DINNER PARTY INTEL: A military manoeuvre and a fashion show
At the SA army’s exercise in November soldiers will be dressed in the military’s new ‘work dress’ uniform
1. Georgia pips SA
SA has lost first spot in the 2021 open budget index, an independent measure of nations’ budget transparency, participation and oversight. SA was edged out by Georgia by just one point, but its budget documents and processes remain world class, achieving an overall score of 86 out of 100 for transparency. The global average is just 45.
2. Dressed to kill
The SA army’s exercise in November will not be just a military manoeuvre, but also a fashion show. Soldiers will be dressed in the military’s new “work dress” uniform. The old camouflage pattern and design are considered “compromised and old-fashioned” and not “catering for the African body profile”. The old uniform also has “no female design”.
3. Not cutting the mustard
France is facing a grave crisis: a shortage of mustard in a country that consumes 1kg per person annually. Canada, which supplies 80% of mustard seeds to France, lost half its harvest in a heatwave. The Ukraine war, transport delays and a poor French harvest compounded the shortage. La grande pénurie de moutarde — the great mustard shortage — has emptied shop shelves for weeks from Corsica to Calais.