Tuesday May 24, 2011

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I’m Brad Dubbelman

Making headlines:

Employers in South Africa are struggling to fill key positions, with 14% indicating that they have difficulty in finding the right talent, Manpower South Africa’s latest annual talent survey showed. The 2011 survey showed that the hardest jobs to fill were drivers, machine operators and finance staff. Last year, skills trade and engineers were listed as the most difficult positions to fill, but pressure on these sectors has since been relieved, with skills trade falling to fifth position and engineers not even listed in the top ten positions anymore.

A South African who could be in line to lead the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is joining calls for the West to relinquish its hold on the financial body's leadership. Trevor Manuel, who earned praise during his 1996-2009 tenure as South Africa's finance minister, told State Television that developing countries were playing an increasingly important role in the global economy, and that it is "fundamentally wrong" that "birthright is more important than ability" in choosing the IMF chief. A European has headed the institution since the first managing director was named in 1946, a tradition developing countries are criticizing. An American has traditionally held the top job at the IMF's sister agency, the World Bank.

The United States has ruled out dropping North Sudan from a terrorism list, restoring a US ambassador and taking other steps to normalise relations if Khartoum continues to occupy the oil-producing region of Abyei. Sudan's northern army vowed to hold territory it seized over the weekend in the disputed region, defying a United Nations demand that it withdraw, pushing the north and south closer to conflict as the south prepares to secede on July 9. Analysts fear north-south fighting over Abyei could reignite civil war, a move that would plunge the nation back into chaos as the south splits away and could send refugees across the borders to neighbouring African states.

Also making headlines:
India's Prime Minister began a six-day trip to Africa on Monday, aiming to strike deeper economic ties with a continent rich in minerals and commodities, but where Asia's third-largest economy lags far behind rival China.
And, The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s Green Climate Fund would likely present African countries with opportunities for funding, and the challenge for Africa was how to put forward bankable prospects to tap into the fund as it emerged, National Planning Commission Minister Trevor Manuel said.

That’s a roundup of news making headlines today.