Thursday March 10, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brad Dubbelman

Making headlines:

Johannesburg residents with long-standing queries on their billing accounts are to receive substantial discounts, if they meet certain criteria. Delivering the State of the City Address on Wednesday, Mayor Amos Masondo said authorities had listened to and heard issues raised by residents and were now in a position to offer “favourable settlement arrangements”. The City’s Mayoral Committee decided on March 3 that residents with billing queries stretching between 90 days and 12 months will receive a 25% discount, while those with queiries going back for 12 months will receive a 50% discount.

Nato and the European Union (EU) begin two days of talks on Libya on Thursday focusing on the setting up of a possible "no-fly" zone, after some of the fiercest fighting on the ground in almost three weeks of clashes.
A Libyan insurgent said that rebels had retaken the heart of Zawiyah, the closest city to the capital Tripoli, from forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi on Wednesday, after it appeared to change hands twice during the day.
The Pentagon said that it was preparing a "full range" of military options for Libya, including a “no-fly” zone, with the plans to be discussed by Nato defence ministers at a meeting in Brussels.

A $32-billion investment towards the integration of Africa’s road infrastructure, could see trade on the continent increase by $250-billion over the next 15 years, said New Partnership for Africa’s development transport infrastructure expert John Tambi. Currently, trade on the continent amounts to $200-billion a year, with only about 10 000 km of road connecting the different countries. Speaking at the Africa Roads 2011 conference in Johannesburg, Tambi said that the continent would need at least 60 000 km to 100 000 km of road network to sufficiently integrate the region.

Also making headlines:
Eight out of 11 political groups in Madagascar initialled a road map backed by international mediators designed to end a two-year political impasse on the Indian Ocean island.
Reformist Mohamed ElBaradei announced that he would run in Egypt's presidential election this year and called for a completely new constitution instead of temporary amendments.
And, police in the Ugandan capital fired teargas and bullets over the heads of hundreds of people protesting against President Yoweri Museveni's huge election win last month, witnesses said.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.