South Africa

Pretoria - Retail trade sales in January fell by 1.7 percent year-on-year, reported Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) on Wednesday.

Cape Town - The National Youth Development Agency (NYDA) on Wednesday described the recommendations to transform the National Student Financial Aid Scheme (NSFAS) as a step in the right direction.

Pretoria -The presidential hotline will soon be moved to the Presidency's Performance, Monitoring and Evaluation Ministry amid criticism that the hotline is turning into a cold line.

Pretoria - Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele says his department is on track to help South Africa deliver a successful 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Pretoria - Reducing poverty among children and the youth can contribute towards the reduction of intergenerational transmitted poverty, says Deputy Minister of Social Development Bathabile Dlamini.

Pretoria - Taxi operators say they will embark on a countrywide stayaway which will be followed by a national strike if government fails to resolve their concerns regarding the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system.

Durban - Health Minister Dr Aaron Motsoaledi is in Durban to assess the health sector's readiness to implement government's new AIDS treatment policy.

Nelspruit - The national Department of Health and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) have declared Mpumalanga ready for emergencies during the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

Harare - Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Wednesday said talks with South African President Jacob Zuma had gone "very well" but did not say whether they were closer to resolving their power-sharing dispute.

Pretoria - The National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) has confirmed 32 human laboratory cases of Rift Valley Fever (RVF) and two deaths

Pretoria - Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe says South Africa respects its trade relations with Finland and regards the European country as a "true friend" on both bilateral and regional levels.

Pretoria - The City of Joburg and the relevant departments have made it a top priority to protect drivers of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, its stations and commuters.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma will lead a South African delegation to the Third Africa-South America (ASA) Summit to be hosted in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, on Friday.

Pretoria - Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba on Wednesday met with stakeholders involved in the construction of the Medupi power plant to find a peaceful resolution that will ensure workers head back to work.

Pretoria - About 797 volunteers who recently completed their Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) training in North West have been deployed in clinics within their communities to provide services to TB patients.