South Africa

Pretoria - Cabinet spokesperson Jimmy Manyi says the release of the improved matric pass rate and the rate of qualification for university entry should be cause for celebration, not tragedy.

Sedibeng - Minister in the Presidency Collins Chabane rolled up his sleeves and got down to business during a tour of schools in the Sedibeng District on Tuesday.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma is in New York to preside over South Africa assuming the presidency of the UN Security Council for the month of January.

Pretoria - South Africa and Cuba have strengthened cooperation in the defence field with the signing of a memorandum of understanding.

Pretoria - As the 2012 school year gets underway today, the South African Democratic Teachers' Union (Sadtu) says it will make the training and development of teachers its main focus this year.

Cape Town - State Security Minister Siyabonga Cwele says the Protection of State Information Bill is aimed at stamping out rising espionage cases as well as the business of peddling state information.

Ibadan - The government of Nigeria's southwest state Oyo on Tuesday imposed a 12-hour curfew due to the fuel subsidy protest with immediate effect.

Pretoria - Johan Kotze, the man accused of killing his stepson and ordering casual workers to sexually assault his estranged wife, has been arrested.

Pretoria - Infrastructure development between South Africa and Qatar is set to intensify in the future.

Pretoria - Higher Education South Africa (HESA) has pledged its support to any initiative aimed at providing a greater set of study opportunities for school leavers.

Pretoria - Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula says transformation in South African sports is moving at a snail's pace.

Pretoria - The Passenger Rail Association of SA (PRASA) says it will take at least three weeks before train services can get back to normal in some parts of Gauteng.

Pretoria - The Higher Education and Training Department says R886 million has been invested in connecting South African universities and public research organisations to each other at a minimum speed of 10 Gigabits per second.

East London - Eastern Cape police have promised to crack down hard on shop owners caught selling pre-registered SIM cards without recording the details of the buyers.

Pretoria - President Jacob Zuma will use the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, to market and promote opportunities that abound in South Africa's New Growth Path (NGP).