South Africa

Johannesburg - The second round of ticket sales for the 2010 FIFA World Cup has started, with approximately 100 000 tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Pretoria - Government has acknowledged the important role that South Africans abroad played in voting in last week's special votes.

Pretoria - The laboratory results on the one suspected case of swine flu from the Western Cape province has come back negative.

Pretoria - The sports ministry has expressed its dissatisfaction with
Athletics South Africa's (ASA) President, Leonard Chuene, for admitting that he lied about his knowledge of gender tests conducted on Caster Semenya.

Pretoria - Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele has conveyed condolences to the families of at least 20 people who were killed on the country's roads at the weekend.

Tshwane - City residents have been reminded that some streets around the Union Buildings will be closed tomorrow as final preparations for Saturday's Presidential Inauguration are made.

Pretoria - The Automobile Association has welcomed the decision by the
National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to reduce the cost of transporting petroleum through Transnet's pipelines.

Pretoria - The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has launched an investigation into the discovery of a number of ballot papers in Mpumalanga.

Pretoria - Deputy Minister of Correctional Services Hlengiwe Mkhize will on Monday launch Corrections Week in Modimolle, Limpopo.

Johannesburg - The $600-million, 14 000km West Africa Cable System linking southern and western African countries with Europe should be in service by 2011.

Pretoria - Eskom will not go ahead with the disconnection of the bulk electricity supply to the City of Matlosana Local Municipality in the North West province, said the power parastatal on Wednesday.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma will later today leave for New York, to attend the 64th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Phalaborwa - Work is nearing completion on a R5.5 million memorial precinct that will commemorate past and present Limpopo heroes who shaped the South African landscape.

Pretoria - Government has launched a hotline to speed up government payments to Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs).

Rustenburg - With just 262 days to go before the 2010 FIFA World Cup kicks off, another 2010 Visitor Information Centre has been launched to help tourists arriving in the country locate accommodation, road maps and other information easily.