Monday, April 19, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Amy Witherden.

Making headlines:

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) yesterday refused to confirm media reports that ANC Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema had been formally charged with ill-discipline. ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu said that whether Malema is charged or not, it is an internal matter of the ANC and not a matter for the public.
The Sunday Times and City Press reported that Malema has been formally charged for ill-discipline and bringing the organisation into disrepute, and was to appear before a disciplinary committee headed by Deputy Science and Technology Minister Derek Hanekom.
The hearing is meant to discuss whether Malema brought the ANC and the government into disrepute by publicly endorsing Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party. Further, he faces possible censure for remarking that former President Thabo Mbeki never rebuked the ANCYL publicly when he disagreed with it, for saying, after Eugene Terre'Blanche's murder, that the Afrikaner Weerstandsbeweging leader died before changing his racist behaviour, and for his aggressive behaviour towards BBC journalist Jonah Fisher.

Global finance leaders face fractious talks this week on how to shift more voting power at the World Bank to emerging economic heavyweights such as China, in a prelude to a bigger fight over the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
World Bank president Robert Zoellick told Reuters in an interview that plans are coming together for a $3,5-billion capital increase at the institution - its first in more than 20 years - with funds coming from rich countries and emerging powers. That would help the World Bank restore its firepower after lending heavily during the financial crisis to help developing countries cope with the plunge in global demand and steep decline in private capital flows.
Shifting voting power in the bank, which would generate a further $1-billion in new capital, is politically thorny because it means that countries, especially in Europe, have to give up some of their voting power to developing countries.
Leaders from the Group of 20 major developed and developing countries agreed at meetings in Pittsburgh last year to a 3% shift in overall voting power in the World Bank and at least 5% for the IMF. Emerging economies, which have pushed for a 6% shift in voting power at the World Bank, expressed concern that even 3% could be tough.

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe yesterday urged his compatriots to end political violence and focus on rebuilding a devastated economy that critics say is a victim of his three decades in power.
Addressing a rally to mark 30 years of independence from Britain, Mugabe said that Zimbabwe will pursue its controversial land seizure policy and plans to transfer control of foreign firms to locals as part of a black empowerment drive.
In a fairly mild speech by his strident standards, Mugabe denounced Britain, the US and other Western countries for imposing sanctions on Zimbabwean leaders over charges of vote rigging and rights abuses. In a conciliatory message to his domestic political opponents, Mugabe urged Zimbabweans to stop interparty violence, which local rights groups invariably blame on militant supporters of the President's Zanu-PF party bent on destroying the Movement for Democratic Change party of rival Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.

Also making headlines:

Sudan State media reports that President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has scored overwhelming victories in a sample of results from national elections marred by fraud accusations and boycotts.
African National Congress Youth League leader Julius Malema says that without land ownership, voting in South Africa means nothing.
Niger's military rulers say that mining contracts that do not benefit Niger will be invalidated.
And, analysts say that the economic impact of the volcanic cloud halting flights across Europe will increase sharply the longer the disruption continues, affecting the continent's economic recovery.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.