Twenty four hours after being thrust into the limelight of today’s gossip-obsessed celebrity culture, Britney Spears’ newly freed hair was considering its future. While advisers gathered, agents hovered and rehab beckoned, the hair was said to be resting at a salon in Los Angeles, simply trying to find itself.

Police in Zimbabwe fired teargas and used water cannon to break up an opposition rally on Sunday as it was confirmed that three people had died in a cholera outbreak caused by water contamination in the country’s increasingly chaotic towns and cities.

Metropolitan’s chief economist and head of international portfolio management, Réjane Woodroffe, is working from home this week, so I call a cell number. The line is excellent, and I find it difficult to believe the voice on the other end — so close it could be in the next room — is speaking from a rondavel in the Eastern Cape, reached via satellite phone.

Lion of Africa Life Assurance, the wholly owned subsidiary of Commlife Holdings, has launched one of the first Zimele-approved products — a funeral plan. The Zimele initiative aims to ensure that South Africa’s estimated 17,5-million low-income earners are given access to appropriate life-insurance products.

Most insurance-related complaints arise as a result of policyholders not being informed or having the time to read the fine print on their policies. A good broker will keep you in the know, but it is always commendable to have an understanding of potential pitfalls.

The Media introduces a new regular feature for media planners this month. Every month, a different media agency will be asked to draw up an advertising plan based on a fictitious brief provided by <i>The Media</i> team. The MediaShop’s Richard Lord was the first to participate.