Monday, June 7, 2010

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

Making headlines:

The 2010 FIFA World Cup is uniting South Africa, much like the 1995 Rugby World Cup victory helped break down racial barriers, and it will leave a legacy for decades to come, said President Jacob Zuma on Sunday. Speaking at a press briefing, Zuma said that the enthusiasm, joy and excitement that has engulfed the nation in recent weeks has not been witnessed since former President Nelson Mandela was released from prison in 1990, and that "this explosion of national pride is a priceless benefit of the World Cup tournament." A survey of 1 000 South Africans, conducted for soccer governing body FIFA and released on Saturday, showed that 92% of those surveyed are proud of the country hosting the tournament, and 86% believe that it will be a success. FIFA president Sepp Blatter said that the World Cup will leave a legacy for the whole continent through football development and education projects.

Regional trade negotiations are a good idea as long as they do not sap energy from the main Doha Round of world trade talks, said World Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general Pascal Lamy on Saturday.
Speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of trade ministers of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or Apec, forum in Japan, Lamy said that he was monitoring the progress of regional deals to make sure that there is political momentum left for Doha. "As long as it does not divert political energy, it is fine," he said.
Trade ministers of the 21-member Apec group, meeting in northern Japan, discussed the goals of regional trade, as well as the stalled Doha discussions. Japanese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Kazuo Kodama said that there was a sense of urgency to push forward the Doha negotiations. However, US WTO representative Michael Punke said that he does not sense a substantive move.

Newspaper reports following the suspension of Department of Labour director-general Jimmy Manyi are mischievous, said Labour Minister Membathisi Mdladlana on Sunday.
Mdladlana was responding to a report in the Sunday Times that attributed Manyi's suspension to a KPMG forensic audit report that "unearthed massive fraud and corruption" in the department. "It is totally incorrect for anyone to come up with unwarranted speculation and blatant lies related to the suspension," he said.
Mdladlana's spokesperson Page Boikanyo confirmed on Friday that Manyi had been suspended, but declined to give details and said that the matter was "sub judice".
Manyi made headlines recently when Norway's ambassador to South Africa requested a meeting with Mdladlana to raise concerns about his conduct during an official meeting.

Also making headlines:

Mosiuoa Lekota wins a court battle to remain president of the Congress of the People.
Rwandan opposition parties ask the US to help resolve social and political tension in the country before the August Presidential elections.
African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL) president Julius Malema says that the more the media writes negative stories about President Jacob Zuma, the more the ANCYL will support him.
And, Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir has not been invited to next month's African Union conference in Uganda.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.