South Africa

Johannesburg - Nations fail because they don't have inclusive political and economic institutions, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said on Thursday.

Pretoria - The decision by rating agency Moody's Investor Services to downgrade South Africa's government bonds to Baa1 from A3 with a negative outlook has been noted by Government, said National Treasu

Pretoria - Claims for HIV, AIDS and TB-related conditions are among the top ten cost drivers for medical claims made annually, and employees are accessing disease management packages at an advanced stage of their HIV infection, usually with low CD4 counts, according to the annual key health trends reported by the Government Employee Medical Scheme (GEMS).

Mbombela - Parents in Mpumalanga have one month left to register their children early for the 2013 school year.

Pretoria - South Africa and Slovakia have signed a joint declaration to boost bilateral economic relations at the 4th session of the Slovakia-SA Joint Council for Economic Cooperation.

Pretoria - Correctional Services Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has called on mothers to support young inmates.

Pretoria - The Mpumalanga Department of Education will next week conduct spring classes for Grade 12 learners from schools which performed below 50% in the 2011 Grade 12 examinations.

Pretoria - Bafana Bafana's new coach, Gordon Igesund included Moroka Swallows on-form striker Lerato Chabangu to his squad to face Brazil and Mozambique in two international friendly matches.

Pretoria - KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) is aiming to set itself up as the gateway to the country and continent, says the province's Premier Zweli Mkhize.

Pretoria - South African households' vulnerability to hunger has declined in the past 10 years from 23.8% to 11.5% in 2011, said Statistics South Africa (Stats SA).

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma has lauded the efforts of President Omar Al-Bashir and President Salva Kiir Mayardit in delivering a mutually agreed comprehensive settlement on security, soft borders, oil transportation and economic cooperation, as mediated by the African Union High Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP).

Pretoria - The petrol price among all grades of petrol is to rise by between 21 and 23 cents in October, the Energy Department said on Friday.

Mbombela - Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Vusi Shongwe has released the province's latest crime statistics on Friday with the figures reflecting a 7% decrease in the overall category of contact crimes, although murder went up 1%.

Pretoria - The Producer Price Index (PPI) slowed to 5.4% in July from 6.6% in June, Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) said on Thursday.

Johannesburg - The Railway Safety Regulator (RSR) on Friday released its long awaited investigation report on the Metrorail Soweto train crash that left 857 commuters injured.