Wednesday January 5, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Sheila Barradas

Making headlines:

The Chinese Foreign Ministry says that it will send observers to the Sudan when the south holds an independence referendum on January 9.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hong Lei says that "China is willing, together with the international community, to continue to play a proactive and constructive role for the sake of Sudan's peace and stability."
South Sudan is scheduled to hold a referendum on Sunday, the outcome of a 2005 peace settlement that ended decades of civil war, to decide whether the major oil-producing region will take steps toward secession.
International observers worry that a mishandled referendum could risk destabilising the region.

The South African government stands to collect some R82,5-billion a year in additional revenue from carbon tax, if a price of R165/t of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) was assumed. This was according to research done by Deloitte using the 2010 South African Carbon Disclosure Project as a reference for disclosed emissions of companies, which estimated that South Africa’s total emissions stood at about 500-million tons a year of CO2e. The study was conducted following the release of the carbon tax discussion document that was issued by the National Treasury last month. The discussion document stated that a tax of R75/t of CO2, with an increase to around R200/t CO2 (at 2005 prices) would be both feasible, and appropriate, to achieve the desired behavioural changes and emission reduction targets.

Côte d’Ivoire’s Laurent Gbagbo has agreed to further talks to end his country's postelection crisis, buying himself time after a demand by African leaders that he step down or face force. Despite the move, a solution to the standoff in the world's top cocoa producer still appears far off, with the incumbent leader showing no signs of caving in to mounting international pressure to cede power to rival Alassane Ouattara. More than 170 people have been killed since the dispute started, rekindling divisions in the country that have festered since a 2002/3 civil war.

Also making headlines:

A Nigerian opposition party has confirmed ex-military ruler Muhammadu Buhari as its Presidential candidate for the April elections.
And, South Sudan's independence referendum on Sunday marks the start of a new test for US diplomacy in the region, which analysts say could yet present President Barack Obama with his "Rwanda moment" if violence explodes in its wake.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.