Monday, October 18, 2010

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Brad Dubbelman.

Making headlines:

The current review of the media's self-regulatory mechanism, the Press Ombudsman, will influence the decision over whether there is a need for a Media Appeals Tribunal, said Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe at the weekend.
The Press Council is currently undertaking a review of its constitution to help strengthen the body, which has been criticised by the ruling African National Congress as being "toothless".
Speaking after a meeting between government and the South African National Editors Forum, Motlanthe stated that if the review "produces mechanisms that can address concerns about its shortcomings", government sees no difficulty in accepting that. "We are in a sense allowing space for the media to attend to that challenge," he said.

Sudan's army has criticised a United Nations (UN) move to set up buffer zones along the country's north-south border ahead of a politically sensitive referendum, calling the plan a sign of either ignorance or interference.
UN officials announced last week that it was moving peacekeepers to hot-spot areas to create limited buffer zones because of fears that conflict may erupt in the build-up to the January 2011 referendum over southern independence.
The President of the semiautonomous south, Salva Kiir, last week told visiting UN Security Council envoys that he feared that the north was moving troops southwards and preparing for war. Washington's ambassador to the UN Susan Rice confirmed that Kiir had asked for a UN-administered 16-km buffer zone along the ill-defined border.
Sudan's army spokesperson said that the UN's move "reflect[s] nothing but ignorance of the facts on the course of events in Sudan, or harassment aimed at (Sudan's) stability and integrity."

The upcoming local government elections would see the Democratic Alliance (DA) engaged in the toughest election campaign it has ever fought before, said party leader Helen Zille on Sunday.
She warned that the local government elections campaign would not be easy, as campaigners would be intimidated.
Addressing party members in Lindelani outside Durban, Zille said that the DA would field its capable candidates in every ward throughout the country because the "no-go areas" no longer exist. She said that her party was winning wards in areas where there were no white people, to prove that it was not a party for white people.
Zille added that the African National Congress is more "afraid than before. They know we will win everywhere."

Also making headlines:

The US-based National Democratic Institute says that Nigeria needs to move quickly to establish a new election timetable and get on with registering voters if it is to hold credible polls next year.
Communications Minister Siphiwe Nyanda says that a service provider has been appointed to review the salaries of State-owned enterprise board members, including those of the SABC and Sentech.
Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos slashes the country's gross domestic product forecast to 4,5% this year.
And, United Nations Democratic Republic of Congo peacekeeping head Roger Meece says that its forces aim to boost its presence in the nation's turbulent east, but can never protect everyone there without more troops and resources.

That's a roundup of news making headlines today.