Wednesday, May 26, 2010.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Megan Wait.

Making headlines:

Piracy off the coast of Somalia will spread to other parts of the continent unless urgent interventions are made to stop it, said Justice and Constitutional Development Minister Jeff Radebe on Tuesday.
Speaking at an African Renaissance conference in Durban marking Africa Day, Radebe said that South Africa did not rejoice in the fact that the long route around Cape Town was being considered a viable alternative to the Somali coast, which is infested by pirates. South Africa believes that the whole continent should find a solution to the problem.
Although most pirate activity takes place in international waters, a response strategy in terms of jurisprudence is needed, Radebe said, adding that there is an urgent need to extend technical cooperation to African Union member States.

Africa's development relies on the mobilisation of political will, said former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan on Tuesday. Launching the 2010 African Progress Report compiled by the Africa Progress Panel (APP), of which he is the chair, Annan said that Africa's future is "in its own hands" as there is "no lack of resources, no deficiency of knowledge and no shortage of plans."
Other panellists are Bank of Botswana governor Linah Mohohlo, chairperson of Transparency International and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Peter Eigen and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.
The report calls for transparency throughout the resource system from the awarding and monitoring of contracts to the collection of taxes and royalties, and the making and execution of investment choices. The report also calls for policies to ensure that revenue from the continent's natural wealth reaches all Africans, warning that "Africans beyond elite circles are not benefiting sufficiently".

The African National Congress Youth League's (ANCYL's) national office has rejected as "lies" reports that its Dullah Omar branch plans to vandalise the City of Cape Town.
On Tuesday, the ANCYL's Dullah Omar branch, in the Western Cape, called on the youth to vandalise the City of Cape Town over poor service delivery. Regional secretary Loyiso Nkohle said that the ANCYL would "destroy everything and make the city ungovernable", while deputy secretary Chumile Sali said that the branch was doing this to expose those parts of the city where the Democratic Alliance (DA) had failed to deliver services.
DA leader Helen Zille described the destruction of informal settlement toilet enclosures as part of an ANC campaign of violence and intimidation against the opposition in the Western Cape.

Also making headlines:

South Africa's economic recovery picks up speed with 4,6% first-quarter gross domestic product growth.
Zimbabwean Finance Minister Tendai Biti says that the country's economy should grow by 7% this year, but its debt burden of $6,2-billion is "crippling".
South African Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe says that Africa is committed to dealing with "sporadic challenges" to democracy.
The US says that Ethiopia's election failed to meet international standards and calls for stronger democratic institutions in the country.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.