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.

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.