Monday, March 30, 2009
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.
Making headlines:
The National Prosecuting Authority will meet today to discuss the possibility of dropping graft charges against African National Congress leader Jacob Zuma.
NPA spokesperson Tlali Tlali says that the Prosecuting Authority is applying its mind to the decision on whether the new information it has received will mean it should discontinue with its prosecution.
Tlali stressed that no decision has yet been taken in this regard.
He said that there are "outstanding issues" which require the NPA to conduct further investigation and verification processes.
Tlali added that the NPA is "not oblivious to the anxiety around this matter". He did not say if a decision would be announced today, but said that the matter will be "resolved as expeditiously as possible".

In world news, leaders of the Group of 20 hope that support for banks, higher spending and more money for the International Monetary Fund, will lift the world economy out of recession by the end of 2010. This is according to a draft G20 communique that was leaked to the Financial Times at the weekend.
Stimulus measures already undertaken would serve to raise global output by more than two percentage points and create more than 20-million jobs worldwide.
Leaders from the world's 20 biggest economies will meet in London on Thursday to discuss how better regulation, help for international trade and extra spending could contribute towards ending the worst recession since the 1930s.
G20 leaders are expected to discuss using proceeds from planned IMF gold sales to double funding available for poor countries.

Back home, former Congress of South African Trade Unions boss Willie Madisha said at the weekend, that the removal of workers' rights to choose their political affiliation was a tactic used by the apartheid government.
At the launch of a new and allegedly politically independent trade union, Madisha equated union political connections to apartheid government methods.
Madisha said that the new union would put an end to workers being viewed and treated as "objects".
He asserted that workers' interests were being put aside as leaders of trade unions such as Cosatu were furthering the interests of their political affiliates.

Also making headlines:
African National Congress president Jacob Zuma says that his constitutional rights have been disregarded in the ongoing consideration of corruption charges against him.
An Arab summit is to take a stand on the International Criminal Court's indictment of Sudan's President.
And, executives at Merrill Lynch warn that foreign investors are cautious about a Jacob Zuma Presidency.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.