Times editors ranked South Africa 34th.

[swap]

The New York Times has named South Africa one of the top destinations to visit in 2009, in the newspaper's annual travel guide of Places to Go.

The Times' 2009 list features 44 of the world's most compelling holiday destinations as determined by Times editors as well as readers. According to readers, South Africa ranks 20th on the list of Places to Go in 2009 while Times editors ranked South Africa 34th.

However both the readers and editors of the New York Times agree that South Africa is the definitive destination for "affordable luxury." Describing South Africa as an idyllic country, the annual travel guide says that with its famed safaris, world class wineries and fabulous beaches, South Africa is fast "becoming one of the best bets for American travellers looking for high-end experiences at relatively low-end prices."

[krishre]

The media of South Africa has a large and flourishing mass media sector and is the African continent's major media player. While South Africa's many broadcasters and publications reflect the diversity of the population as a whole, the most commonly used language is English, although all ten other official languages are represented to some extent or another. Afrikaans is the second most commonly used language, especially in the publishing sector.

Up until 1994, the country had a thriving Alternative press comprised of community broadsheets, bilingual weeklies and even student "zines" and xeroxed samizdat. After the elections, funding and support for such ventures dried up, but there has been a resurgence of interest in alternative forms of news gathering of late, particularly since the events of September 11, 2001.

Press freedom
Press freedom has a chequered history in South Africa. While some sectors of the South African media openly criticised the apartheid system and the National Party government, they were hampered by various amounts of government censorship during the years. For example, journalist Donald Woods became renowned after he fled to live in the United Kingdom in exile and expose the truth behind the death of Steve Biko, the leader of the Black Consciousness Movement. After the end of apartheid in 1994 however, censorship ended and a new constitution was enacted which has a Bill of Rights that guarantees that every citizen has the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom of the press and media, the freedom to receive or impart information or ideas, freedom of artistic creativity, academic freedom, and freedom of scientific research.

These freedoms are generally respected in practice and the press is considered relatively free. Laws concerning the media and political control over its content are generally considered to be moderate and there is little evidence of repressive measures against journalists. In consequence, South Africa is ranked joint 31st (with Australia) in Reporters Without Borders' worldwide index of press freedom 2005.

However, there has also been criticism of certain aspects of the freedom of the press in South Africa. It has been pointed out that almost all the large daily newspapers are owned by just four large media firms, which could lead to pro-Corporate bias. In addition, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), which is the state broadcaster, is argued by many to carry a fairly strong pro-ruling party (African National Congress (ANC)) bias, especially considering the fact that the majority of its management and executive staff are either ANC members or ANC aligned.

Some media aspects of the Oilgate scandal [1] have also been a cause for concern as was the banning of the publication of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in South Africa by Judge Mohammed Jajbhay on 3 February 2006 [2].


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[jvpl]

While the global economic crisis has resulted in an overall global tourism decline of 20%, South Africa has remained relatively unscathed in the past year, with the destination remaining popular among American and other global travellers.

[Mr 007]

Actos is 'alternative' to banned diabetes drug Avandia
Diabetes medicine Drugs are used to control sugar levels in diabetes
Continue reading the main story
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A drug to treat diabetes, Actos, would be a "sensible alternative" to one which was banned last year, researchers have said.

Avandia, also known as rosiglitazone, was suspended by authorities in Europe, but is still available in the United States and Canada.

The study published on the BMJ website said patients taking Actos had fewer heart problems.

Diabetes UK said Actos was a very effective treatment.

Rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, which has the trade name Actos, are used to control blood sugar levels in patients with type-2 diabetes and both are known to increase the risk of heart failure.

The research team at the University of East Anglia compared the risks associated with each drug by analysing 16 studies of more 800,000 patients.

Rosiglitazone increased the risk of heart attack by 16%, heart failure by 23%, and death by 14% compared with pioglitazone.
Alternative

The report says: "For patients who need thiazolidinedione treatment, continued use of rosiglitazone may lead to excess heart attacks, heart failure and mortality, compared with pioglitazone, the effect on public health may be considerable."

Dr Yoon Loke, from the Univeristy of East Anglia, told the BBC: "For patients who have come off rosiglitazone, pioglitazone would be a sensible alternative."

"Although it's like jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire in some ways, pioglitazone can lead to fractures in women, is being evaluated for risk in bladder cancer and increases the risk of heart failure."

Deepa Khatri, clinical advisor at Diabetes UK, said people with diabetes should have as much choice as possible.

"Actos (pioglitazone) is still available on the European market for people with diabetes.

"For many people, Actos is a very effective treatment to help control blood glucose levels and Diabetes UK believes this drug should continue to be made available to ensure people with diabetes have as much choice as possible.

"Alternatives to Actos are available, however is it very important that people discuss treatment options with their healthcare team to assess the most appropriate form of medication to suit their individual needs."
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