Helen Zille’s comparison of a sector of Aids experts to the Gestapo has caused little bit of an outcry in some circles. But she’s not the first public figure to apply a Nazi analogy to a group of which she disapproves. By REBECCA DAVIS.

On the sidelines of the diplomatic wrangling at the COP17 in Durban this week, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has unveiled a fascinating initiative to build as many as 20 “environmental zero impact” schools in the Gaza Strip. By KHADIJA PATEL.

There was a time when you could buy yourself a big shiny rock with a clean conscience. Thanks to the Kimberley Process, you were confident it would not fund child soldiers or murderous African warlords. But that time is no more, according to Global Witness, which has withdrawn from the process in a move that shocked the industry and should make consumers think twice before buying any more of a girl’s best friends. By SIMON ALLISON.

What happens when another earth appears in the night sky? In an indie movie, not much. Which turns out to be a good thing. By RICHARD POPLAK.

Can you conceive of meat produced in giant factories that feed nutrients to the stem cells of dead animals? Given that a scientist in the Netherlands looks set to produce the world’s first lab-grown hamburger on a planet that’s fast running out of land for livestock – the time may not be too far off. By KEVIN BLOOM.

Mischa Glenny, author of McMafia: A Journey Through the Global Criminal Underworld, has written a follow-up about cyber crime. It’s a book that will keep you awake at night. By RICHARD POPLAK.

The first group of students to matriculate from Oprah’s Leadership Academy for Girls have just written their final exams. While prospects for the 72 girls matriculating look rosy, the past five years haven’t all been plain sailing for the school. By REBECCA DAVIS.

The Zuma government says it’s winning the war against the spread of HIV/Aids. But what of South Africa’s “Marshall Plan” for a society and economy living with the aftermath? By PAUL BERKOWITZ.

Jimmy Manyi barred journalists from probing the progress of the South African negotiations at a COP17 press conference on Thursday. Instead the minister of energy Dipuo Peters and minister of water and environmental affairs Edna Molewa responded only to questions about government’s energy projects. By KHADIJA PATEL.

We’ve been awaiting the arrival of a new sedan from Alfa Romeo for a long time now. But despite much talk and rumour-mongering, the highly anticipated Giulia (as it is expected to be called) has yet to make its appearance. Which leaves the sedan mantle squarely hanging on the shoulders of a somewhat battle-weary 159. DEON SCHOEMAN drove the latest, mildly dusted off version ...

On Wednesday, human rights watchdog Section 27 fingered Al Jazeera English and the State of Qatar for infringing on the human rights of people living with HIV. A South African journalist is reported to have been detained in a Doha prison, dismissed from his position at Al Jazeera and deported from Qatar – all because an HIV test taken without his consent returned a positive result. By KHADIJA PATEL.

Business will roll out more red carpet to Chinese tourists, massive urbanisation will create an emerging global middle-class that spends $6.9 trillion a year, consumers will go cashless and deal hunting will finally become cool. MANDY DE WAAL spoke to Henry Mason of Trendwatching.com in London for an insight into 2012’s biggest consumer trends.

Tuesday marked the 30th anniversary of the mysterious death of American actress Natalie Wood. Three decades on, her case has been reopened in the hope of getting to the truth. By REBECCA DAVIS.

It’s the kind of book you read aloud to your girlfriend to help her understand men. Which, if that’s all it was, would be good enough. But Leon de Kock’s first novel Bad Sex is also a finely wrought exploration of lower middle class white South Africa in the apartheid days, a ride through Joburg’s “rof” southern suburbs when the fist ruled and sensitive boys were “meat”. By KEVIN BLOOM. 

One of the strangest lives of the 20th century has come to a close. Lana Peters, born Svetlana Stalina, has passed away in Wisconsin at 85. What sense do we make of her very strange life? By RICHARD POPLAK.

Ever wished you could slow time down or make it speed up? Scientist and New York Times bestselling author David Eagleman may not have discovered a potion that enables people to change their experience of time, but his research on brain time is helping humanity understand the neural mechanisms of time perception. By MANDY DE WAAL.

Prepare for paranoia. Deep in China’s Kumtang Desert, a series of strange patterns have emerged. Easily viewed on Google Earth—a program that has made it difficult for me to sleep at night—the structures have caused a flurry of discussion on the interwebs. Mining complexes? Alien landing pads? It’s anyone’s guess. By RICHARD POPLAK.

Table tennis is not the first thing you think of when you consider international diplomacy. But a tournament this week in Qatar aimed to use the sport to improve relations between rival nations. By REBECCA DAVIS.

In this story, Daily Maverick takes a break from all the economic, financial and political gloom and doom to explore that most American of holidays, Thanksgiving. By J BROOKS SPECTOR.

He’s the enfant terrible of local political caricature with those clever ‘toons of Malema, Zuma, Mantashe in The New Age. Yes. Gasp! Jeremy “Jerm” Nell that paper. But his work alone is more than worth the daily cover price. By MANDY DE WAAL.

The XJ is Jaguar’s flagship, designed to go up against the BMW 7-Series, the Mercedes-Benz S-class and, of course, the Audi A8. So luxury and prestige are very much a part of this car’s make-up, while sportiness and dynamics aren’t always top of mind. Enter the XJ Supersport. By DEON SCHOEMAN.

In September, a group of scientists at the world’s largest physics lab recorded sub-atomic particles travelling faster than the speed of light. In November, unwilling to disprove Einstein’s theory of relativity quite so easily, they ironed out a potential flaw – and did it again. Now, further teams have announced their intention to repeat the test. If proved true, the implication is that you’re possibly reading this article before KEVIN BLOOM wrote it. 

The Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria has announced that it will be forced to cancel its 11th funding round, supposed to provide money for 2011 to 2013. The news could have devastating consequences for public health in Africa. By REBECCA DAVIS.

A new study by researchers at the University of Southern California reveals that gender inequality is alive and well in the Hollywood machine. By REBECCA DAVIS.

It’s the 20th  anniversary of Freddie Mercury’s death. It’s time for RICHARD POPLAK to get angry at his parents all over again.

From journalism school dropout, to so-so alternative folk singer Daniel Friedman aka Deep Fried Man has stepped into the limelight and is now an award winning stand-up comedian and a darling of the ZA Twitterati. With his first-one man act about to open in Sandton, the Fried One’s a far cry from those days when he was singing folksy stuff to a small group of friends. By MANDY DE WAAL.

Set in a therapist’s studio, this lengthily titled play had most of the audience laughing loudly and steadily at the witty lines sparking out at us. But LESLEY STONES’S escort was sitting there in silence, a glum look on his face. “I’ve heard all the jokes before,” he muttered.

A fire in New Delhi on Sunday killed 13 eunuchs who were participating in a ceremony held every five years. India has a population of 700,000 eunuchs, but outside of disasters like this one, you rarely hear about them. By REBECCA DAVIS.

The Republicans are anti-science. That’s hardly a secret. With the US facing a staggering deficit and the recession rolling on, science funding in the States is in decline, while venture capital investments into technology moves to later stages. Bad news for emerging science and technology innovations deemed radical or risky. But billionaire investor and philanthropist Peter Thiel has come to the rescue with an early stage fund that invests in garage science and tech start-ups both in and outside America. By MANDY DE WAAL.

Victorian author Jane Austen was only 41 when she died, and the cause of death has never been verified. Now a crime novelist investigating the matter claims that Austen may have been the victim of arsenic poisoning. By REBECCA DAVIS.