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Mandela’s family called to private Qunu meeting

The eldest daughter of Nelson Mandela summoned the clan to Qunu to discuss ‘sensitive matters’. In African tradition it means the end is near and relatives have to discuss if the ailing patient is ready to be “released”. Yesterday, for the first time since Mandela was admitted to hospital, the pool of visitors went beyond

Less activity at Mandela hospital

A few vehicles were entering and exiting the Pretoria hospital on Tuesday morning where ailing former president Nelson Mandela is in a critical condition. Hospital security staff attended to the infrequent motorists at the facility’s entrance on Park Street. The main entrance on Celliers Street was still closed after 3am on Tuesday. Reporters and technical

White House wants Snowden extradited from Russia to America

The U.S. assumes National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden remains in Russia, and officials are working with Moscow in hopes he will be expelled and returned to America to face criminal charges, President Barack Obama’s spokesman said Monday. He declared that a decision by Hong Kong not to detain Snowden has “unquestionably” hurt relations between

Russia to supply advanced weapons to Syria: report

During his recent visit to London and meeting with British Prime Minister Cameron, President Putin passed on a message to the US and France in response to their recent announcement that they will arm the [Al Nusrah] fighters in Syria. As Russia is a sovereign nation dealing with the sovereign, legitimate government of Syria, some

Mandela is ‘amazing, influential’: Roger Federer

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer hailed ailing Nelson Mandela as “influential and amazing” on Monday as the anti-apartheid icon remained in a critical condition in a Pretoria hospital “He’s been very influential, an amazing personality, you know, believed in something, had to pay a big price for it,” said Federer. “Someone you can definitely look

Bright future for SA with shale and solar: Mothlanthe

South Africa can become one of the fastest-growing economic hubs in the world if it exploits its natural resources, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe said on Monday. “Fortunately for South Africa, we have among the best solar energy resources in the world, in addition to coal, which makes it logical for us to pursue the

Fisher ruling: ‘Affirmative action lives on by a thread’

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court today issued its long-awaited ruling on affirmative action — but didn’t offer a definitive opinion on whether colleges may consider the use of race in admissions. Ruling 7-1, the court found that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit erred in not applying “strict scrutiny” to the

Americans overwhelmingly against arming Syrian rebels

Broad majorities continue to oppose the U.S. and its allies sending arms and military supplies to anti-government groups in Syria. Last Thursday’s announcement that the U.S. would aid the rebels has not increased public support for action, and majorities of all partisan groups are opposed. Overall, 70% oppose the U.S. and its allies sending arms

Arms for rebels ‘very dangerous’: Syrian foreign minister

The decision by the United States and its allies to arm rebel groups in Syria is “very dangerous” and will prolong the violence and killing on the ground, Syria’s foreign minister said Monday. Walid al-Moallem said sending more weapons to the opposition will also hinder efforts to bring both sides to the table in a

South African ‘democracy’ spawns more faeces wars, now in East London

Human waste has been thrown at a Buffalo City ANC councillor’s house, the Eastern Cape local government department said on Sunday. The incident last week was condemned by MuniMEC, a government co-ordination forum made up of all mayors and municipal managers who meet quarterly with MEC Mlibo Qoboshiyane. It had noted the anger of some

Mandela remains critical: Zuma

Former president Nelson Mandela’s condition remains critical, President Jacob Zuma said on Monday. “Mandela remains in a critical condition in hospital and doctors are doing everything possible to ensure his well-being and comfort,” Zuma said in Johannesburg. Zuma and deputy ANC president Cyril Ramaphosa visited Mandela at the Medi-Clinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria on Sunday

France’s National Front scores ‘spectacular’ 46% in Villeneuve-sur-Lot by-election

A 23-year old candidate from France’s right-wing Front National, Étienne Bousquet-Cassagne, has lost against the mainstream UMP candidate during a by-election in south western France, but scored an overall 46% of the votes, sending shivers through the Socialist government. Jean-Louis Costes of the UMP yesterday obtained 53,76% of the votes and so prevented Mrs. Marine

80 percent of US packaged foods contain dangerous chemicals

Roughly 80 percent of all the packaged foods sold within the United States contain chemicals outlawed in other parts of the world, Britain’s Daily Mail reports. Six common food additives found in an estimated 8-out-of-10 products sold in American stores are banned outside of the US, the Mail claims, putting millions of Americans at risk

Snowden’s plane will pass through US airspace

Ex-CIA contractor, Edward Snowden’s plane to Cuba will pass through US airspace, an Interfax source reports. Washington has an extradition notice against Snowden on charges of espionage and could intervene if the plane enters US jurisdiction. Aeroflot flight SU150, leaves Moscow at 14:04 local time (11:04 GMT) and will fly through US airspace a couple