Suhail Abu al-Sameed looked calm, yet he was shaking inside. He was seated before a row of ulama, distinguished Islamic scholars, from Afghanistan to Yemen, at the International Consultation on Islam and HIV/Aids, organised by the charity, Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW), in Johannesburg last week.

Standard Bank’s BEE status hangs in the balance following its sale of a 20% stake to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China. It might be forced to do a second BEE deal to keep black ownership at current levels. Should its black-owned shareholding drop to below 10%, it could be disqualified from claiming ownership points under the financial charter.

More than a third of patients on HIV medication in sub-Saharan Africa die or discontinue their treatment within two years of starting it, a survey shows. The study found that many start taking antiretrovirals (ARVs) too late, while for some it is impractical to travel to distant clinics. The American researchers also found evidence that in cases where patients have to pay for ARVs, some stop treatment.

China’s capital has registered 973 new HIV/Aids cases so far this year, a jump of more than 50% from 2006, state media reported on Wednesday. “Incidents of the disease are still on the rise in Beijing and it is spreading from the high-risk groups of people to the general population,” Jin Dapeng, head of the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau, was quoted as saying.

ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma’s lobbyists have added North West speaker Thandi Modise to their list for the party’s top six positions in what appears to be a move to counter President Thabo Mbeki’s strategy on gender parity in the ANC’s succession battle. Key Zuma strategist and Fikile Mbalula confirmed that Modise was a candidate on the Zuma camp’s list for party deputy general secretary.

Nine members of the platinum-rich Bakwena Ba Mogopa community have been acquitted on charges of public violence stemming from a protracted leadership battle within the tribe, which has yet to be resolved. In handing down the decision at the Garankuwa Magistrate’s Court, Magistrate Aggrey Siphuthi ruled that no concrete evidence had been provided to justify punishing the accused.

Finance Minister Trevor Manuel says he is committed to public service, but that it might not be in the same job. Manuel has become a totem or a symbol of economic and political stability. The second question people ask after inquiring whether Jacob Zuma will win at the ANC’s conference at Polokwane next week is: “What will Trevor Manuel do?”