA contends Zuma's repeated attempts to remove prosecutor Billy Downer are a "Stalingrad defence" aimed at delaying the trial. - Zuma's legal team insists the State's case is weak, citing the deceased witnesses and the cost of the prosecution, while the NPA maintains there is sufficient evidence, including documents and potential testimony from Zuma himself. 'Tone deaf': Bocelli superfan hospitalised, says organisers failed to ensure accessibility - Elize Kriel, who has an autoimmune disorder and spinal issues, missed most of an Andrea Bocelli concert in Cape Town after being stretchered off due to pain and spasms caused by walking a long distance to the stadium. - Kriel was unable to secure accessible parking because it was sold out, and her requests for alternative assistance from Ticketmaster were ignored. - Ticketmaster stated that accessible parking was limited and sold out quickly, and that they are not responsible for event organisation or accessibility arrangements, placing the onus on event organisers. Durban flood disaster: One dead, dozens taken to hospitals in Umlazi - Heavy flooding in Umlazi, south of Durban, has resulted in one death and several hospitalisations. - Numerous homes were washed away, displacing residents and causing road and bridge closures. - A Level 4 weather warning remains in effect for KwaZulu-Natal, with further heavy rain expected. After spending millions to prepare, many SA firms are now scrambling to undo a VAT hike - Businesses should prepare to reverse the planned VAT increase, despite legal uncertainty surrounding its official withdrawal. - The preparation and subsequent reversal of the VAT hike has cost companies hundreds of millions of rands. - Major retailers, including SPAR and Woolworths, have already paused implementation of the VAT increase, pending legal clarity. SA SPEAKS: Is it time for BEE to end? - Eleven out of every 25 South Africans (44%) believe government should keep Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) going. - Nine out of every 25 (36%), over a third of the population, believe government should end all BEE policies. Five in every 25 (20%) don't know what government should do with the controversial legislation aimed at redressing the historical economic inequality created by apartheid. SA National Champs: New 100m king Leotlela denied gift of sprint double by hamstring tweak - Gift Leotlela, after winning the 100m title, pulled up injured in the 200m heat with a suspected minor hamstring strain. - 17-year-old Leendert Koekemoer broke a long-standing national junior record in the 400m heats. - Several other athletes, including Udeme Okon and Prudence Sekgodiso, advanced in their respective events. Reality TV star Mel Viljoen. (Supplied/Showmax) Mel Viljoen, Coconut Kelz and Patricia de Lille heat up lineup for roast of Helen Zille - Reality TV star Mel Viljoen joins the all-star lineup for the Showmax Roast of Helen Zille. - The roast, hosted by Tumi Morake and Trevor Gumbi, will take place on 2 May 2025 at the Laugh Africa Comedy Festival. - Helen Zille says she's ready for the roasters and plans to give as good as she gets.
