Wednesday, April 1, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.
Making headlines:
South African President Kgalema Motlanthe arrived in London last night ahead of the Group of 20 meeting that begins tomorrow.
As the only African country in the G20, South Africa stressed that a global response is required to mitigate the impact of the economic crisis and prevent it from spreading to emerging markets and developing countries.
It is hoped that the G20 summit will result in a comprehensive agreement to restore global growth development. Issues under discussion, will include the need to lay a foundation for a sustainable recovery, on the basis of a more balanced and inclusive world economy.

In other world news, the World Bank has announced a $50-billion programme to counter a decline in global trade.
World Bank president Robert Zoellick said that the programme will include funding from governments, regional development banks and private sector banks.
The scale of the problem was underlined by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which said that the economies of its 30 members could shrink by 4,3% this year.
Meanwhile, Britain has called on the leaders of the Group of 20 rich and developing economies to supply "the oxygen of confidence" to drag the world economy out of recession.

In South African news, the African National Congress states that the Bus Rapid Transit system being rolled out in Johannesburg, Cape Town, the Nelson Mandela Metro and Tshwane, will not cause job losses in the taxi industry.
The ruling party's National Working Committee has noted the concernsexpressed by taxi operators about the introduction of the BRT. It stresses, however, that the BRT will not result in any job losses in the industry.

The transformation of public transport in South Africa is a major element of the ANC's developmental strategy, the party said, and the taxi industry is an important partner in that process.

Also making headlines:
South Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal has upheld an appeal by Constitutional Court judges against Cape judge president John Hlophe.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez calls for the indictment of ex-US President George Bush for war crimes, rather than Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.
And, the National Prosecuting Authority says that further details of the decision on whether to continue with the prosecution of Jacob Zuma, will be possible by Friday.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.