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/ 22 October 2007
It must be dispiriting at times to be one of the local protesters in Aberdeenshire, on Scotland’s east coast, trying to stop the billionaire Donald Trump from building a $1billion golf complex along one of Scotland’s finest stretches of dunes. His visit to the site recently has reminded them — if they needed it — that they are pitted against one of the world’s most famous and famously ruthless businessmen.
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/ 22 October 2007
Booming stock markets, bustling city centres, huge reserves of natural resources and soaring economic growth. Welcome to the new Africa. Last week one of Britain’s leading asset managers, New Star, became the first to launch a fund that will invest solely in the countries of sub-Saharan Africa outside South Africa.
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/ 22 October 2007
In recent months global awareness on the risks associated with climate change has shifted drastically. Few would now dare to argue against the view that climate change presents an enormous humanitarian challenge. Even if progress in reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases is made, we should not forget that weather patterns have changed already, writes Kofi Annan.
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/ 22 October 2007
For the better part of last year and until recently, the rand seemed to be a one-way bet relative to just about any currency in the world. Having broken R7 to the dollar in late 2003, the rand traded steadily to around R6 to the dollar by early last year. In May last year the strength started to evaporate and the rand quickly devalued to R7,80 to the dollar in the five months to October.
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/ 22 October 2007
The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) is not afraid to throw its weight around and rattle cages. A strong champion of shareholders can be a good thing, but when does size become dangerous? The PIC is the largest fund manager in South Africa. It controls about R791-billion, almost double its closest rival, Old Mutual, which manages R396-billion of South African assets.
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/ 22 October 2007
A "genetic contraceptive" that could interfere with the make-up of women’s eggs during ovulation and which is designed to have none of the side-effects of traditional hormone-based pills is being developed by scientists. The new approach, the researchers say, should make it impossible for sperm to fertilise women’s eggs.
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/ 22 October 2007
Niren Tolsi’s report about President Thabo Mbeki’s recent KwaZulu-Natal imbizo (Mbeki’s day out, October 12) reminds one of Chinua Achebe’s 1977 comment on Marco Polo’s 13th-century forays to the Far East: ”Travellers with closed minds can tell us little except about themselves,” writes Mukoni Ratshitanga.
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/ 22 October 2007
The new geography of trade is the basis for the cooperation between India, Brazil and South Africa, says the Brazilian ambassador, Lucio Pires de Amorim. ”The similarities between the three countries make it mutually beneficial for them to work with one another on key areas that include trade and development. They are three countries with large populations.”
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/ 22 October 2007
A KwaZulu-Natal golf course is offering a R5 000 reward leading to the arrest of the culprits who stole grass from the club’s 15th green, a news report said. Confirming the theft, Empangeni Golf Club greenkeeper Andre Rautenbach said that the grass had been dug out from the putting green on the 15th hole.
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/ 21 October 2007
Indeed, ”varsities are not islands of privilege” as Wits University vice-chancellor Loyiso Nongxa tells us (October 12). However, the ”success stories” of both Wits and the professor himself have prominently proved the contrary. This does not cease to amuse those who have been closely observing the university’s desperate search for vindication where there is none to be found, writes Motsoakgomo Nkoli.