July 6, 2012

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Samantha Moolman.

Making headlines:

The presidency announced on Thursday that President Jacob Zuma is consulting the Chief Justice and political party leaders on the appointment of a new Constitutional Court judge.

The president has requested that the Chief Justice and the leaders of political parties furnish him their views and comments for his consideration, by no later than 16 July 2012, the presidency said in a statement.

There is a vacancy on the Constitutional Court bench since former Chief Justice Sandile Ngcobo retired late last year. In terms of the Constitution, the president must consult the Chief Justice and political parties before appointing Constitutional Court judges.

The latest World Investment Report shows that South Africa has entered a list of the top 20 prospective host economies for investment by transnational corporations (or TNCs) for the period 2012 to 2014.

The country ranked fourteenth, along with the Netherlands and Poland, in a survey of TNCs prepared and validated for the report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Investment.

The ranking, which was topped by China, was based on the percentage of respondents selecting an economy as a ‘top destination’.

Libyans will vote in their first free national poll in more than half a century on Saturday. However, this is amid fears that violence could taint an election meant to usher in a temporary national assembly and draw a line under Muammar Gaddafi's 42-year autocratic reign.

Voters will select a 200-member assembly that will choose a cabinet to replace the self-appointed interim government and also pick a new prime minister. Many of the 3 700 candidates have strong Islamic agendas.

The chamber was also due to appoint a committee charged with drafting a new constitution. But Libya's transitional rulers have announced that this body would also be elected directly by Libyans – a move one analyst said was a bid to appease federalists that have urged a boycott of Saturday's vote.

The election will be closely watched around the world by both supporters and critics of NATO's bombing campaign. That campaign helped underpin an "Arab Spring" uprising that ended Gaddafi's dictatorship and finally claimed his life.

Also making headlines:

The police ministry says it’s found no evidence of a conspiracy by senior policemen against sidelined crime intelligence boss Lt-Gen Richard Mdluli.

The International Energy Agency says that global renewable power generation will increase by over 40% over the next five years, driven by growth in China.

And, the UN Security Council has endorsed West African political efforts to end unrest in Mali but stopped short of backing military intervention in the West African state, where al Qaeda-linked militants control significant territory.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.