The turmoil that over recent years has engulfed the global financial system and threatens economies across the world is for ordinary folk mostly a frustratingly complex and confusing subject. Now there is a book that at least helps us to come to grips with the origins of the crisis as we brace ourselves for its full impact.

Silvio Berlusconi has resigned as Italy's longest-serving post-war prime minister, bringing to an end a tumultuous, 17-year political career which was marred by sex scandals, corruption allegations and gaffes on the international stage. The news about the 75-year-old billionaire media baron’s demise took my, and I am sure a good few other observers’, thoughts to a famous 1997 British film and wondering whether Italy might be in for more of the same.

With the co-operation of the The LR Management Group, we can now bring you the leadership training tool 50 Lessons, which is a powerful force in the world of corporate learning. 50 Lessons is the worlds premier multimedia business resource, offering more than 1 000 personal and authentic video lessons from internationally respected business leaders. It can assist you to increase the utilisation and return on investment of your learning programmes immediately!

Inequality in South Africa has deepened since 1994. Respect for fundamental rights, including socio-economic rights, must be rebuilt - for when rights begin to be seen as hindrances to development and change, people begin to question why they should be observed at all, writes Isobel Frye. She argues that respect for fundamental rights, including socio-economic rights, must be rebuilt through national debate and discourse. If we fail, we risk losing the values that were so long fought for.

BafanaBafana suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of lowly Southern African neighbours Zimbabwe last week, while the weekend saw the Premiership top-three sides play to a goalless draw, and Orlando Pirates stumbling against Bidvest Wits. But while the BafanaBafana defeat and the goalless draws point to our lack of strike power in South African soccer, it might not be a solution to ban coaches from the bench if they do not have formal coaching accreditation.

Will we see the death of the Kyoto Protocol at the COP17 climate change conference in Durban starting next week or not? That is probably the most important question hanging over the Durban talks. Negotiators will seek to avert the death of the Kyoto protocol, an international climate agreement drawn up in the 1990s to cut greenhouse emissions.

As piracy spreads unchecked insurers, ship owners and charterers are evolving new approaches to managing the risk. This is despite the vacuum created by both the law and the lack of international co-operation or political will that, arguably, led to the problem in the first place.

Much of the outside world’s focus on Africa has been dominated – even warped – these past few months by events and developments in the very north and the very south of the continent, namely the wrapping up of the Libyan conflict and the fate of South Africa’s fiery youth leader, Julius Malema. But a closer look at events unfolding between these two extremities shows a vibrant continent on the move – sometimes good, sometimes not so good, but never dull.

The second scramble for Africa is in full swing and identical to the first, the aim is easy access to the continent’s natural resources. In contrast to the first scramble when European powers, like a gang of robbers, sat down to divide Africa’s loot among themselves without consideration for the indigenous people, the current scramble is more subtle and nuanced but at times no less deadly.

In the wake of a United Nations report that points out that Iran might be very close to producing a nuclear weapon and speculation that Israel might be planning a pre-emptive strike against Iran, news broke last week of what seems to be a second-generation of the computer virus which badly disrupted work at an Iranian nuclear enrichment plant about a year age.

Investors and other South Africa watchers should feel a lot more comfortable about the country following a number of recent domestic developments. Not only has the ruling African National Congress (ANC) taken strong action against its hitherto uncontrollable Youth League leader Julius Malema, the main proponent of a populist demand for nationalisation and seizure of property, but a number of other concurrent developments of note have also taken place.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in a report released last week forecast a further slowdown in the world’s largest economies. It underscores an earlier warning that developed economies face two years of weak growth and continued high unemployment, and the outlook could worsen if the euro zone fails to contain its debt crisis.

The magnitude of Europe’s sovereign debt crisis goes well beyond finance. It goes to the heart of the globe’s dominant governance system of representative democracy in partnership with free market capitalism. Even classical Marxism is getting a re-look as the world seems to be poised for epoch making fundamental changes that are bound to see some serious turbulence over the next decade or two.

The highest successful run chase at the Wanderers in a fourth innings in history and a fitting finale to a wonderful and compelling two-test series denied South Africa their first home-series win against Australia in 41 years. For the fourth consecutive season, South Africa failed to win a home series.