From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Shona Kohler.

Making headlines today:

South African President Kgalema Motlanthe warns that increasing demand for biofuels may impact on food production.

Speaking at the African Peer Review Forum, in Benin, Motlanthe said a scramble is taking place to produce biofuels, while considerations of "land hunger" are being ignored.

He said projects to supply biofuels should be located within a broader land reform strategy. This should be driven by African governments and the people.

In Zimbabwean news, Southern African leaders are set to meet in Harare in an effort to salvage a power-sharing deal between the country's President Robert Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

Political analysts expect that the success of the regional summit will depend on how much pressure the Southern African Development Community puts on the two leaders to compromise.

An agreement on the formation of a unity government was signed in September, under the mediation of former South African President Thabo Mbeki. However, implementation has stalled over a dispute on the allocation of key ministerial departments.

So far, weeks of negotiations have failed to break the impasse.

Moving further north, the Democratic Republic of Congo has created new senior defence and reconstruction posts in a new government named on Sunday. Other key portfolios, such as mines and finance, remain unchanged.

A decree from President Joseph Kabila named a new Defence Minister and created a new post of Deputy Prime Minister for Defence and Security. This will bolster the focus on security.

The reshuffle was triggered by the resignation last month of Prime Minister Antoine Gizenga.

Also making headlines:
The ANC denies the abuse of power.
Somali foes sign a ceasefire deal.
And, Stern warns that the risks of global warming are greater than the financial crisis.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories, visit polity.org.za.