Monday October 31, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brad Dubbelman

Making headlines:

The Hawks and the ANC Youth League remained mum this morning amid reports that Julius Malema faced arrest on charges related to his financial affairs. "No, I cannot comment on that," said Hawks spokesperson McIntosh Polela. ANC Youth League spokesperson Floyd Shivambu also declined to comment. The Times reported on Monday that a joint investigation by the Hawks and the South African Revenue Service into the youth leader's financial affairs was almost complete. It said the probe was "as good as complete" and that it was "just a matter of time" before authorities acted.

The head of Liberia's election commission, who has been accused of bias by incumbent President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's challenger, has resigned, days ahead of a planned Presidential run-off vote. "I chose to step down for the sake of Liberia and so Tubman’s CDC party would not have an excuse not to participate in the run-off," National Election Commission Chairperson James Fromayan said. Tubman last week threatened to withdraw from the November 8 run-off, the country's second post-war vote, unless there was a change of leadership at the election commission. There was no immediate reaction from Tubman’s camp.

Numsa cautioned against "factional defences" by some leaders within the ANC-led tripartite alliance, at the expense of the poor. In a statement issued after its two-day national executive committee, Numsa said it was concerned with the reaction of working class formations – SACP and Cosatu – in relation to the ANC Youth League's "economic freedom" march held this week. Numsa slammed the "cheap political innuendoes" by some leaders within the alliance who believed the march was organised to undermine the ANC government and President Jacob Zuma's leadership.

Also making headlines:
Hundreds of students staged an anti-government rally in eastern Sudan, protesting against poverty and rising food prices, witnesses said.
The International Criminal Court prosecutor said that his office was in "informal contact" with the late Muammar Gaddafi's fugitive son Saif al-Islam over his possible surrender to the war crimes court.
And, South Africa's petrol pump prices in the main inland commercial region Gauteng will increase by 23c or 2.2% on Wednesday, the Energy Department said.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.