Thursday, February 16, 2012.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Shannon de Ryhove.

Making headlines:

Employment has increased among higher-income groups in South Africa, while many of the country's lowest earners have lost their jobs, according to a transformation audit released yesterday.

"The complexion and character of the labour market had not changed much since 1994, despite many legislative gains for workers' rights," it said.

"Educated and affluent citizens, on the other hand, have been the major beneficiaries of a skills-biased economy."

As a result, social inequality has grown, with most South Africans perceiving the gap between rich and poor as being the country's most divisive fault line.

Sponsors of a UN resolution to boost, by nearly half, an African Union force trying to defeat Islamist militants in Somalia are seeking to have the Security Council pass it by the middle of next week, diplomats said.

If the council does so, the authorisation to increase the African Union force would come on the eve of an international conference in London to discuss measures to tackle instability in Somalia and piracy off its shores.

The draft would increase the force, known as AMISOM, from 12 000 to around 17 700 troops and step up equipment support from the UN budget, although it contains no specific figures.

Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba said the State of the Nation address showed government's willingness to correct capital market failures through infrastructure investments.

He told the National Assembly during a debate on President Jacob Zuma's address that State-owned companies were but one of the vehicles for the achievement of the national objectives.

He added that the programme outlined in the address could potentially position South Africa as a manufacturer of capital and intermediate goods through an investment localisation programme.

Also making headlines:

World Bank President Robert Zoellick says he will step down in June, with Washington pledging to name a replacement candidate within weeks for a job that has always gone to an American.

About 5 000 rebels have joined Libya's nascent national army but more of the militias that have dominated the country since the revolution must sign up if the armed forces are to reassert their authority, says the new chief of staff.

And, Egypt has called for change in Syria that meet its people's demands, though it ruled out supporting outside military intervention.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.