Wednesday, February 25, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Jonathan Faurie.
Making headlines:
South African President Kgalema Motlanthe says that the African National Congress will always be there to take the "youth by the ear" and bring them into line when they go wrong.
The President was addressing a public meeting held in Lenasia, as part of the ANC's 2009 election campaign, referring to utterances by ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema, that constantly land him in hot water.
He explained that the youth is encouraged to bring a radical perspective and new energy, while the role of the mother ANC is to guide, train and develop this youth.
Motlanthe added that the responsibility to correct and bring into line a youth that is energetic but erroneous, cannot be ignored.

In world news, the head of the World Trade Organisation, Pascal Lamy, states that leaders from the Group of 20 developed and emerging countries should not backtrack on last year's agreement to fight protectionism. The group is due to meet in London in April.
Despite the G20's decision in November to refrain from raising new trade barriers, there have been several moves suggesting that creeping protectionism is under way.
Negotiations for a new world trade agreement have foundered partly owing to an impasse on agriculture. Developing nations want the industrial world to cut farm supports, while the US says that developing nations must remove barriers to farm imports.

In Southern African news, the International Organisation for Migration says that many of the Zimbabweans who have fled to South Africa seeking better prospects are now struggling to survive.
An IOM survey of more than 1 000 Zimbabweans living in South Africa, found that the migrants' health was further deteriorating after their arrival in South Africa.
Inaccessible medical care, violence, theft, and deportation fears have compounded the problems of those who made the journey from Zimbabwe. Also, only 37% of the migrants have been able to find employment
The IOM says that the Zimbabwean migrants should be allowed to register for legal permission to stay in South Africa through asylum.

Also making headlines:
ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema says that it is up to the electorate to punish Jacob Zuma if he is corrupt.
Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi says that it is Israel, and not Sudan's Omar Hassan al- Bashir, that is behind the Darfur war.
A United Nations prosecutor says that a lack of court funds may mean that Liberia's Charles Taylor will be freed.
And, the Inkatha Freedom Party lodges a complaint against the ANC with the Independent Electoral Commission.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.