Thursday December 15, 2011
From Creamer Media in Johannesburg I’m Jessica Hannah

Making headlines:

The contribution of South Africa’s mining and manufacturing sectors is likely to remain weak in 2012, Absa Capital argued in its latest quarterly economic outlook, in which the bank also cut it growth outlook for next year from 3.6% to just 2.8%. It also cut its growth expectation for 2011 from 3.1% previously to 3%, in line with its expectations of lower growth in the rest of the world. Lead South Africa economist Gina Schoeman indicated that the two key productive sectors had been proved to be a material drag on country’s growth performance during the second and third quarters of 2011.

A policy aimed at ensuring future security of food supplies must centre around the world's 500-million smallholder producers, many of whom are women who farm less than two hectares of land, a leading UN official said yesterday. "Unless they are at the centre of the future strategies for food security, we will not get it right," David Nabarro, the UN secretary-general's special representative for food security and nutrition said. Nabarro said the food security challenge was about ensuring access, as well as expanding production over the coming years.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's elections, won by incumbent President Joseph Kabila according to provisional results, were seriously flawed and lacked transparency, the US ambassador to the Central African country said on Wednesday. The November 28 polls, whose outcome has already been rejected by the opposition, were seen as crucial to reinforcing stability but have been marred by poor organisation, delays, violence and accusations of widespread fraud. The US has closely followed observer missions including the US-based Carter Center, which last week said the results lacked credibility, Ambassador James Entwistle said.

Also making headlines:
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon defended Nato against criticism from Russia, China and other countries that accuse the alliance of overstepping its UN mandate to protect civilians in Libya.

Tunisia's new president has asked for a six-month political truce and a moratorium on strikes and protests, warning that otherwise the country would be committing "collective suicide".

And, Egyptians return to polling stations today in a phased election likely to give Islamists the biggest bloc in a Parliament that will play a key role in drafting a new Constitution after decades of autocratic rule.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.