Wednesday, July 14, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Brindaveni Naidoo.

Making headlines:

The South African government on Tuesday met with the country's business leadership to further build on the positive sentiment created by the successful hosting of the first FIFA World Cup on African soil.
Speaking after the meeting in Pretoria, President Jacob Zuma said that investors from around the world had been given the opportunity to witness first-hand the ability of the country and its citizens, but that it was now necessary to build on that momentum. The infrastructure build programme, he said, would form one of the cornerstones for future growth in South Africa. "Even before the World Cup, government already committed R800-billion to investment in future infrastructure." Zuma noted that the meeting was called to "put the ideas of business and government into one pot", towards improving the quality of life for all South Africans.
Business Unity South Africa president Futhi Mtoba said that one of the main issues on the agenda was that of an inclusive economy. "Government and business will be putting a strong focus on integrating rural development into the country's business sector and outlook," she said.

Ten-million HIV/Aids deaths could be averted by 2025 and one-million new HIV infections prevented every year, if countries take a fresh look at how to meet targets for treating the disease, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids) said on Tuesday.
The UNAids Outlook Report calls for a simpler approach to tackling the disease, one that it said could drastically cut the number of Aids-related deaths and help stop HIV from spreading. UNAids director Michel Sidibe said that countries must reshape their HIV/Aids response if they are to reach their universal access targets and commitments.
UNAids described its vision for "Treatment 2.0" as a new approach aimed at simplifying the way that HIV treatment is provided and improving access to life-saving medicines. It calls for a combination of efforts on drug development and pricing, using treatment to increase prevention, improving healthcare delivery and testing, and involving more community workers in treating Aids patients to reduce the need for highly qualified doctors and expensive laboratories. "Not only could Treatment 2.0 save lives, it has the potential to give us a significant prevention dividend," Sidibe said.

Legislation aimed at replacing the Independent Complaints Directorate with a new strengthened entity has been tabled in Parliament. This is in line with the Constitution, which provides for an Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) to be established to investigate allegations of misconduct or offences committed by a member of the police service.
In terms of the draft Independent Police Investigative Directorate Bill, the IPID will be independent from the South African Police Service (SAPS) and report directly to the Police Minister. The directorate will ensure an independent oversight of the SAPS and municipal police services.
The thrust of the directorate's work, in the process of conducting investigations, is to address systemic problems within the police service with a view to recommending appropriate interventions. The directorate's work is expected to contribute towards ensuring that the police service becomes a professional service operating within the spirit of the constitutional norms.

Also making headlines:

Mozambican President and head of the Southern African Development Community Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Armando Guebuza inaugurates a new conflict management centre in Gaborone, Botswana. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe says that the country's government is targeting economic growth of 5,4% this year, down from earlier forecasts as the economy struggles to attract crucial donor support.
The South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee says that it aims to provide a world-class city to host the continent's first Olympic Games in 2020.
And, analysts say that north and south Sudan could go back to war unless they reach agreement on sharing oil revenues in the countdown to a referendum on southern independence.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.