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Viewpoint: A year of transition, uncertainty and change By Rajiv Biswas Asia-Pacific Chief Economist, IHS Global Insight China's continued economic expansion is key to the region's overall growth In the Chinese Zodiac, 2012 is the Year of the Water Dragon - marking a year of transition, uncertainty and change. The Asia-Pacific economies certainly face considerable uncertainty as well as headwinds in 2012, with the eurozone already sliding into recession at the end of 2011, while the momentum of US economic recovery - although encouraging in recent months - remains moderate at best. The Year of the Dragon will also be a year characterised by political uncertainty, with presidential elections in the US and France, as well as leadership change in China. In autumn 2012, the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China will elect the new Central Committee and Politburo Standing Committee members. The curre...

Uproar over China's 'angry dragon' stamp   The new stamp has managed to attract many buyers despite the controversy A Chinese postage stamp to mark the upcoming Year of the Dragon has sparked uproar among the public because the dragon is thought to look "too fierce". One Chinese writer is quoted as saying she was "scared to death" on seeing the image of the creature with its claws, scales and bared teeth. China Post, which produced the stamp, insists it is a perfect combination of history and modernity. The stamp's designer says a tough image was needed for a powerful creature. "Among everyday people, the dragon is thought to exorcise evil spirits, avert disasters and give blessings, so we need a tough image," Chen Shaohua is quoted by the China Daily as saying. The dragon has been a symbol of Chinese imperial power for centuries. But media figures and people posting on Chinese microblogging sites have said the im...

Golf for all?     Elite game, or everyman's pursuit? Andrew Mlangeni was in a hurry. "We have lots to celebrate," said the 86-year-old anti-apartheid icon, former Robben Island prisoner, and friend of Nelson Mandela. "But now I must play golf." Mr Mlangeni was in Bloemfontein for this weekend's ANC centenary festivities, which began on Friday with a golf tournament for senior party figures and VIPs. "I have a handicap of 16," he said, before speeding off in his golf cart - "not bad for a man of my age." Does golf send off the wrong messages for a party already accused of being elitist, corrupt and out of touch with the struggles of ordinary South Africans? Across town, the ANC's disgraced but militant youth leader, Julius Malema, reportedly was busy telling his supporters that the party's leaders were "baboons" who ignored the poor. Relaxing at the clubhouse, the ANC's spokesman Jimmy Many...