South Africa

Johannesburg - The opening ceremony for the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup is underway at the Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg.

Cape Town - President Kgalema Motlanthe has approved the National Prosecuting Authority Amendment Bill, 2008 and the South African Police Service Amendment Bill, 2008.

Pretoria - More than 180 000 pupils from 300 schools are set to receive better access to opportunities in sport through the School Sport Mass Participation Programme launched by the Gauteng Provincial Government on Friday.

North West - The North West Provincial Disaster Management Centre has issued a flood warning and appealed to residents to be careful when crossing rivers and bridges.

Queenstown - Most towns and cities in South Africa will not host 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup and World Cup matches, however, local residents still stand a chance to benefit either directly or indirectly from the historic soccer tournaments.

Nelspruit - Deputy President Baleka Mbete is confident that the Mbombela Local Municipality will deliver on its 2010 FIFA World Cup commitments within the set deadline

Cape Town -The Southern African Development Community (SADC) believes regional integration needs to be achieved before the formation of a single African Union (AU) government can be realised.

Pretoria - Residents living in Hammanskraal will no longer have to travel long distances to receive government services, thanks to the opening of the second phase of the Thusong Service Centre in their area.

Johannesburg - Joburg has received an unqualified report from the Auditor-General, Terence Nombembe, for the second consecutive year.

Johannesburg - Johannesburg Emergency Services are still searching for the 20-day-old baby and taxi driver who were washed away in the heavy storms which hit Gauteng on Thursday.

Pretoria - The South African Navy will next week host the 3rd Sea Power for Africa Symposium which will focus on the challenges facing navies throughout the continent.

Johannesburg - An incentive-based regulation programme which aims to acknowledge municipalities which have excellent drinking water quality management was launched by the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry on Monday.

Pretoria - The fourth quarter of 2008 witnessed an uptake in job creation resulting in a decline of 1.3 percent in unemployment in the country, Statistics South Africa reported, Monday.

Johannesburg - To ensure there is sufficient water available for generations to come and that economic activity in the country is able to grow, government has launched the Water for Growth and Development Framework.

Pretoria - Cooperation between South Africa and Finland has been intensified with the signing of a Declaration of Intent to deepen bilateral relations between the two countries.