South Africa calls for practical adaptation actions; Campaign to save police lease into high gear; Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for Mali kidnappings; Zuma criticizes NATO's campaign in Libya
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    • SOUTH AFRICA

    According to reports, at the opening of the high level segment of the 17th Conference of the Parties (Cop17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, South African President Jacob Zuma said the world needs to move away from analysing and studying climate change to identifying practical adaptation actions. Listing issues that needed to be addressed, Zuma said the world had to start implementing actions on the ground. He also told delegates that there was a need for countries to rise above their national interests, no matter how difficult. 1

    In another development, according to reports, the campaign to save Roux Shabangu's controversial R614-million Pretoria police headquarters lease moved into high gear. However, aspects of the government-backed effort to validate the lease call into question procurement practices at the department of public works. 2

    According to reports, North Africa's local branch of al-Qaeda denied it has kidnapped three foreign aid workers in Algeria, but confirmed it was behind the kidnappings of a Dutch, Swedish and South African national in Mali. The group said it was focusing its efforts against French and Malian interests and had nothing to do with the October kidnapping of Spanish and Italian aid workers in southern Algeria. The kidnappings were carried out in revenge for Malian attacks against members of al-Qaeda, as well as France's aggression in the Sahel region. 3

    In other develoepmts, according to reports, South African President Jacob Zuma complained that NATO's campaign in Libya left a scar on the continent that would take time to heal. Zuma was part of a high-level African Union (AU) panel that failed to mediate a ceasefire in Libya. He criticized that developed countries with their own national agendas hijacked a genuine democratic protest by the people of Libya, to further their regime change agendas. 4

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