Monday November 07, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brad Dubbelman

Making headlines:

The ANC's national disciplinary committee (NDC) started deliberating today on the outcome of a hearing against youth leader Julius Malema and his co-accused. Closing arguments ended late last night, said ANC spokesperson Keith Khoza. "The matter is now completely in the hands of the NDC. They are going to need a few days to deliberate and come up with a decision," he said. The verdict would be announced later this week or early next week, said Khoza.

Liberia could tip into chaos not seen since its civil war if a presidential run-off election set for tomorrow is not delayed and reorganized, presidential hopeful Winston Tubman said. Tubman, a former UN diplomat, was meant to stand against incumbent Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf in the run-off but last week withdrew his participation in the process and called for a boycott, citing electoral fraud during the first round of voting last month. International election observers called the October 11 poll mostly free and fair, and the US, regional bloc Ecowas and the African Union have all criticized Tubman's decision to boycott the second round.

South Africa’s position at the COP 17 global climate change conference will seek to balance climate and development imperatives, Department of Environmental Affairs chief negotiator Alf Wills said. Speaking at a stakeholder engagement summit, in Johannesburg, Wills said such a balance would require developing-country priorities, such as the need for poverty eradication, be respected, while still ensuring a deal on global emission reductions that was adequately ambitious to avert dangerous climate change. It was generally also accepted that the Durban gathering would not result in a “legally binding final agreed outcome”, but would instead be the next step to reaching an “agreed outcome”.

Also making headlines:
Mohammed ElBaradei's Egyptian presidential campaign suffered a blow as campaigners quit in protest at the handling of his election race.
And, South Sudan rejected allegations it was arming insurgents in two conflict-stricken border regions in Sudan after its old civil war foe brought the charges to the UN Security Council.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.