To have an axe (ax, if you are American) to grind is a rarity when it comes to idioms or metaphorical expressions. Generally, there is consensus about the meaning of such expressions, but argument about the origin thereof. In the instance of this week's idiom, it is the other way round, with greater consensus about the origin of the expression than its meaning – well, almost.

European confidence in the economic outlook improved to its best level in more than two years, according to the European Commission (EC) in Brussels; but unease and concern among investors that a double-dip recession may still be awaiting the world economy remain firmly in place as share markets still seem to be stuck in the sideways trajectory that has been around since October last year after an initial upward trend during the preceding six months.

Pressure is mounting on South Africa to become militarily involved in the conflict in Somalia in the wake of the 11 July al-Shabaab bomb attacks in Kampala that claimed the lives of 80 people, increased attacks on Ugandan and Burundian troops in Mogadishu, and the continuing attacks on maritime trade by Somali pirates. Involvement, however, will come with some serious risks for the country, including terrorist attacks similar to that which occurred in Kampala. At the same time, as a leading power in Africa, South Africa can hardly not become involved in some way much longer.

There are grandiose new transportation plans in the pipeline for southern Africa. If all these plans come to fruition over the next few years, the transportation network in the region will change dramatically - with significant economic transformation implications as rail- and port networks are upgraded and expanded.

New Zealand is set to recapture the Vodacom Tri-Nations title without scoring another lopsided victory during its campaign this year. During its first three matches, the team's emphatic wins earned it 15 log points, with the Wallabies (4 points) and the Springboks (0) hardly in sight. The dubious honour of playing for the wooden spoon belongs to the Boks and the Wallabies.

At the start of August, which is designated as Women’s Month in South Africa - as we celebrate the anniversary of the great Women's March of 1956, when women marched to the Union Buildings in protest against the carrying of pass books - it is appropriate to take stock of the status of women in our society. An assessment by a leading recruitment group finds that we are leading the pack internationally, but that parity with men is still some way off.

It is on the energy front that it is the most acute, but there is a wider global scramble currently for access to and control over resources, creating pressures on many fronts for the world as we know it. It is not only natural resources that are at stake, but also human capital in the form of skilled and affordable labour and consumers. The future will largely be determined by how the risks and opportunities of this scramble play out.

It seems more likely than not that South Africa will soon be subjected to a massive public sector strike. With both the government and public sector workers rejecting each other’s settlement proposals, a strike by between 900 000 and 1.3 million public sector employees could start as early as Thursday this week.

“Worth a read?” is not your ordinary book review; it is a meta-review. In other words, it provides an overview of the opinions contained in a variety of book reviews published in the media at large. This week we look at The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, written by Rebecca Skloot and released in South Africa in April 2010. It tells the story of a poor woman’s legacy to humankind at large.

The ruling African National Congress is expected to emerge with guns blazing from its policy review conference next month in preparation for next year’s all-important local government elections. It seems the party will need some good ammo to talk away the effects of widespread service delivery failure, as the results of municipal by-elections this past year have shown that the Democratic Alliance (DA) has steadfastly gained ground mostly at the ANC’s expense, contrary to what opinion polls seem to indicate.

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