One planet, 15 minutes

BRIEFS

It happened overnight; South Africa; Africa; World; Business; Life, etc; and Sport.

CHRIS VICK: HAS MBALULA BECOME THE ANC’S LATEST POLITICAL ICARUS?

Two weeks ago, the only thing on Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula’s mind was probably who was threatening to kill him for investigating who really runs South African cricket. A week ago, his attention would have shifted to wondering why the promise of him becoming police minister had not materialised because of ANC in-fighting. Today, he could use his political sense and join the dots and work out why a burst condom is causing him so much trouble – and earns him headlines such as “Mbalula in sex scandal”.

10 more minutes

CHIPPY SHAIK LINKED TO BRIBERY ALLEGATIONS, AGAIN

Until now, Chippy Shaik has been notorious for his links to the arms deal, and for plagiarising his thesis. Now a new book reveals a further corrupt connection between these two crimes. By THERESA MALLINSON.

AMICHAND RAJBANSI MAY BE IN HOSPITAL, BUT HE’S NOT DEAD

On Sunday Twitter was abuzz with rumours that Minority Front leader Amichand Rajbansi had died. As usual, the social network got this death scare wrong – Rajbansi is still very much alive, albeit in hospital with bronchitis. By THERESA MALLINSON.

KAGAME’S DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY BLOCKS HABYARIMANA PROBE

Africa’s version of “Who shot JFK” is who shot down Rwandan president Habyarimana’s plane and started the Rwandan genocide, with myriad theories competing for attention. But thanks to diplomatic immunity, we’re no closer to ruling out the most incendiary idea: that current President Paul Kagame ordered the attack. By SIMON ALLISON.

KENYAN ARMY IN SOMALIA SHOWS OMINOUS PORTENTS

Open-ended and seemingly without a real objective, Kenya’s military incursion into Somalia to hunt Al Shabaab militants has gone from hero to zero and is looking like the perfect start to a long, drawn-out war of attrition – think Iraq and Afghanistan. By SIMON ALLISON.

ASSAD ISSUES TERSE WARNING AGAINST INTERNATIONAL INTERVENTION IN SYRIA

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been schmoozing world media this past weekend, warning against international intervention in Syria. He also lauded the Russian government for its veto of a European-backed UN Security Council resolution on Syria. By KHADIJA PATEL.

FRESH VIOLENCE IN GAZA MAY SCUPPER PRISONER RELEASE DEAL

Hours after Egypt’s ruling military junta brokered a ceasefire in Gaza on Sunday, a fresh wave of Israeli airstrikes in Gaza killed one Palestinian. By KHADIJA PATEL.

ANDROID OWNERS LEFT BEHIND BY SOFTWARE UPDATES

According to The Understatement, a popular tech blog, Android device owners are the worst off when it comes to software updates. As newer software comes out, it is often incompatible with older devices. That is quite a problem in a space where you’re only as good as your last invention. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.

SONY GOES IT ALONE WITH ERICSSON

After ten years as one of the mobile phone industry’s giants, Sony Ericsson will undergo radical change as Sony announced its intention to buy Ericsson’s share of the partnership out. The strategy is to now bring the company’s mobile phone range in line with Sony’s other products. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.

RONNIE WOOD, ROCKING THE ART WORLD

The Rolling Stones’ bassist Ronnie Wood will always be better known as a musician than for his artworks, but a retrospective opening in London next month shows that he takes his artistic endeavours seriously. By THERESA MALLINSON.

ELLE MACPHERSON’S ATTEMPTED IMAGE MAKEOVER

With the News of the World phone- hacking scandal back in the headlines, people have been asking questions about why Elle Macpherson seemingly let the paper off the hook when it was found to have hacked her phone back in 2006. As rumours of an out-of- court settlement abound, Macpherson has hired a PR agency to clean up her image. Doesn’t look like anyones buying it. By THERESA MALLINSON.

LIFE AFTER DEATH ONLINE

Registration for the 2011 Digital Death Day conference has opened. If you’re free on 11 November (that’s 11/11/11), can afford a ticket to Amsterdam and have an interest in the intersection between the internet and death, you might want to sign up. By REBECCA DAVIS.

GRAND TWITTER PROJECT WANTS TO TWEET “EVERY WORD”

Twitterbots – whether they’re spambots or even characterbots from your favourite movie – are pretty annoying. Adam Parrish’s @everyword account is different though – no repetition here, as it tweets its way through (almost) every single word in the English language. By THERESA MALLINSON.

MCILROY HITS PAYDIRT

Rory McIlroy triumphed in a playoff to claim the £1.25 million richest first prize in golf at the Shanghai Masters on Sunday. By GOLF365.COM.

RESURGENT ARSENAL THUMP CHELSEA AT STAMFORD BRIDGE

It was one of the most exciting football matches of the season, an eight-goal fest. Arsenal travelled to Stamford Bridge needing to anchor their recent run of good form with a win against London rivals, Chelsea. Both sides fell victim to criminal defensive errors – the difference was the left boot of Gunners captain Robin van Persie. His hat-trick helped secure a massive 5-3 victory. By SIPHO HLONGWANE.

In depth

TEAM M&M HITS THE SKIDS

It’s the week after the big walk, and once again we are being assailed by headlines that seem to spell doom for the project that is keeping Young Lions past and present very much occupied. There was the longish march, an attempt at grabbing the political initiative, that may, or may not – depending on where you stand – have succeeded, but that dominated headlines despite it being very much President Jacob Zuma’s week. And then: Bang! As usual, on a Sunday, a lump of bad headlines for Julius Malema. In the eye of the storm is his mate, leader, mentor, and fellow partygoer, sports minister and ANC secretary-general wannabe, Fikile Mbalula. How’s the 2011 Class Project going? Not well, it seems. By STEPHEN GROOTES.

MACHIAVELLI, MAO, MALEMA

With the vibrations of Julius Malema’s march to Pretoria still bouncing in our collective ear, we need to better understand where it comes from and what are its historical precedents. And when we do, an interesting picture appears, one of the troubled politician swimming across the mighty Chinese river. By J BROOKS SPECTOR.

SIPHO HLONGWANE: LINDIWE MAZIBUKO SHOULD THANK THE ANC

No really. She should. By refusing to take her seriously, they’re giving her much more room to play with than they should allow her. Thanks to the hubris that comes with being a vastly popular ruling party, the ANC is going to ignore her. But can Mazibuko exploit that?

WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT A STUPID T-SHIRT?

Last week I was one of 11 women who wrote to the Foschini Group to complain about a number of sexist T-shirts being sold by Markhams and Sportscene. The T-shirts are no longer on the shelves, but the response from the South African public has been very disheartening. By REBECCA DAVIS.

ZAMBIAN PRESIDENT: OUR WILDLIFE IS FAIR GAME

The previous administration valued animals more than hungry humans, says Zambia’s President Michael Sata. In response, he’s gone to the other extreme, disbanding the country’s wildlife authority and releasing hundreds of prisoners convicted of wildlife-related crimes. Zambians will be fed as long as they like their meat poached. By SIMON ALLISON.

EGYPTIAN JUNTA DETAIN PROMINENT ACTIVIST

Just days after US President Barack Obama called on Egypt’s military to lift a state of emergency and end military trials for civilians, prominent Egyptian blogger and activist Alaa Abd El Fattah was remanded into military custody. The revolution may have rid the Egyptian people of Hosni Mubarak but his modus operandi survives in the military junta that has assumed the vacuum of power in the North African state. By KHADIJA PATEL.

COMING SOON TO THE SENATE: PAY $500,000 FOR HOUSE PLUS FREE US VISA

For the world’s most celebrated nation of immigrants, foreigners have never had a harder time getting into and staying in the US. Deportations are up 400% on 1996 and the number of green cards is steadily declining. But if you’re rich, given the bill currently before the Senate, this may not be your problem for long. By KEVIN BLOOM.

THE MOTOROLA DROID RAZR HAS HUGE SHOES TO FILL

It’s back! The Motorola RAZR is back! Well, not quite. The new one is a DROID RAZR and looks nothing like its predecessor. Motorola clearly have massive ambitions for this phone, by giving that name. Kind of like naming your child John Wayne or Princess Diana. SIPHO HLONGWANE takes a quick, close look.

BOOK REVIEW: STEVE JOBS BY WALTER ISAACSON

The response to Steven Paul Jobs’ passing on 5 October was note measured. The encomiums flowed like, well, encomiums usually do in our culture. But in many important respects, Steve Jobs deserved the accolades. He was a lousy person who shepheded the most amazing technological products into being. Steve Jobs, the just-released biography by Walter Isaacson, will remain the definitive account of his life for decades to come. By RICHARD POPLACK.

PRIMITIVE EMOTION: A PREDICTOR OF POLITICAL ATTITUDES

People who are easily revolted by disgusting images are more likely to hold conservative attitudes, say scientists exploring the biological basis for political orientation. By MANDY DE WAAL.

KINGS OF LEON: ANYTHING BUT A ROYAL PERFORMANCE

Call me old. Call me grumpy. Call me anything you like, but please just don’t call me the next time Kings of Leon are in town. A live concert review by STYLI CHARALAMBOUS.

LIONS THRASH SHARKS TO WIN CURRIE CUP

The Lions were crowned Currie Cup champions after an emphatic 42-16 win over the Sharks in Johannesburg. By PLANETRUGBY.COM.

MITCHELL’S PRIDE TO SAVOUR WIN

Lions coach John Mitchell heaped praise on his players for keeping calm and “getting the job done” after winning the Currie Cup. By PLANETRUGBY.COM.

KAMTE TRIUMPHS IN PLAYOFF WIN

James Kamte won his fourth Sunshine Tour title on Sunday when he sank a ten-foot birdie putt to win the R600,000 BMG Classic, in a sudden-death playoff with Dawie van der Walt. By GOLF365.COM.