RTC Director

South Africa's ANC sacks youth leader Julius Malema

South Africa's governing ANC has found youth leader Julius Malema guilty of bringing the party into disrepute.

He has been suspended from the party for five years and sacked as Youth League leader.

Once a close ally of President Jacob Zuma, Mr Malema has become one of his strongest critics, accusing him of ignoring poor South Africans who helped bring him to power in 2009.

The BBC's Milton Nkosi says the verdict boosts Mr Zuma's re-election bid.

Mr Malema wants Mr Zuma replaced as party leader ahead of the 2014 elections but our correspondent says it is now difficult to see how Mr Malema can affect the ANC leadership contest next year.

There is tight security outside the ANC headquarters in central Johannesburg but no sign of the large crowds of ANC Youth League members seen when the hearing opened in August.

Thousands of Mr Malema's supporters clashed with police and some were seen burning T-shirts bearing Mr Zuma's face.

Mr Malema is a hugely divisive figure in South Africa after making a series of controversial statements.

He has previously been found guilty of using hate speech by singing an anti-apartheid song Shoot the Boer [white farmer], which has since been banned.

He once vowed to "kill for Zuma" and was also disciplined for saying a woman who said she had been raped by Mr Zuma had had "a nice time". Mr Zuma was acquitted of the charges.

In May 2010, he was made to apologise publicly following a controversial trip to Zimbabwe where he declared the ANC's support for President Mugabe at a time when Mr Zuma was mediating between the country's coalition members.

His suspension is for calling for a change of government in neighbouring Botswana - a position which contravenes party and government policy.

by RTC Director

Republican presidential candidates debate economy

The eight contenders for the Republican presidential nomination have faced off over the economy at a debate in the state of Michigan.

Front-runner Mitt Romney criticised the government bailout of US car makers in the state, while his rivals said banks should not become too big to fail.

The debate was the first since sexual harassment allegations emerged against Mr Romney's chief rival, Herman Cain.

He dismissed the accusations, calling them "character assassination."

To a chorus of boos from the audience - aimed at the CNBC interrogators and not at Mr Cain - the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza said his character was beyond reproach.

"The American people deserve better than someone being tried in a court of public opinion based on unfounded accusations."

The biggest drama of the evening came when Texas Governor Rick Perry stumbled over his lines, finding himself unable to name the three federal departments he would eliminate if he became president - a key policy and a regular part of his stump speeches.

"The third agency of government I would - I would do away with education, the... commerce... commerce and, let's see. I can't. The third one, I can't. Sorry. Oops," he said.

The answer he was looking for, he told moderators later, was the Department of Energy.

No Europe 'bailouts'

The Michigan debate, staged by the cable business channel CNBC, was held at Oakland University in Rochester.

In a series of questions focused on pressing economic issues, candidates discussed a range of topics from the eurozone debt crisis to the domestic housing market to bailouts for the domestic auto industry.

They generally agreed that the US should not "bail out" Europe, but warned that budget deficits in the US could create a similar crisis to the one faced by eurozone nations.

Candidates also used the time to reprise their calls for flat tax plans, social security reform and the repeal of President Barack Obama's healthcare law.

Each candidate was asked specifically what they would do about healthcare costs immediately after repealing the law.

Mr Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, called for individual state decisions on health care laws, while former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman argued for better access to medical records as a way of improving care.

The debate came nearly two months before the first votes are cast in the Iowa caucuses to nominate a Republican nominee.

BBC

by RTC Director

NATO Chief Says Georgia Needs Further Reforms Before Membership

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen says Georgia has made a lot of progress but still needs further reforms before being admitted to the alliance.

He spoke Wednesday in the capital, Tblisi, after meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Nika Gilauri and other officials.

Rasmussen said upcoming elections in Georgia will be a key test of its democratic reforms, and that work still needs to be done in a number of areas.

NATO urged the country to continue strengthening the rule of law and working to ensure free and fair elections.

Rasmussen also praised Georgia for its contributions to the NATO-led coalition in Afghanistan. Georgia has more than 900 troops in Afghanistan, the second largest force of any non-NATO member.

NATO said in 2008 that Georgia would eventually gain membership. Russia strongly opposes Georgian membership in NATO. Russia and Georgia fought a brief war in 2008.

by RTC Director

China: Sanctions Cannot Resolve Iran Nuclear Concerns

China says sanctions will not “fundamentally” resolve international concerns about Iran's nuclear program.

A foreign ministry spokesman made the comments Thursday, a day after several Western powers said Tehran could face additional penalties if it refuses to cooperate with U.N. nuclear inspectors.

Britain, France and Germany raised the possibility of additional U.N. sanctions after the International Atomic Energy Agency released a report saying it has “credible” evidence of Iranian efforts to design a nuclear weapon.

In its report, released Tuesday, the IAEA expressed “serious concern” about Iran's nuclear program, saying that although some of its components can have civilian applications, others are linked to nuclear weapons.

Western powers say they want to prevent Iran from becoming nuclear-armed, but Tehran insists its nuclear program is peaceful.

The U.N. Security Council has already passed four sets of sanctions on Iran. Two permanent members of the council, China and Russia, have so far shown little willingness to impose more.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the Interfax news agency on Wednesday that Moscow believes new sanctions will be seen in the international community as a pretext to try to pursue “regime change” in Iran.

by RTC Director