SOUTH AFRICA

Academic salaries in South Africa have grown by 51% - the highest among seven Commonwealth countries surveyed - since 2006-07.

When the return on savings is less than the rate of inflation it doesn't matter that gold doesn't provide you with an income. Tightly supplied and indestructible, it offers a natural and obvious alternative to cash. Inflation expectations are rising as 2011 begins.

England batsman Kevin Pietersen says his side will be ready for the fourth Ashes Test at Melbourne on Boxing Day, as Australia's Peter Siddle vows to continue with his sledging.

FIFPro, the International Players' union, has supported calls to play the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar during winter instead of summer.

Anglo-Australian miner Rio Tinto is finalizing a $3.8 billion takeover bid for Africa-focused Riversdale , according to two sources, upping an earlier offer as it seeks to gain key coking coal supplies amid soaring demand from India and China.

While UN World Tourism Organisation recently announced that France will be the most sought-after place in 2010, places such as Scotland, Israel, Bethlehem and the like remained horded for some unusual charms. Here’s a list of world’s 10 tourist hotspots that saw an incredibly rise in tourism interests in 2010.

South Africa wrapped up proceedings early on the final day to win the first test against India and take the series lead 1-0 at The Centurion, Pretoria.

Robert Mugabe, the president of Zimbabwe, has threatened to nationalize all British and American companies operating in his country unless Western sanctions are eliminated.

French holding company, PPR, is entering into exclusive negotiations with South Africa-based Steinhoff International Holding Ltd for a $1.6 billion deal to sell its Conforama furniture unit, the company said in a statement on Thursday.

In its war against rampant piracy, Ubisoft has chosen an unusual weapon. The French game publisher has installed the sound of ear-splitting vuvuzela horns, which was popularized at the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, to annoy away the pirates.

Phillip Hughes has emerged as the most likely replacement for Australia's injured opener Simon Katich for the third Ashes test at Perth after the 22 year-old received the backing of his skipper Ricky Ponting.

International talks on Iran's nuclear activity got under way in Geneva on Monday amid Tehran's claims of achieving self-sufficiency in the fuel cycle. Analysts say that little is expected from the talks. But the latest developments in Iran are likely to give it the confidence to put forward demands of sanctions against the Islamic Republic to be lifted. The talks between Iran and the five UN powers - the US, Russia, China, France and Britain - plus Germany were stalled 14 months ago.

Russia won the bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2018 and the tourism industry in United Kingdom has expressed disappointment as it had expected to tap its potential as a tourist destination had it won the bid to host the international tournament

Burning tyres, rebel checkpoints, an angry mob and a placard that reads, Gbagbo thief... The West African state of Ivory Coast seems to be rapidly descending into a state of crisis. Acknowledged as the most expensive polls in Africa, the recent run-off was aimed at unifying the country which suffered bitter divisions and wrath of an armed uprising in 2002. But instead, they bared the discrepancy within the nation's population.

A day after both candidates claimed Presidency in Ivory Coast, African Union said it would dispatch former South African premier Thabo Mbeki for mediations. Local media has reported of at least a dozen people killed in post-election violence in the former capital of Abijdan.

Football fans needs not worry about securing visas ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia as Moscow is planning to scrap the requirement all together for match ticket-holders as well as footballers from the European Union.

FIFA takes the Football World Cup 2018 and 2022 to new territories of Russia and Qatar, raising concerns over risks involved in the selection of venue.

World trade growth slowed in the third quarter of the year, according to the latest World Trade Organization (WTO) figures. An 18 percent rise in global merchandise trade annually in value terms was remarkably lower than the 26 percent increase registered in the second quarter.

BP Oil Spill, FIFA World Cup, Lady Gaga, Justin Beiber, iPhone are among the top searches in 2010, according to the Yahoo's 'Year in Review' report which tallies hot searches on a variety of lists.

Drug regimens are showing promising results as methods of preventing HIV infection.

Some of the names making rounds in Wikileaks' revelations are former South African president Nelson Mandela, Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai and Libya's Colonel Gaddafi and former UK premier Gordon Brown.