January 10, 2013.
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Motshabi Hoaeane.
Making headlines:

 

The International Energy Agency urges South Africa and the world to accelerate its carbon-capture efforts.

Mediators urge the signing of a ceasefire in the Central African Republic as talks begin.

And, police fire rubber bullets at farm strikers.

 

South Africa is set to raise the profile of its carbon capture and storage (or CCS) initiatives in 2013. This comes amid calls from the International Energy Agency (or IEA) for a renewed focus on the deployment of CCS as part of international efforts to reduce climate-altering carbon emissions. South Africa relies primarily on coal to produce most of its electricity.

The IEA warned early in January that the goal of limiting the global temperature rise to only 2 °C by 2050 will be impossible without CCS, which it sees as a necessary addition to other low-carbon energy technologies and energy efficiency improvements.

During 2012, Cabinet endorsed the ‘Carbon Capture and Storage Roadmap’ developed by the South African Centre for Carbon Capture and Storage as one of the options for mitigating carbon dioxide (or CO₂) emissions. South Africa emitted about 600-million tons of CO₂ in 2010.

 

Mediators have urged Central African Republic's government and rebels to sign a ceasefire on Wednesday as talks get under way to end a month-long revolt, but there was little sign that either side was ready to make a deal.

The rebels have come within striking distance of the capital Bangui, posing the biggest threat to President Francois Bozize since he took control of the mineral-rich country in a rebellion a decade ago. The Seleka rebels are demanding that Bozize step down, accusing him of failing to honour a 2007 peace agreement to give insurgents money and jobs in exchange for laying down their weapons.

Bozize did not make an immediate comment. However, he accused the rebels of being foreign gunmen hired by unnamed businesses. He has relied on foreign military help to fend off a series of smaller insurgencies. Regional powers, chief among them Chad and South Africa, have sent in hundreds of troops to bolster his army this time.

 

South African police fired rubber bullets to disperse hundreds of striking farm workers in the grape-growing Western Cape on Wednesday. The strikes are the first clashes of a year that look set to be dominated by fractious labour relations.

Scores of riot police backed by at least one armoured vehicle responded with volleys of rubber bullets to keep the protesters from the roadside.

When talks to avert the strike broke down this week, union leaders blamed the intransigence of the white farmers, highlighting the racial and wealth divisions that continue to rankle 18 years after the end of apartheid.

General secretary of the Bawsi Agricultural Workers Union of South Africa said that the unions have been met with naked racism and white arrogance.

 

Also making headlines:

Heavy fighting ensues between two tribes over a gold mine in Sudan’s Darfur region.

The first donation of BP’s ‘Ads to Bags’ campaign reaches Soweto primary schools.

 And, Mali’s army reinforces its troops, expecting Islamist rebel attacks.

 

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.