Monday February 27, 2012

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brad Dubbelman

Making headlines:

Former South African President Nelson Mandela was discharged from hospital yesterday after a keyhole abdominal examination showed there was nothing seriously wrong with the 93-year-old anti-Apartheid leader, the government said. "The doctors have decided to send him home as the diagnostic procedure he underwent did not indicate anything seriously wrong with him," President Jacob Zuma's office said in a statement. His departure from Pretoria's "1 Military" hospital in a multi vehicle motorcade marks the end of an anxious 24-hour wait for South Africa's 50-million people, after Mandela was admitted on Saturday morning with "long-standing abdominal pain". The government insisted throughout there was nothing to panic about.

The world's major emerging economies rejected the tradition that an American automatically selected to head the World Bank and they will look at putting forward their own candidate for the open job. Finance chiefs from the Brics group of emerging market powerhouses – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – met on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Mexico City and agreed the top World Bank job should be open to all countries. Countries have until March 23 to submit names for the top post and a decision is likely by April meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

A rift between the ANC Youth League and its mother body can be resolved through a mere meeting, suspended league president Julius Malema suggested. Malema said this was all the league in its frustrated state had been asking for, but the ANC leadership "never responded positively". "We will continue writing to them," he said. "What makes a good leader is the ability to listen. Even if we are mad, the leadership must listen to our madness." He cautioned the youth to exercise restraint amidst these "problems".

Also making headlines:

Mali must negotiate with separatist Tuareg rebels to end renewed fighting in its northern desert, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said during a visit to the West African state.

And, Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade, who is seeking to extend his 12-year rule despite complaints he is violating term limits, was heckled by scores of voters as he cast his ballot yesterday.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.