South Africa

Cape Town - The Minister of Correctional Services Sbu Ndebele said it was regrettable that some of the prisoners that were pardoned in April had re-offended.

Carletonville - As the world marked Tuberculosis Day on Saturday, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe urged South Africans to regularly test for TB and HIV, saying government would continue to implement programmes to fight the diseases.

Pretoria - Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has asked the Financial Services Ombud Schemes (FSOS) Council to ensure that it operates efficiently and effectively, and that all rulings by financial services ombuds are free of interference by interested parties.

Pretoria - Tourism Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk has announced the appointment of the new board members of South African Tourism (SAT), which will now be headed by Frank Kilbourn, the deputy chairperson of the previous SAT board.

Pretoria - KwaZulu-Natal Premier Dr Zweli Mkhize has arrived in Osaka on an official visit aimed at getting companies in Japan to invest in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.

Pretoria - Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) has confirmed that it will be sending a delegation of over 50 companies to South Africa's second BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi, India, which kicks off on Wednesday.

Pretoria - Higher Education and Training Minister, Dr Blade Nzimande, has approved an outstanding pay progression for Limpopo Further Education and Training (FET) college staff as part of administrative intervention in the province.

Pretoria - Ahead of International Mandela Day on Wednesday, Correctional Services Minister Sbusiso Ndebele and offenders have donated school uniforms and food to residents of Donkerhoek near Piet Retief in Mpumalanga.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma is in Seoul, South Korea, for the Nuclear Security Summit that will see discussions around a guarantee on safety of nuclear materials and technology in efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism.

Pretoria- Government has not taken a decision on whether to reduce crude oil imports from Iran with a response expected in May, the Department of Energy has said.

Pretoria - Two Gauteng educators have been dismissed by the provincial Basic Education Department after being found guilty of three counts of misconduct.

Cape Town - The Defence Department is taking steps to tackle piracy, and is considering re-opening a former naval base on Salisbury Island, the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu said today.

Pretoria- More than 30 South African enterprises are to participate in the Department of Trade and Industry (dti)'s Investment and Trade Initiative (ITI) that kicks off today in Russia.

Cape Town - The Southern African Customs Union (Sacu) is developing a regional framework for cross-border co-operation on industrialisation, which targets eight sectors in which the member countries can co-operate.

Pretoria-The Department of Trade and Industry (dti) is working with industry to protect consumers from low quality food imports.