DINNER PARTY INTEL: When rescue is a matter of the heart

1. A heavy donation

ArcelorMittal, which reported revenue and job losses in its South African operations earlier this year, appears to have enough money to donate tens of millions of dollars of Europe-produced steel to President Donald Trump’s $400m White House ballroom project. The New York Times reported last week that ArcelorMittal’s donation comes amid tariff adjustments that could help the company.

2. Zola’s adopted champion

Zola Budd, former world record-holder and world cross-country champion, and famous for having taxis named after her, has emerged as a second “mother” of South African running star Adriaan Wildschutt. Wildschutt, whose real mother lives in Ceres, credits Budd with his phenomenal progress in the US, where she coached him for a while. He describes her as “like a mother to me”. He holds national records for the 3,000m, 5,000m, 10,000m distances and the half-marathon.

3. Found in a heartbeat

Part of the hi-tech stuff used by the CIA to rescue a US co-pilot from an aircraft that was shot down over Iran was a highly classified new tool called “Ghost Murmur”. A report in the New York Post says the tool uses “quantum magnetometry” to detect heartbeats from several kilometres away. “In the right conditions, if your heart is beating,” said a source, “we will find you.”