There is a real danger that the youth-driven revolt that started in North Africa and the Middle East and which has crossed the Mediterranean into Europe can become a global phenomenon, we reported last week. The assessment that the youth revolt could go global, has since been echoed in other reports as well, with skills deficits a central theme.

The world of cyberspace is not only increasingly starting to become a zone of escalating security concerns for governments and business, but of late so many battle fronts have come to the fore that it is starting to resemble a war zone. The war may also not stay restricted to the realm of the world-wide net, but there is a real danger that it could spill over into more conventi-nal acts of war.

The Draft Taxation Laws Amendment Bill 2011 (the TLAB) was released for public comment on 2 June 2011. As expected, the majority of the tax proposals announced in the Minister of Finance’s 2011 Budget speech are contained in the TLAB, but there was also a surprise.

Too often investors focus solely on the outcome of an investment process  -- the returns. While this may be understandable as results are the ultimate long-term objective for any investor, a focus on short-term returns can be very misleading and harmful to an investor’s success, writes Nic Andrew, head of Nedgroup Investments who believes that by focusing less on short-term results and more on how those returns were generated as well as long-term results, investors are able to create the relevant anchors or reference points.

Under the present highly uncertain legal and regulatory environment surrounding the world of electronic social networking, individuals – especially those with a high public profile – and most businesses and organisations would do well to adopt a defensive approach in the use of social media networks. A small mistake could lead to huge damage.

There is an old Afrikaans saying that the bite from your own dog is always the worst. For the American military it might turn out to be the case with  the ever increasing threat of cyber war. As Haroon Mee points out, the Pentagon might find itself in a glass house after declaring that cyber attacks could be regarded as acts of war and might therefore merit a full military response.

The recent clamour for stakes in social networking companies has highlighted the growing trend by investors to invest in what they believe will be ‘the next big thing’ in this burgeoning industry. However, while there will undoubtedly be some winners among these companies, there is currently very little margin of safety in these shares and they should be treated with caution by investors who cannot afford potentially large capital losses.

South Africa’s annual wage negotiations season is well under way and while no major strikes have so far taken place, several big strikes in key sectors may be looming. These include the steel and engineering sector and the public sector, while the petroleum sector and some mines could also be affected.

This week is going to be an important one for President Jacob Zuma and the ANC as the ANC Youth League (ANCYL) gathers of its 24^th national conference from Thursday at Midrand, north of Johannesburg where Julius Malema is likely to be re-elected as its president for another three years with potentially huge  influence on future political developments.

In sport, timing can be almost everything. Consider the immaculate timing of a cover drive by the consummate prince of cover driving, Graeme Pollock, or the prince of 21^st century batting, Sachin Tendulkar, or the timing of a pass by Xavi Hernandez to the Barcelona master striker Lionel Messi. Hopefully for South African cricket it will also prove to be true off the field.

Two sets of international negotiations took place in Sandton on Sunday. On the surface they had nothing to do with each other, except that both were big news events and both affect large parts of Africa. Together they demonstrated the dichotomy that is Africa. There was also the reminder that failure in one set of negotiations could easily condemn the other ... as it so often does.

Working on an article the other day about the so-called humanitarian intervention by NATO-forces in Libya, starting with imposing a no-fly zone but fast developing into a much more substantive war, I came to the conclusion that they are likely to leave behind a lot more trouble than they may be solving with their operations. The expression fly-by-nights came to mind.

There are two more South African local derbies in this year’s Super 15 rugby competition, but who will be the last men standing when the smoke clears? Will it be the Stormers and the Bulls, or will the Sharks grind out an ugly, but spectacular win against the defending Super Rugby-champions during the final league match at Loftus?

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Like his predecessor President Jacob Zuma has been traversing Africa as facilitator trying to help solve some of the continent’s many political problems. His record is less than impressive, but there is a possibility for redemption in the immediate future if some success can be achieved in Zimbabwe.