GOVT TO PENALISE EXCESSIVE ELECTRICITY USERS – The regulatory framework which will enforce the Energy Conservation Programme, is expected to be finalised by the end of June this year and will penalise consumers who use electricity excessively. The regulations provide for sanctions against excessive use and wastage of electricity, in the form of a tariff-based penalty. The Power Conservation Programme is seeking to ensure that South Africa reduces its electricity consumption by at least 3 000 MW in the next three years.

SA MIGRANT REFUGEES GIVEN 2-MONTH DEADLINE – Migrants who fled the deadly May xenophobic attacks in South Africa will return to their communities or be repatriated within two months, according to government officials. An estimated 30 000 Zimbabweans, Mozambicans and other African migrants have been living in refugee camps and shelters since mobs went on the rampage, killing at least 62 people in and around Johannesburg and other cities. About 50 000 migrants have left South Africa. Some 1 436 people have been charged with murder, arson, assault and other crimes in connection with the violence.

SA CONCLUDES ECONOMIC TALKS WITH SPAIN – South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has concluded bilateral discussions with her Spanish counterpart, Miguel Angel Moratinos in Madrid. The two-day visit was aimed at boosting economic ties between SA and Spain. Economic relations between the two countries have grown rapidly recently with total trade amounting to R19-billion. It has doubled over the past four years and is heavily in South Africa's favour.

AFRICA & THE WORLD

AFRICAN NGOS URGE REGIONAL ARMS FREEZE ON ZIMBABWE – A coalition of African-based civil society organisations urged southern African countries to freeze arms shipments to Zimbabwe to avoid plunging the country into deeper political violence. The International Action Network on Small Arms reports politically motivated violence in Zimbabwe is escalating ahead of a June 27 presidential run-off and any transfer of arms and military equipment could worsen the crisis. Zimbabwe has indefinitely suspended all work by aid groups. Police held a group of US and British diplomats for several hours after they visited victims of political violence ahead of the presidential vote.

NIGERIA'S SENATE APPROVES NEW ANTI-GRAFT CHIEF – Nigeria's Senate has approved former top police officer, Waziri, to head the country's anti-corruption agency, rejecting opposition and rights campaigners' concerns that President Umaru Yar'Adua disregarded the law in naming her. Yar'Adua took power last year and pledged zero tolerance for corruption. The removal of former EFCC head Nuhu Ribadu in December prompted campaigners to question Yar'Adua's commitment to fighting graft. It has been reported that Waziri's appointment has been sponsored by ex-governors who are facing corruption and money-laundering charges.

OBAMA DECLARES VICTORY – Democrat Barack Obama has declared victory in the hard-fought race for the Democratic nomination and said the country faced a defining moment in the November presidential election against Republican John McCain. Obama, an Illinois senator who is seeking be the first black U.S. president, gained enough delegates to win the bruising battle for the Democratic nomination against New York Sen. Hillary Clinton.

ROWS THREATEN WORLD FOOD SUMMIT SUCCESS – Delegates from 183 countries at the Rome talks were supposed to issue a declaration on eliminating hunger and securing food for all, however, squabbling about trade barriers and geopolitics raised the prospect of the statement being scrapped. The meeting was called by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation to seek ways to secure food supplies in the face of rising demand, poor harvests and rising fuel costs, which have contributed to a doubling of commodity prices over the last couple of years and has put 100-million people at risk of joining the 850-million already going hungry.

US WARSHIPS TO LEAVE MYANMAR AFTER AID REFUSED – US warships will soon leave waters near Myanmar after the ruling military junta refused permission to foreign military in the delivery of aid supplies to the cyclone-stricken Irrawaddy delta because it feared it could be seen as an invasion. The USS Essex will leave several heavy-lift helicopters in neighbouring Thailand to assist in the relief effort.