Thursday, July 29, 2010

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

Making headlines:

Deadly attacks in the Ugandan capital during the FIFA World Cup final highlighted the need to work together to combat the threat of terrorism, said President Jacob Zuma at the African Union (AU) summit in Kampala. "The terrorist attacks were not just directed at the people of Uganda alone, but at all the people of the continent and the world," he said.
The AU assembly strongly condemned the attacks and other acts of violence perpetrated by Al Shabaab and other terrorist groups against the transitional government in Somalia, the Somali people and the AU Mission in Somalia, and called for the necessary support required for peace and stability to be restored in Somalia.
The Department of International Relations and Cooperation said that other key discussions at the summit focused on maternal, newborn and child health and development, peace and security, political developments in Sudan, science and technology and climate change.

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly asserted a global right to water and sanitation in a resolution on Wednesday, but more than 40 countries abstained, saying that no such right yet exists in international law. Some 884-million people lack access to safe drinking water, more than 2,6-million have no basic sanitation and around 1,5-million children under age five die each year from water- and sanitation-linked diseases.
The non binding measure, presented to the assembly by Bolivia, said that the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation was "a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of life and all human rights" and called on States and international organisations to "scale up efforts" to provide drinking water and sanitation for all.
The resolution passed with 122 votes in favour, none against and 41 abstentions. The abstainers were mainly developed countries, although European Union members Germany and Spain voted for the measure. Abstaining countries argued that an independent expert, Portuguese lawyer Catarina de Albuquerque, was due to report to the UN Human Rights Council next year on countries' obligations related to water and sanitation. They accused sponsors of the resolution of seeking to preempt her findings.

The African National Congress (ANC) remains the party of choice for voters, but a closer relationship between the Independent Democrats (ID), Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Congress of the People would be good for the country's political health, according to the results of an Ipsos Markinor survey released on Wednesday.
The poll, conducted among 3 386 people in May, showed that if an election were held tomorrow, the ANC would gain a two-thirds majority, with the thumbs up from 66% of those surveyed. However, this was a drop from the 71% of the vote they would have received if an election had been held at the end of 2009. Support for the official opposition, the DA, remained around the 12% to 13% mark, after the party won 16,6% in the 2009 election.
Ipsos Markinor comments that the ANC continues to monopolise voter sentiment while the DA consolidates its position as the most effective opposition party in the current political scenario. The company adds that the proposed cooperation between the DA and ID, and possibly other opposition parties, is good news for the health of opposition politics in South Africa.

Also making headlines:

Gauteng's provincial health department reports that about 340 000 people have taken part in its HIV-testing campaign since it started in April, making the province the leader in the number of people tested so far.
A rebel commander says that Islamist militants based in Somalia's semiautonomous Puntland region will wage a holy war against the administration there until their harsh version of sharia law prevails.
As many as 900 000 South African public sector workers are likely to strike in the next week, to push for higher wages.
And, Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza's ruling party is seen on top as councillors vote for senators for the upper house of Parliament.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.