Tuesday November 01, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Jessica Hannah

Making headlines:

Unemployment looks set to grow around the globe well into the present decade, sparking increasing public protest especially in Europe and the Middle East, the International Labour Organisation said. In its annual World of Work Report, the UN agency said the global economy was on the verge of a new and deeper jobs recession and warned that austerity policies adopted by many countries would only make the situation worse. The report said global unemployment had reached the highest level ever recorded at over 200-million – or some 6.2% of a total potential workforce of some 3.23-billion. In countries like Spain and Greece it was over 40%.

Food security concerns as the world's population surpasses 7-billion have prompted global companies to become more actively involved in ensuring future supplies, participants at an agricultural conference said. The increased role has come at a time government involvement is hampered by the global financial crisis and has led to fears a private sector-led expansion may focus on products with profit potential and neglect more effective alternatives. "Corporates are getting worried about supply issues they are seeing and are now going upstream. They are working with farmers, working with trading companies," Cyrille Filott, who heads European food and agribusiness research for Rabobank said.

Former National Police Commissioner Jackie Selebi's appeal hearing against a high court corruption conviction starts in the Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein today. Selebi was sentenced to a 15-year jail term for corruption after accepting payments from convicted drug trafficker Glenn Agliotti.
He remains free pending the appeal. Selebi was granted leave to appeal in terms of whether the State had proved that he had provided Agliotti with anything in return as a result of gratification received from the convicted drug trafficker.

Also making headlines:
Libya's ruling NTC has elected Abdul Raheem al-Keeb as the new interim prime minister to guide the country as it emerges from a bitter civil war towards a new Constitution and democratic elections.
Liberia's main opposition party has welcomed the resignation of the country's election chief but stopped short of saying the move was enough for its candidate to take part in a November 8 run-off.
And, The United Nations climate change negotiations set to take place in Durban at the end of November are going to be difficult, President Jacob Zuma warned yesterday.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.