Tuesday, November 2, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.

Making headlines:

The Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office (Cipro) plans to establish a new commission to streamline and simplify company regulation in South Africa.
Cipro, a trading entity of the Department of Trade and Industry, said that the decision to create the Companies and Intellectual Property commission emanated from a policy decision in line with the new Companies Act. The commission will play a comprehensive role in registering companies, maintaining company records, investigating complaints, assisting companies with programmes for compliance with the Companies Act, and issuing compliance notices where noncompliance is detected.
Cipro's image and credibility have been tarnished by tender irregularities and irregular and fraudulent transactions over the past couple of years. Weaknesses in the Cipro system were highlighted recently, when fraudulent electronic changes were made to the listed directors of the multibillion-rand company Kalahari Resources. The case has now evolved into criminal action against the perpetrators, headed by controversial businessperson Sandile Majali.

The Group of 20 (G20) leading economies must do more to strengthen international supervision of the financial sector, International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn said on Monday.
G20 leaders are due to meet in South Korea on November 11 and 12 for a summit, which is expected to focus on tackling imbalances in the world economy and reducing the risk of a currency war.
Speaking at a conference on human development in Morocco, Strauss-Kahn said that the financial sector - blamed by many for triggering the global economic downturn -- also remains a preoccupation. "More has to be done in the area of international supervision. You can have the best regulation in the world but if its implementation is not supervised, it will not be of any use," he said.

A new report from the Worldwatch Institute shows that China's growth in the renewable energy industry, after the global financial crisis, has been greater than most developed and developing nations.
The emerging economy, which is now more dominant in the clean energy sector, was able to do this by "using a combination of technological advances, aggressive policies, and a strong financial position."
Worldwatch president Christopher Flavin stresses that "China is succeeding precisely where the US is failing - in implementing the ambitious policies and making the sustained investment that is needed to spur growth in clean energy. If China keeps on with its current pace, it will be the undisputed global leader in clean energy within the next two years."
Information contained in the report highlighted that China's energy consumption has doubled since 2000, although per capita energy use remains well below the world average.

Also making headlines:

Early counting shows that voters in Niger are in favour of a new constitution meant to pave the way to civilian rule.
US President Barack Obama renews sanctions against Sudan's government, keeping pressure on Khartoum to stick to the timetable for holding a referendum that could split the country in two.
Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Jeff Radebe launches a programme designed to assist South Africa's vulnerable by strengthening civil society.
And, candidates in the Côte d'Ivoire's long-delayed Presidential election come under growing international pressure to accept the still unpublished results of Sunday's poll.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.