Latest update: 31/08/2011 

- Nelson Mandela - South Africa


The battle for Mandela's legacy

No Flash warning
To take advantage of all the features on FRANCE24.COM, please click here to download the latest version of Flash Player.

In July, South African legend Nelson Mandela celebrated his 93rd birthday, despite having been diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2011. And yet, with every year that passes, there's an increasing family storm brewing around him. Tensions over everything, from his inheritance to questions of the TV rights to his funeral, are under intense scrutiny. We take a look at some of the family threats to "brand Mandela".

FOCUS
By Caroline DUMAY / Nick Kotch
Three women held captive for over a decade found alive in Ohio
09/05/2013 - USA

Three women held captive for over a decade found alive in Ohio

Three women who had been missing for around a decade have been found alive in Ohio. Kidnapped and held in a house in Cleveland for years, they managed to escape their captor on Monday. The owner of the house and his two brothers have now been arrested over the kidnappings of Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight.
Mexicans sceptical of new law to compensate crime victims
09/05/2013 - MEXICO

Mexicans sceptical of new law to compensate crime victims

Mexico's new president, Enrique Pena Nieto, has signed a bill into law that promises recognition and compensation to victims of crimes, in particular those citizens who have become caught up in the country's drug wars. But as France 24's reporters in Mexico found out, many are sceptical it will make any difference.
PKK rebel fighters begin retreat to northern Iraq
08/05/2013 - TURKEY

PKK rebel fighters begin retreat to northern Iraq

Kurdish rebels began withdrawing from Turkey on Wednesday, taking a major step towards ending a 29-year conflict which has killed tens of thousands. The PKK originally demanded an independent state in Turkey's Kurdish south-east, but has since scaled down its goals, looking for wider political and cultural autonomy for Kurds in Turkey. A total of 2,000 PKK rebel fighters are expected to leave Turkey and cross into their stronghold in northern Iraq.
(1) comment
Could methane hydrate solve Tokyo's energy crisis?
08/05/2013 - Japan

Could methane hydrate solve Tokyo's energy crisis?

After 10 years of research, Japanese engineers have extracted offshore methane hydrate from beneath the ocean floor. The substance, more commonly called flammable ice, is a great hope for the future of Japan, which desperately lacks energy since almost all of its nuclear reactors remain shut after the Fukushima disaster. France 24 asks if methane hydrates will solve the energy puzzle for Japan, or even the world.
South Dakota introduces law allowing teachers to carry guns
07/05/2013 - USA

South Dakota introduces law allowing teachers to carry guns

It is now more than four months since 20 children and six adults were gunned down at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. At the time, President Obama declared that enough was enough, and that new gun laws had to be brought in. But all the proposals from the White House for new legislation have come to nothing: every one of them has failed in Congress. Gun culture remains alive and well in the US, especially in the rural heartland, as our correspondent found out.

React to the article
Comment this article typing your message in the above text zone. Please note that this is limited to 1500 characters or less.
(1) Reaction

Angola

by Anonyme - 04/09/2011 - 09:19

Angolan authorities arrested 24 people at an anti-government youth rally in the capital Luanda Saturday during which several protesters, journalists and police officers were injured, according to media reports.

The rally, organized by a youth movement without the support of any of the main opposition parties, called for the resignation of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, who has held power in oil-rich Angola for over 32 years.

According to the Portuguese television station RTP, around 200 youths gathered at Luanda's Independence Square at 1200 GMT. Police intervened when a small group headed toward the presidential palace to demand the release of a protester allegedly arrested earlier Saturday.

RTP added that several protesters, as well as several Portuguese and Angolan journalists, suffered light injuries in the fracas.

The Angolan National Police said it arrested 24 people during the rally, with four police officers injured as they tried to persuade the protesters to stay on the authorized route.

It added that three civilians had been injured "by unidentified people," and that they were taken to hospital for medical treatment.

"Against police guidance, some individuals forced the security cordon in an anarchical way, insulting passers-by and police officers and saying they wanted to the head to the palace," the police said in a statement quoted by Angolan state news agency Angop.

"That led to a climate of the violence, which led to the throwing of heavy objects and caused the injuries," it added.

Portuguese news agency Lusa cited one of the protest organizers who had was arrested as saying the police "acted with brutality" during an event authorized by the local government.

Dos Santos' MPLA party, which won in 2002 won the 27 year-long civil war against UNITA and then obtained 82 percent of the vote in the 2008 general election, has long been accused of mismanaging the country's oil revenues, avoiding public scrutiny and doing too little to fight corruption.

An estimated two-thirds of Angola's 16.5 million people live on less than $2 per day in a country which is Africa's second-largest oil producer after Nigeria.

The MPLA is favorite to win a general election next year, but tensions are rising ahead of the ballot after UNITA, now the main opposition party, last month accused it of stripping the national elections committee of any real power .

Read more
Close