Tuesday March 13, 2012

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

Making headlines:

Veteran human rights lawyer George Bizos argues in a submission to Parliament that the Protection of State Information Bill is unconstitutional on several counts. "The current draft of the Bill, as it stands, runs contrary to and indeed threatens many of the fundamental values and principles enshrined in the Constitution," he writes. It is one of 293 written presentations sent to the National Council of Provinces' ad hoc committee processing the Bill after it was passed by the National Assembly last year amid a public outcry. Nelson Mandela's former defence lawyer enumerates seven flaws in the Bill, starting with the absence of a public interest defence.

Dozens of civilians in Syria's flashpoint city of Homs were killed in cold blood, the government and opposition said, disputing responsibility for what both sides called a massacre during a visit from special envoy Kofi Annan. "There are grave and appalling reports of atrocities and abuses (in Syria)," Annan told reporters in Ankara before meeting Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan. "Killings of civilians must end now. The world must send a clear and united message that this is simply unacceptable." The carnage in Homs followed the army's launch of an assault on Idlib city in the north-west and coincided with the first visit to Syria by UN-Arab League envoy Annan, who was seeking agreement on a ceasefire, humanitarian access and political dialogue.

Nine northern African countries including Libya, Algeria and Egypt have agreed to work together to secure their borders in a move to clamp down on militia clashes and weapons smuggling in the wake of the Arab Spring uprisings. Under the Tripoli Plan, countries will adopt stronger measures including sharing intelligence and pouring more money into border towns. While most of the plan's points have yet to be implemented, it is the first time North African interior ministers have met to discuss border security since the beginning of the Libyan war last year.

Also making headlines:

The Côte d’Ivoire ex-rebel chief Guillaume Soro was elected head of the West African State's new Parliament yesterday, four days after resigning as Prime Minister.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.