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/ 12 July 2006

Catalans build castles in the air

It makes those who have never seen it stop in their tracks, while Catalans who have grown up with it find their chests swelling with pride. Building castells, the centuries-old Catalan tradition of creating human towers up to 10 levels high, is a cross-cultural snapshot of a region in the political spotlight amid moves to give it great autonomy from Madrid.

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/ 12 July 2006

Lincoln’s run

<b>NOT THE MOVIE OF THE WEEK:</b> The lack of substance in <i>The Island</i> can’t be disguised by it’s big budget and the film leaves one with a distinct sense of pointlessnes, writes Shaun de Waal.

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/ 12 July 2006

The invisible media baron

There are low-profile people, but Terry Moolman is a no-profile person. His lack of profile is surprising, though, given the fact that he is one of the country’s leading media barons. Moolman is in the news because it is speculated that he, in alliance with oligarchs Cyril Ramaphosa, Patrice Motsepe and Tokyo Sexwale, is mounting a takeover bid of Johncom.

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/ 12 July 2006

Islamic banking goes mainstream

Most people purchase a home or a car on credit as these are big-ticket items that are difficult to save for in advance. Yet for many Muslim South Africans, the traditional method of accessing credit goes against their fundamental belief system. Muslims cannot pay or receive interest, yet this is the basis of banking systems throughout the world, says Edi Patel, CEO of Islamic Finance.

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/ 12 July 2006

Credit record shock

I recently wrote an article about the importance of checking your credit record. Taking my own advice, I applied through Credit Health to receive my credit records from both TransUnion ITC and Experian. To my surprise, I discovered that one of the records showed a listing from Standard Bank.

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/ 12 July 2006

Rebel leader Kony to face the music

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has rejected Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s plan to offer amnesty to Joseph Kony, the leader of the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army. The ICC, which indicted him on 33 counts for crimes committed in northern Uganda, insists he must be arrested and face justice.