July 9, 2014.
For Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Motshabi Hoaeane.
Making headlines:
 

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov says the Brics countries will launch their new Development Bank next week.

Nigeria's Boko Haram blamed for 18 attacks in the past two weeks.

And, the SABC's chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng has been appointed permanently.

Leaders of the Brics nations will launch their long-awaited development bank at a summit next week and decide whether the headquarters should be in Shanghai or New Delhi, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on Wednesday.

The creation by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa of a $100-billion bank to finance infrastructure projects has been slow in coming, with disagreements over its funding, management and headquarters.

Siluanov said the (headquarters) issue would be decided on the level of the heads of the countries. He added that the choice was between China's Shanghai and India's New Delhi.

The launch of the bank will be the group's first major achievement after struggling to take coordinated action following an exodus of capital from emerging markets last year, triggered by the scaling back of US monetary stimulus.
 

Islamist militant group Boko Haram has been blamed for at least 18 attacks on civilians in northern Nigeria in the past two weeks, with the escalating violence of the insurgency threatening the security of West Africa, a senior UN official said on Tuesday.

The UN special envoy for West Africa, Said Djinnit, told the UN Security Council that insecurity in northeastern Nigeria, coupled with growing political tensions ahead of planned general elections in 2015, had left the country at a crossroads.

Djinnit said that all efforts should be made to address the insurgency and insecurity. He added that the present situation underscored the paramount need for the Nigerian political class to forge a unified stand in confronting the persisting insecurity.

 

South Africa’s public broadcaster reported on Wednesday that controversial acting SABC chief operations officer Hlaudi Motsoeneng had been appointed permanently. .

Communications Minister Faith Muthambi made the announcement on Tuesday night in Pretoria, following a recommendation by the SABC board.

Last week, political parties called for Motsoeneng to be relieved of his duties. This comes after he suggested that journalists should have a licence to practice, similar to that in the medical and law professions.

Also last week, Motsoeneng appeared before Parliament to present a strategic plan and budget for the SABC, which received a disclaimer of opinion from the auditor general, which is the most adverse finding it could make.

Also making headlines:
 

South African police have arrested a Chinese national and three Mozambicans in a raid on an illegal abalone-drying facility that yielded about five tonnes of the gourmet mollusc known as "white gold" in Asia.

International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane says South Africa joined the Brics forum to seek closer co-operation with member states, and not to compete with them.

And, Mali is expected to meet northern Tuareg rebels in Algiers on July 16, indicating progress in their stalled peace talks.
 

Also on Polity today:

Watch the latest Suttner’s View with researcher and analyst Professor Raymond Suttner, as well as an interview with best-selling author Amanda Prowse .

Recommended reading includes a report on new research on the trade policies of each of the Brics countries using the World Trade Organisation as a frame of reference.
 

Follow us on Twitter (@PolityZA) for updates on breaking news.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.