South Africa

Pretoria - The matric class of 2011 have been urged to apply for their IDs well ahead of their final examinations at the end of the year to avoid the last minute rush.

Pretoria - Hundreds of men in KwaZulu-Natal showed their support for the fight against the abuse of women and children by taking part in a men's march on Friday.

Pretoria - South Africa's Higher Education and Training Deputy Minister, Hlengiwe Mkhize, has called on countries to renew their commitment to projects aimed at women empowerment and justice.

Pretoria - Learners, who were relocated with their families from the dolomatic Bapsfontein informal settlement, were this morning taken to their different schools by buses arranged by the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality and the Gauteng Education Department.

Pretoria - The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) will unveil its 2011 municipal elections logo in Johannesburg today.

Australia - Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard on Wednesday said she had been shocked by the images of flood devastation in Queensland, and the dimensions of the disaster were truly mind-boggling.

Pretoria - The Gravelotte area in Ba-Phalaborwa Municipality, Limpopo, has been declared free of Foot and Mouth disease.

Mbombela - Calm has returned to the Lowveld College of Agriculture in Mbombela where more than 100 students disrupted exams and barricaded the school's entrance on Wednesday.

Addis Ababa - The African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council has called on all parties and all Sudanese to continue to demonstrate the same commitment towards the successful conclusion of the ongoing process of the referendum for South Sudan.

Pretoria - One year since a devastating earthquake struck Haiti, the western hemisphere's poorest country is still reeling, with reconstruction moving at a snail's pace, millions of people still without permanent homes and a cholera epidemic that has killed thousands.

Pretoria - As schools in the inland provinces open today, 2 500 newly qualified teachers will be joining the system this year.

Pretoria - The Food Bank was launched today at the Tshwane Fresh Produce Market.
It is hoped that thousands will be fed through this initiative to reduce poverty numbers.

Pretoria - The University of Johannesburg has warned that many of those who are currently inundating the institution to apply to be admitted to register for the 2011 academic year may not be accepted as there is limited space.

Pretoria - Correctional Services has undertaken to heighten interventions aimed at ensuring that the department receives a clean audit report by the 2011/12 financial year.

Cape Town - France and South Africa have set up a joint laboratory to study the impact of climate change on marine ecosystems in the Indian, Atlantic and southern oceans.