Eminence and popularity are not necessarily our criteria. Many of our 20 outstanding South Africans are unsung, but all have shaped our country through their talent, courage and leadership. Among those that the Great South Africans show forgot are Breyten Breytenbach, Victoria Mxenge, Ruth First and Ray Alexander.

The Iranian government carried out a missile test on Wednesday, 24 hours before a make-or-break meeting with Britain, France and Germany on its suspected nuclear weapons programme. The test may have been intended as a warning to the United States, Israel and the Europeans on the eve of the meeting in Vienna with the European troika.

India’s largest state has launched an investigation into whether the Taj Mahal, one of the wonders of the world, is sinking into the earth after experts warned about the drying out of a nearby river. Experts say the river water was an integral part of the Taj’s design, used to stabilise the marble domes and minarets.

Bill Clinton, once known on the campaign trail as Elvis for his superstar, crowd-pleasing charms, will rise from his sick bed next week to come to John Kerry’s aid, six weeks after a quadruple bypass operation. Clinton’s last-ditch intervention, starting on Monday in Philadelphia in a joint appearance with Kerry, comes in the face of resistance from his wife.

The undisputed facts are these: it was broad daylight, 13-year-old Iman al-Hams was wearing her school uniform, and when she walked into the Israeli army’s ”forbidden zone” at the bottom of her street she was carrying her satchel. A few minutes later the short, slight child was pumped with bullets. Doctors counted at least 17 wounds and said much of her head was destroyed.