Thursday, January 28, 2010
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Brad Dubbelman.
Making headlines:
South Africa's National Treasury is assessing the effectiveness of inflation targeting by the Central Bank after the ruling African National Congress (ANC), and its allies, called for a review of the policy late last year. The National Treasury stated that a joint Treasury and South African Reserve Bank committee is evaluating the inflation targeting framework. The ANC agreed with its leftist allies, the Congress of South African Trade Unions and the South African Communist Party, last year to review the mandate of the Central Bank and possibly widen it to include jobs and economic growth.
US President Barack Obama pushed job creation to the top of his agenda yesterday and vowed not to abandon his struggling healthcare overhaul, after a political setback that raised doubts about his leadership. In his annual State of the Union address to the US Congress, Obama admitted that he had made mistakes and that his first year in office had been a difficult one, but promised not to give up in his efforts to change the way that Washington works and push through his ambitious legislative agenda. He pledged to slap tough new regulations on Wall Street, but said that he was "not interested in punishing banks". Obama also vowed to double exports in five years to help create jobs.
The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng will meet at the weekend for a "crucial" extended provincial executive committee (PEC) meeting to develop a programme of action for 2010, following the party's January 8 statement. The two-day lekgotla will focus on organisational building and renewal, implementation of the ANC's election manifesto priorities, boosting political management, the 2011 local government elections and the World Cup. Spokesperson Dumisa Ntuli said that the battle for the top spot in the provincial ANC ranks will not be discussed at this meeting, after reports that current ANC Gauteng chairperson Paul Mashatile will face stiff competition to retain the position from Gauteng Premier and his deputy in the provincial ANC, Nomvula Mokonyane.
Also making headlines:
African National Congress (ANC) deputy president Kgalema Motlanthe criticises youth leader Julius Malema's school visits as disruptive.
Eritrea says that refugees are not fleeing political repression.

The African Union calls for unstable Guinea to hold elections within six months.

And, French President Nicolas Sarkozy warns against an abrupt monetary stimulus exit at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today