Wednesday, September 30, 2009

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Lindsey Berry.

Making headlines:

President Jacob Zuma has threatened criminals with a shoot - to - kill policy, reigniting the debate on the rights of criminals in a country where 50 people are murdered a day.
Speaking to station commissioners in Pretoria, Zuma expressed support for the amendment to Section 49 of the Criminal Procedure Act that will give the police more leniency to shoot in dangerous situations.
"We have an abnormal criminal problem in South Africa. We must therefore apply extraordinary measures," he says.

World Bank president Robert Zoellick warns that the institution could face serious financing constraints by the middle of 2010 if lending to developing countries continues at its current record pace.
World Bank lending has increased sharply as the global economic turmoil spread to developing countries, which initially looked like they may escape the worst of the crisis.
Referring to the upcoming World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meeting in Istanbul, Zoellick highlights the importance of member countries in facing these constraints and achieving constructive solutions through dialogue.
In addition, Zoellick says "there are signs of improvement in the world economy," but warns that 2010 will be an uncertain year as major economies begin to withdraw monetary and fiscal crutches, and in poorer countries the crisis continues to crimp credit, trade, tourism and worker remittances.

According to a new report released by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), up to 25-million more children will be malnourished in the next 40 years owing to climate change, with sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia the worst affected.The report, which details the impact of climate change on agriculture, says that without the climate change phenomenon, about 113-million children under five years of age will be malnourished by 2050.This number, however, is expected to rise dramatically owing to the ravaging affects of global warming on food production around the world, the IFPRI says."Crop yields will decline, production will be affected, crop and meat prices will increase and consumption of cereals will fall, leading to reduced calorie intake and increased child malnutrition," the report reads.

Also making headlines:

Botswana is taking steps with the help of international assistance to combat the devastating Aids pandemic.
Angola and the International Monetary Fund reach an understanding for loans.
And, Higher Education and Training Minister Blade Nzimande highlights the importance of skills development for economic recovery.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.