August 22, 2013.
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Samantha Moolman.
Making headlines:

The Seriti Commission into the arms deal remains mum on stalling claims.

A federal court halts US lawsuits against IBM, Daimler and Ford for apartheid crimes.

And, a divided Egypt prepares to release deposed leader Hosni Mubarak from jail

The Seriti Commission of Inquiry into the multi-billion rand arms deal refused to comment on Wednesday on reports that it was being deliberately stalled.

Commission spokesperson William Baloyi said he had spoken to the commissioners and they decided it “wasn’t worth commenting on".

A daily newspaper reported on Monday that it spoke to three sources who claimed the commission could have finished its work by the end of last year. It was, however, delayed to protect the African National Congress and secure President Jacob Zuma a second term as party president at the Mangaung conference, which was held in December 2012.

According to another source, commission chair Judge Willie Seriti and head of research Fanyana Mdumbe continuously hampered the commission.

President Jacob Zuma appointed the commission in 2011 to investigate alleged corruption in the 1999 arms deal.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that three major companies could not be held liable in the US for crimes South Africa's former apartheid government committed. The court said a recent US Supreme Court decision "plainly bars" such lawsuits.

The plaintiffs brought their suits under the Alien Tort Statute (or ATS), a law passed in 1789 that allowed non-US citizens to bring cases in US federal courts for violations of international law, such as piracy. In recent decades it took on renewed importance, employed to allow non-US citizens to sue for alleged human rights violations abroad.

But a recent Supreme Court decision found that "federal courts may not, under the ATS, recognise common-law causes of action for conduct occurring in the territory of another sovereign," Circuit Judge Jose Cabranes wrote in the unanimous decision.

The appeals court ruling on Wednesday could mark the end for plaintiffs in the long-running case, who accused Daimler AG, Ford Motor Company and International Business Machines Corp of facilitating decades of race-based crimes such as torture and extrajudicial killings because their South African subsidiaries sold products to it.

Deposed Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak could leave prison on Thursday after a court ruling that further divided a country in turmoil since the army toppled Islamist President Mohamed Mursi seven weeks ago.

Convening at the Cairo jail where Mubarak is held, the court ordered the release of the military man who ruled Egypt for 30 years with an iron fist until he was overthrown during the uprisings that swept the Arab world in early 2011.

The prime minister's office said he would then be placed under house arrest, which could be an attempt to placate the many who will object to the release of the man they held mass protests to eject in 2011.

Citing a security source, the state news agency said Mubarak was "likely" to be transported to one of the state's vital installations or one of two military hospitals where he will be guarded under heavy security.

Also making headlines:

Inflation breaches the South African Reserve Bank’s target at 6.3% in July.

Agang SA leader Mamphela Ramphele calls on President Jacob Zuma to disclose his personal finances.

And, lengthy negotiations are underway to establish how much each country involved will pay for the first phase of the Square Kilometre Array radio telescope.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.