Taxpayers and the economy are not getting their money’s worth from government bailouts of banks that got themselves in trouble with dodgy loans and high-risk trade in so-called financial instruments. The conduct of some of the world’s largest banking institutions does not add up to much more than a complicated gambling game and they have become a major threat to the global economy.

Social media is here to stay, for better or for worse, and businesses can ill afford to stick their heads in the sand when it comes to engaging their customers online. The reality is that your customers are talking about you, whether you have an engaging online presence or not, and ignoring this fact will at best provide no advantage and, at worst, actually harm your business, writes Max Ottavini. 

To most South Africans, the terms ‘fundi’, ‘boffin’ and ‘expert’ would have much the same meaning: someone with a high level of skills, know-how and/or knowledge in a particular, often specialised, field. English speakers from other parts of the world might, however, misunderstand you when you use the term 'fundi' to describe someone. 

A highly politicised domestic environment often clouds local judgement on the positives locked up in the South African economy and the opportunities offered by the present global economic woes. Forgetting the lessons from the country's own history, local developments and debates around sectors like mining is not all that unique to South Africa. Now is probably the time for groundwork to create future competitive advantages.

Some months ago, an article in this Bulletin under the title, Libya: Opening Pandora’s Box, warned that “… any failure to set up a strong central authority in Libya after Gadaffi has been disposed of will mean a serious risk for the neighbourhood.”  Now the United States and Nato must take a big chunk of responsibility for the fact that the worst impact of their intervention in Libya may be occurring outside that country. 

Finishing fourth in the javelin at the Aviva London Grand Prix on Saturday, Sunette Viljoen is now one of South Africa’s greatest medal prospects at the Olympic Games in London, But she will have to overcome some wet weather challenges in the run-up to the Games. She did not get close to the 69.35 she achieved earlier this year due to the wet tartan track. 

It was a Super Saturday in more than one way for the South African Super Rugby franchises, as the DHL Stormers clinched the top spot on the combined conference log to secure a home semi-final and (if they qualify) a home final. Furthermore, the Bulls and the Sharks also qualified for the playoffs. 

There was an apparent misunderstanding in communication between the government and some public sector unions in the current wage negotiations. There are also different unions engaged in the process with different demands and disputes in the negotiations. This has brought the country to the brink of yet another highly damaging public sector strike. A rather confusing situation now exists. 

Despite a 'refresh' of the International Cricket Council’s international rankings table having pushed them down from the second to the third spot, South Africa’s Proteas will replace England at the top if  they win the test series that starts this Thursday (19 July) at The Oval in London.