Thursday, April 1, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Brad Dubbelman.

Making headlines:

The Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) has called for an intensification of the fight against corruption. Speaking at the national bargaining council of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa, Cosatu secretary-general Zwelinzima Vavi said that all public representatives must be subjected to life-style audits.
He explained that it was not only African National Congress members that should be targeted, stressing that Western Cape Premier and Democratic Alliance leader Helen Zille and all other councillors of all races and all parties should be audited.
Vavi said that the existing declaration of interests was "absolutely empty" as it does not expose the nature of a relationship that may exist between a company and the State in order to avoid a conflict of interest between leadership and their private interests.

Foreign investors in agricultural land in developing regions must respect local human rights, livelihoods and resources, said the European Union (EU) in a policy paper released yesterday.

Sharp rises in global food prices in 2008 prompted major food importers such as Saudi Arabia, China and South Korea to lease farmland abroad - often in Africa - to secure food for their populations. But critics, including the EU, have warned that such deals, described by some as land-grabbing, are often not transparent and can compromise the livelihoods of local farmers in developing countries.
The policy paper, drawn up by the European Commission, says that the EU and its member States should support the development of internationally agreed principles for responsible investments in agricultural land. It proposes a new EU policy framework for combating food security problems in developing countries, adding that support should focus on increasing food production by small-scale farmers in countries at risk, particularly in Africa and South Asia.

South Africa and China signed trade agreements to the value of R2,3-billion yesterday, reaffirming China's position as South Africa's biggest trading partner.
Speaking at the signing ceremony in Pretoria, South Africa's Trade and Industry Minister Dr Rob Davies pointed out that the value of bilateral contracts more than doubled in a three-year period, showing the countries' commitment to mutually beneficial trading ties.
The National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference chairperson Jia Qinglin said that China would be looking at importing beneficiated, high-value products from South Africa to expand bilateral trade.

Also making headlines:

Two weeks before Sudan's elections, the opposition Sudan People's Liberation Movement withdraws its candidate for the Presidency citing continued conflict in Darfur and electoral irregularities.
The South African Association of Personal Injury Lawyers says that yesterday's Road Accident Fund judgment is "most unfortunate", while the Department of Transport welcomes it for promoting equity.
The European Union naval force targeting piracy off the coast of Somalia, urges more prosecutions of pirates.
And, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe swears in members of a new Human Rights Commission and Electoral Commission, expected to steer reforms towards free and fair elections.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.