Media

Media

iMaverick, Tuesday 25 October

iMaverick, Tuesday 25 October

Chuck Norris, meet Jacob Zuma; Malema's long walk to Pretoria; WikiLeaks on the ropes; Race & media; and the Tunisian election. By iMAVERICK TEAM.

South Africa

CHUCK NORRIS, MEET JACOB ZUMA

We’ve said it before, and we’ll probably say it again. Jacob Zuma is the MacDaddy of South African politics. And one of the joys of being president, is that you are, in fact, The President. So when you move, it’s as if, to use one of the ANC’s favourite metaphors, an elephant has moved. If someone’s in the way, they get trampled. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

WHILE ZUMA GETS ON WITH REAL BUSINESS, MALEMA WHINES ABOUT PLANNED MARCH

Soon after rumours snowballed that President Jacob Zuma would announce a reshuffle (as we advised him to), the ANC Youth League called an “urgent” press conference on preparations for its “economic freedom” march later this week. CARIEN DU PLESSIS drew the short straw and witnessed Not the Story of the Day (or even the Week).

Opinionistas

MALEMA MARCHES FOR ECONOMIC SLAVERY

Every time Julius Malema utters the phrase “economic freedom”, I expect a chorus of “Lies! Lies!” But the silence is deafening. By appropriating this phrase and perverting its meaning, the young fire-breather is fanning the flames of revolution. He will fail his followers and ruin this country.

Africa

MUBARAK DEATH RUMOURS ABOUND (AGAIN)

Rumours abound that former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak suffered a fatal heart attack while viewing reports about the death of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on television. By KHADIJA PATEL.

AU REBUFFS SYRIAN ENVOY

Given the African Union’s track record of going very soft on tyrants and dictators, Syria expected to be welcomed with open arms. But the Syrian envoy left with nothing after being told to respect the will of his people. After a year of doing things wrong, maybe the AU has learnt its lesson. By SIMON ALLISON.

MALAWI VP COURTS ZAMBIAN SUPPORT

It shouldn’t be unusual for Malawi’s vice-president to attend neighbouring Zambia’s independence day celebrations. But it is, and Joyce Banda’s private visit will be of great concern to her own president, who is unpopular enough in Zambia already. By SIMON ALLISON.

MODERATE ISLAMIST PARTY LOOKS SET TO WIN MAJORITY IN TUNISIAN ELECTION

On Monday, as results began to trickle in from Tunisia’s first free election, the moderate Islamist party Ennahda claimed an early lead. Final results are not expected until Tuesday, but in the meanwhile, Ennahda’s closest rivals have conceded defeat. By KHADIJA PATEL.

World

NEED CASH? ASK OBAMA

It’s well known that US President Barack Obama makes it a habit to read ten letters addressed to his office every night. But a new book about the practice reveals that he sometimes goes a step further – sending the writers money. By REBECCA DAVIS.

JAPAN’S WIKILEAKS MOMENT?

A major defence contractor in Japan has suffered a cyber security breach. Mitsubishi Heavy, Japan’s largest weapons supplier, confirmed that certain information may have got out without their say-so. How widespread the attack is, or who perpetuated it, is unclear at this stage. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.

NEW ZEALANDERS REVEL IN WORLD CUP WIN

Hundreds of thousands of jubilant New Zealanders packed central Auckland for the All Blacks victory parade Monday, celebrating their “ultimate achievement” in winning the Rugby World Cup. By RUGBY365.COM.

WIKILEAKS SUSPENDS PUBLISHING, FIGHTS BANKING BLOCKADE

Several of the world’s major finance institutions have been trying to plug WikiLeaks’ flow of information by refusing to process donations to the NGO. On Monday, founder Julian Assange announced that the organisation will temporarily suspend publishing while it concentrates on combatting these efforts. It’s fight that’s become not only about the organisation itself, but the principles of freedom of speech. By THERESA MALLINSON.

Business

THE PATENT WARS: EPISODE 4 – MICROSOFT EXTENDS ANDROID REACH, AND PEACE LOOMS

We rejoin our ongoing drama, The Patent Wars in the consumer electronics space with doddering giant Microsoft revealing that it is far from being out of top spot contention. Microsoft signed a patent agreement with Compal, which means that companies accounting for half of all Android devices on the market have entered into patent licence agreements with it. How long before we see a vicious war erupt between Apple and Microsoft? By SIPHO HLONGWANE.

Life, etc

RACE AGAINST MACHINE – OUR ‘I, ROBOT’ FUTURE

We have dreamed for a while now of a utopian future where robots carry out slave tasks, leaving to us the daunting and stimulating jobs. But if two boffins at MIT are to be believed, that dream is going to sour. The working robots will lead to even more poor and unemployed people. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.

ANATOLIAN PLATE BETWEEN A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE

The death toll in Turkey’s latest earthquake is fast approaching 300, with hundreds more feared dead as rescue teams search through the rubble. With most of the country sitting on the Anatolian plate – which is squeezed by the Eurasian plate in the north and both the Arabian and African plates in the South – it’s no stranger to such natural disasters. By THERESA MALLINSON.

DID SHAKESPEARE WRITE SHAKESPEARE’S PLAYS? FORSOOTH

A new Hollywood movie, Anonymous advances the theory that Shakespeare’s works were actually written by another man. Isn’t it time we put this idea to bed? By REBECCA DAVIS.

MEDIA DIVERSITY: LESSONS FROM THE US

A seven-year study in US media history shows democracy flourished when media systems were autonomous. News for All the People – a landmark investigation that plots the long history of racism and government in North America’s press offers profound insights to local print media owners who refuse to embrace diversity. By MANDY DE WAAL.

Sport

ENGLAND TOP THE T20 RANKINGS

England have been confirmed as the number one team in Twenty20 cricket in the ICC’s inaugural rankings for the game’s shortest format. By CRICKET365.COM.

NOW PHIL TAKES THE SLIDE

Long-time World No 2 Phil Mickelson has fallen out of the world’s top 10 for the first time since February 2004. By GOLF365.COM.

DUSAUTOIR GETS SOME COMFORT

France captain Thierry Dusautoir has been named the IRB Player of the Year, during a star-studded ceremony in Auckland on Monday. By PLANETRUGBY.COM.

LUKE DONALD GROWING IN STATURE

Luke Donald is no Tiger Woods and never will be, if only because he lacks the explosive power that saw Woods blast his way into the headlines at an early age, and then go on to majestically dominate golf for more than a decade. By GOLF365.COM.



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