As Twilight: Breaking Dawn hits cinemas worldwide, the time has surely come to ask: what on earth is up with the success of this vampire franchise? By REBECCA DAVIS.

A hundred years of South African political cartoons are lovingly curated in a new book which explores how cartoonists have described – and made light of – South Africa’s fraught relationship with the outside world. It’s funny, it’s informative, but it’s also a strangely serious insight into what’s wrong with international relations. By SIMON ALLISON.

Once the baby of the local range, the latest version of Toyota’s Yaris is now more teenager than toddler. But is bigger necessarily better – especially given the asking price? DEON SCHOEMAN drives the newcomer in KwaZulu-Natal.

Christmas decorations are already up in shops. ‘Tis the season to be merry, and ‘tis also the season for atheists and Christians in the US to start slugging it out in the run-up to 25th December. By REBECCA DAVIS.

The Queen’s husband has always been a figure of some fun, notorious for his gaffes and political incorrectness. Now a new biography of Prince Philip suggests the 90-year-old consort may be even weirder than anyone imagined. By REBECCA DAVIS.

“Super scientist” David Eagleman says that legal and judicial systems are, for the most part, operating in ignorance about what is known about neurobiology. Because not all criminals’ brains are equal, he’s working toward an overhaul of how criminals should be treated by society. By MANDY DE WAAL.

Comedy is always funnier when it pokes fun at a subject close to your heart, so it was obvious the opening night of Menopause The Musical was going to be a huge success. As the audience trooped in there were large ladies, svelte ladies, some Botoxed, some plastered with make-up, some bare-faced and hippyish, and several already having hot flushes in the foyer. Yes, writes LESLEY STONES, the audience members were decidedly menopausal, especially the middle-aged men accompanying them.

Anders Breivik shocked Norway, and the world, with his island massacre of children at a political retreat, coupled with the bomb he exploded outside a government office in the capital in July. He must be crazy, we all thought. He’s not, says the judge. By SIMON ALLISON.

In what should theoretically be a heist film for our times, Tower Heist is broadly modelled on a Bernie Madoff-esque Ponzi scheme set in a mid-financial crisis New York, with the 99% bent on getting back what is theirs. By CARIEN ELS.

Endless hours of waiting in airport departure lounges can be hell for weary travellers, which is why two Russian architects have come up with a novel snooze pod that can be rented by the hour. Pretty cool stuff, actually. By MANDY DE WAAL.

He’s hosted the event eight times already, to the acclaim and satisfaction of all parties concerned. But since 2004, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has taken a new tack, trying desperately to attract a younger audience. Why will Billy Crystal be taking the podium again at next year’s Oscars? By KEVIN BLOOM.

On Thursday night Thais celebrated Loi Krathong, the floating lantern festival and the most picturesque of all the Thai festivals. Traditionally, banana leaves are fashioned into tiny boats and filled with food, incense and a lit candle. They’re then set afloat as an offering to Phra Mae Khongkha, goddess of water. The timing of the festival couldn’t be more apt - the water goddess doesn’t seem to be very happy right now. By SIMON ALLISON.

The DRC is not a country known for its film-making – Viva Riva! is the first film shot there in 25 years. But it was worth the wait. It’s a cracking story about a small-time crook trying to live it up in the not-so-bright lights of Kinshasa. There’s sex, booze and plenty of violence - all to some great Congolese tunes. By SIMON ALLISON.

The arrival of the BMW 1-Series M Coupé has not been met with enthusiasm from all quarters. Designed to bring the magic of the M-badge to a wider audience, some consider it a brash upstart without the pedigree required for admittance to the M-car fold. Others recognise a thrilling driving machine when they see one. By DEON SCHOEMAN (@deon_schoeman).

Want to brush up on your knowledge of the Second World War, but don't have the time? No excuses, these days it's as easy as following the @RealTimeWWII Twitter account. By THERESA MALLINSON (@tcmallinson).

When it comes to news and social media, Reuters’ social media editor is the king of the hill. His Tumblr blog is in the top 25 of some 2.3 million tumblogs in the world. He’s also rated as one of the top media tweeters to follow. If you don’t know who he is yet, perhaps you should. By MANDY DE WAAL.

Perhaps the most notorious terrorist of the pre-Osama era, a man whose mystique and dress-sense have inspired a cottage industry of films and books, Carlos the Jackal makes his reappearance in a Parisian courtroom this week. The charges, while serious, are almost thirty years old – and the terrorist himself is simply loving the media attention. By KEVIN BLOOM.

Okay, well YU55 isn't actually going to hit us on Tuesday night, not quite. But it'll pass within 319,000km of the Earth, giving astronomers a rare opportunity to study it “up close”. By THERESA MALLINSON.

For 20 years AdBusters has been a bit of a Jack Russell on the fringes of capitalism, yapping about over consumption, greed and the abusive power of mega corporations. That is until its founder Kalle Lasn predicted America’s Tahrir Square moment and gave birth to the #occupywallstreet movement. Lasn speaks to MANDY DE WAAL from his home in Vancouver, Canada.

New data out of the US Census Bureau shows that the percentage of men between the ages of 25 and 34 who still live with their parents has increased by almost a third over the last five years. Women, meanwhile, are becoming ever more employable in the recessionary environment. What does this mean for American macho? By KEVIN BLOOM.

If you’ve been making bad decisions or finding it impossible to resist temptation, perhaps you’re suffering from decision fatigue? If so, you’ll be pleased to know that willpower is like a muscle that can be strengthened, is fuelled by glucose but that it can be fatigued by overuse. MANDY DE WAAL investigates.

A shift is coming with regards to the supply and politics of world oil. The new black gold is going to be expensive and hard to get at properly. However, growing stability in a place like Libya, as well as big oil reserves in difficult-to-reach spots, means more oil will start to come on line. By J BROOKS SPECTOR.

Surprisingly often, the best way to deal with a crisis is simply to have a good laugh about it. Lighten up a little, have a chuckle, let the tension dissipate, then figure out a solution. LESLEY STONES relished comedian Mark Sampson’s take on global warming in his new show, Africa Clockwise.

Unlike traditional publishers that take ages to get manuscripts into print and on shelves, Hyperink’s quick and easy to read e-books are ready in a month and cost about $1,000 to produce. Part of the revolution that’s driving a revision of the publishing industry, Andreessen Horowitz liked the business model so much that the investors in Skype, Facebook and Twitter are backing the business to the tune of $1.2 million. By MANDY DE WAAL.

Since their appearance on CBS’s 60 Minutes on Sunday, Ruth and Andrew Madoff, wife and son of Ponzi fraudster Bernie, seem to have got what they originally wanted: a whole lot of media attention for their new, tell-all book. Because what they haven’t got, despite their sad TV faces, is anyone’s sympathy. By KEVIN BLOOM.

Volkswagen’s Jetta has been called lots of things: practical, value-added, spacious and safe. It’s also been called boring, conservative and uninspiring. But none of that has stopped millions from buying the sedan. Does the latest model have anything different to offer? DEON SCHOEMAN finds out.

A victory has been won by climate change scientists in the US after a judge denied permission to a pro-industry think-tank to access private emails at the University of Virginia. The group alleged the scientists were falsifying data. By REBECCA DAVIS.

A quarter of the four billion plus mobile phones being used around the world are smartphones. With innovation bringing cheaper smartphones into emerging markets, this number is set to rise, which means there is a massive and ever growing global market for mobile applications. Needless to say, the big brands are rushing to muscle in on the app action. By MANDY DE WAAL.

People who are easily revolted by disgusting images are more likely to hold conservative attitudes, say scientists exploring the biological basis for political orientation. By MANDY DE WAAL.

The response to Steven Paul Jobs passing, on 5 October was not measured. The encomiums flowed like, well, encomiums usually do in our culture. But in many important respects, Steve Jobs deserved the accolades. He was a lousy person who shepherded amazing technological products into being. Steve Jobs, the just-released biography by Walter Isaacson, will remain the definitive account of his life for decades to come. By RICHARD POPLAK.