Cape Town, Oct 3 : The South African government’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation has said it will not make Tibetan leader Dalai Lama’s visa application public.

"The visa application is undergoing normal processes, and the outcome will be communicated to the applicant," News 24 quoted department spokesperson Clayson Monyela, as saying.

The Dalai Lama has been invited to attend Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu''s 80th birthday celebrations next weekend.

42-year-old Michael Cohen from the UK has been seriously injured and is now fighting for his life after he faced a shark attack while swimming at Fish Hoek beach in Cape Town in South Africa.

Mr. Cohen was rescued by on looker after he went to the water ignoring shark warnings, according to the reports. National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesman Craig Lambinon, speaking to the South African Press Association (Sapa), said that he was rescued by a bystander who could be identified as he left the scene

Cape Town, Jan 9 : England coach Andy Flower has warned middle-order batsman Ian Bell, saying that he must show that he can produce innings of brilliance on a more regular basis to repay the investment made in him.

Bell had been struggling with his form in the recent months, but has made vital contributions in the tour of South Africa.

“We''re looking for him to make consistent and medium to long-term contributions and not just nip in with a couple of scores. These have been fine contributions, but we''re looking for a lot more from him. England invested a lot with Ian Bell and this is some of him paying England back,” The Guardian quoted Flower, as saying.

Cape Town, Jan 6 : England will not face any action over reported ball tampering as South Africa refused to make an official complaint, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed Wednesday.

Third Test television footage of England seamers Stuart Broad and James Anderson manipulating the ball alerted the South Africans.

The pictures showed Broad stopping, then stepping on the ball with his spikes, while Anderson appeared to be doing the seam to alter its condition for it to reverse swing.

Cape Town (S. Africa), Dec. 7 : Lesbians in South Africa are being dragged off the street and being raped to "correct" them, it has been claimed.

Sky News has found evidence of widespread abuse against the lesbian community, resulting in a new trend of so-called "corrective rape".

In the the township of Khayelitsha, on the outskirts of Cape Town, Sky spoke to a group of women who said they live in fear of their lives.

Cape Town, Dec 4 : The nail-biting final draw for the 2010 football World Cup in South Africa got underway Friday evening at a glittering African-themed ceremony in Cape Town attended by the cream of world football and South Africa's elite.

The draw which will determine the composition of the eight groups that will compete in the first found of the tournament kicked off with a song from "White Zulu" popstar Johnny Clegg and a pre-recorded message from South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela, who was instrumental in winning the Cup for South Africa.

Cape Town, Dec 4 : The official match ball for next year's football World Cup finals in South Africa will be called Jabulani, it was announced Friday.

The ball was introduced for the first time at a function in Cape Town ahead of the Draw for the finals later Friday at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

The president of football's controlling body FIFA Joseph Blatter, Germany's Franz Beckenbauer, the only person to win the World Cup as a captain and coach, and England star David Beckham were present at the function held at the famous Waterfront in Cape Town.

Cape Town, Dec 4 : Former world footballer Ruud Gullit Friday dismissed speculation that he was close to signing as Nigeria coach for the 2010 World Cup.

The 47-year-old Dutchman Gullit said there has been no formal approach from Nigeria.

"There is a lot of speculation ... Nigeria also presently have a coach," he said.

Nigeria's Super Eagles only qualified for the 2010 finals on the last day after Tunisia sensationally lost their final qualifier to Mozambique.

Cape Town, Dec 4 : Part of Cape Town International Convention Centre, venue for the World Cup final draw, was sealed off Friday following a bomb scare.

The alert, hours before the draw takes place, followed an earlier bomb scare at Cape Town airport, police said.

The media entrance to the convention centre was sealed off shortly after noon. A police squad was combing the entrance for explosive devices with sniffer dogs.

Cape Town, Dec 4 : The Fan Fest project for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was launched in Cape Town on Friday by FIFA president Joseph Blatter.

Following the resounding success of the idea at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the nine host cities in South Africa have decided to replicate the idea, starting with a star-studded event in Cape Town that will take in the World Cup draw in the city later Friday.

Cape Town, Dec 4 : Former World Footballer Luis Figo expressed his hope that Portugal draw the host nation South Africa for the 2010 World Cup later Friday.

The former Barcelona, Real Madrid and Inter Milan player said that all opponents are likely to be tough at the draw ceremony at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

"But of the seeded teams, I am hoping that we will get South Africa. That would be a very interesting match. The rest of the opponents do not matter that much, they are all difficult," Figo said.

Cape Town, Dec 3 (DPA) The stage is set and the trophy has arrived in Cape Town for South Africa's last major test on the road to hosting the football World Cup in six months time.

The eyes of the world will be trained on Cape Town International Convention Centre for the nail-biting World Cup final draw Friday evening.

The draw, which will be hosted by Oscar-winning South African actress Charlize Theron and FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke, determines the composition of the eight groups for the first round of the tournament.

Cape Town, Nov. 29 : England al-rounder Paul Collingwood is insisting that he has never felt better, two months after his international career appeared to be on the brink of collapse.

He credits his resurrection to having a decent break after more than six months of relentless international cricket.

A brilliant ton in the opening one-day win at Centurion, where Collingwood became England''s most-capped one-day player, was followed by a spanking 86 as South Africa squared the series on Friday.

Cape Town, Nov 26 : England fast bowler Stuart Broad, who will return for the third one-day international against South Africa on Friday, has admitted that he feared about his tour being cut short due to his shoulder injury.

The 23-year-old was out of action for the past three weeks after hurting a shoulder while fielding in a practice match this month.

Cape Town (South Africa), Nov. 25 : England fast bowler James Anderson has cleared the air with skipper Alastair Cook, insisting that he does not want his best mate''s job.

Anderson, 27, rejected claims that he was furious at not being named England''s vice-captain.

"I have more than enough to worry about with my bowling," The Sun quoted him, as saying.

Cook was named as Strauss'' deputy in Test cricket this year. He led England in the second Twenty20 match against South Africa when both Strauss and Collingwood were missing.

Cape Town, May 26: South Africa, batsmen are surely going to thrive at the ICC World Twenty20 event in England, which going to start in June, if the Indian Premier League is a reasonable yardstick for judging their form.

This will be particularly true in the batting department, where several Proteas stars boasted imperious statistics from the just-finished IPL: There were four of them among the top 11 run-scorers at the IPL.

Cape Town, May 8 : The ongoing credit crunch has liberalised people's attitude towards sex, at least that's what a research panel at a recent Sexpo suggests.

The world''s largest health, sexuality and lifestyle expo, Sexpo, claims that the gloomy economic climate has seen a move back to "naughty sexuality", reports 24. com.

"A research panel at a recent Sexpo noted a marked change in taste and naughty choices over the past two years," organiser Silas Howarth said in a statement.

Apr 26 : Delhi Daredevils beat Royal Challengers by six wickets in their Indian Premier League (IPL) match here on Sunday.

Bangalore got off to a poor start after captain Kevin Pietersen won the toss and chose to bat in overcast conditions, as Jacques Kallis was dismissed on the first ball of the match.

Robin Uthappa also could not place him well and went to pavilion after scoring only three runs.

Cape Town (South Africa), Apr. 16 : Former Australian leg spinner and captain of the IPL franchisee Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, has praised the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for selecting former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower as the England cricket team director.

"England have taken a step in the right direction by appointing Andy Flower, and I think the new job title as team director is the right one," Warne wrote in The Times newspaper.

Cape Town (South Africa), Apr. 16 : Former Australian leg spinner and captain of the IPL franchisee Rajasthan Royals, Shane Warne, has praised the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for selecting former Zimbabwe captain Andy Flower as the England cricket team director.

"England have taken a step in the right direction by appointing Andy Flower, and I think the new job title as team director is the right one," Warne wrote in The Times newspaper.