An interview with Nobels Colloquia winner Simon Anholt on the concept of "nation branding", and the impact the World Cup could have on South Africa...Here he talks to Sean Carey about brands and marketing, the reputations of the UK, London, China, and India, and the impact of the forthcoming FIFA World Cup on South Africa.

Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe will today kick off his three-day state visit to Turkey with the aim of strengthening economic and commercial relations with that country. The South African delegation will engage their Turkish counterparts during a business forum to be held on Tuesday, where Motlanthe will also use this opportunity to invite Turkish companies to invest in South Africa.

The South African government was exploring a range of options to tackle the "stubborn" problem of youth unemployment, including a voluntary scheme where young people would get an allowance from the state, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel told a youth jobs summit organized by the Young Communist League in Johannesburg yesterday.

These days Afrikaans is one of the country’s 11 official languages, but some Afrikaners say it is being increasingly marginalized to the point where they fear for the survival of their language and culture. The one thing it hasn’t been, until recently, is cool.

Three hundred years after their forefathers left Europe for a new life in Cape Town, some Afrikaners are lobbying the Dutch government to grant them citizenship. The descendants of the Boer settlers are looking for an exit plan. They say white people have become targets of crime with tensions rising since the murder of right-wing Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging (AWB) leader Eugene Terreblanche last month.

For the next month, South Africans everywhere will be asked how they feel about the World Cup coming to their country. Many no doubt will talk about their pride, how they feel that a megaevent will give South Africa a chance to put its best foot forward before the world.

A new Zimbabwean temporary travel document (TTD) is not being recognized by neighbouring South Africa's immigration authorities, preventing cross-border traders from sourcing goods for resale.

Themed Ke Nako! ("It's Time!"), South Africa's pavilion at the Shanghai Expo has opened its doors to visitors wanting to learn more about what modern-day South Africa has to offer, from the upcoming 2010 Fifa World Cup to tourism, trade and investment opportunities.