It is near Gospel in government circles that the tough macro-economic policy choices embodied in the growth, employment and redistribution (Gear) strategy have purchased space for a sustainable expansion in government spending. But the limits to that particular line of credit are now starting to show themselves. Financial Minister Trevor Manuel’s balancing act just gets harder.

The deadline for banks to verify the identity and details of clients in terms of the Financial Intelligence Centre Act 2001 is October 31. The Financial Intelligence Centre warned on Friday that after Sunday banks will be compelled to stop transactions on the accounts of clients who have failed to meet the deadline.

Soweto, which turned 100 this year, will get its own fresh produce market on November 3, the Johannesburg fresh produce market said on Friday. The market will be located at the Johannesburg city council’s offices in Diepkloof, near the Chris Hani-Baragwanath hospital.

Indian bureaucrats have come up with an unusual solution to aid farmers driven to suicide after years of droughts and crop failure. With East Africa lacking experienced manpower to till the soil of fertile land, officials in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh spotted a happy coincidence. A delegation has been dispatched for talks with Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.

With four days to go to an election that every poll suggests is too close to call, political scientists in the United States fear a new quirk that could threaten the country’s embattled electoral system: a tie. An exact draw is possible because the president is not chosen by popular vote, but by 538 electors in the electoral college.

A lunar eclipse. A World Series victory after 86 years for the Boston Red Sox. For the Democratic faithful, it was an unmistakable omen: John Kerry, locked for weeks in a dead heat with George Bush, now had the stars on his side.