South Africa

Pretoria - The situation in all service delivery hotspots in both Mpumalanga and Gauteng were back to normal on Friday morning.

Istanbul - World leaders signed a water consensus on Monday at the 5th World Water Forum, underlining the importance of the sustainable development of water.

Parliament - South Africans will take to the polls to elect a new President on 22 April 2009, President Kgalema Motlanthe announced in Parliament only a short while ago.

Parliament - Friday's State of the Nation Address (SONA) was a report card on the progress of government in fulfilling its mandate as the 3rd term of the current Parliament draws to a close.

Parliament - President Kgalema Motlanthe has agreed that crime, corruption and a revamp of the criminal justice system are critical issues government needs to deal with.

Washington - The Obama administration on Monday unveiled a plan to help unlock credit for the nation's small businesses, which have generated about 70 percent of net new jobs annually over the past decade.

Pretoria - The Job Shimankane Tabane Hospital in Rustenburg has opened its newly revitalized Accident and Emergency Trauma Unit to help improve service delivery in the province.

Johannesburg - As the date for the country's national elections draws closer, the City of Johannesburg says it is ready for the task, and will ensure operations on the day goes off smoothly.

Orkney - The health of the elderly should be a priority, as more and more are becoming caregivers to HIV positive children, says North West MEC for Health and Social Development, Rebecca Kesienyane.

Durban - Durban's Mayor Obed Mlaba has pledged his support for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Earth Hour 2009 campaign, a global initiative to raise awareness around energy and the effects of climate change.

Pretoria - The Department of Trade and Industry is to embark on a consumer protection awareness campaign countrywide, next week.

Pretoria - There are 23 million South Africans registered to vote in the provincial and general elections set for 22 April 2009.

Pretoria - Within the next three years, every child from Grade 1 to 12 within the Western Cape will have a textbook in every subject he or she is taking.

Harare - South Africa and Zimbabwe have discussed measures to support the recovery of that country's productive sectors as well as trade facilitation measures between the two countries.

Pretoria - The Department of Health has confirmed that four people have died since an outbreak of measles earlier this year.