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JOHANNESBURG - Nelson Mandela's condition continues to improve, the South African government said Monday, six weeks after he was admitted to hospital with a recurring lung infection. "Former President Mandela is still in a critical condition in hospital but shows sustained improvement," President Jacob Zuma's office said. In another upbeat statement, the presidency also thanked South Africans and the world for the outpouring of support that marked Mandela's 95th birthday last week. "The birthday celebrations for the former president on the 18th of July were the biggest ever this year, attracting scores of South Africans who engaged in community service in honour of Madiba," the presidency said, using Mandela's clan name. South Africans had come out in large numbers to mark the occasion, after weeks fraught with concern about their beloved elder statesman. Earlier Monday, Mandla Mandela reported that his grandfather was "steadily improving."...

JOHANNESBURG - The South African government said Tuesday that ailing icon Nelson Mandela remains in a "critical but stable" condition after more than one month of intensive hospital treatment. In a statement, President Jacob Zuma thanked members of the public for their "dignified gatherings outside the hospital" in Pretoria where he was rushed June 8 and for services that have offered prayers for the 94-year-old hero. Zuma also thanked the international community "for ongoing messages of support to Madiba and his family," using the Nobel Peace Prize winner's clan name. Meanwhile friends and family offered a more upbeat assessment of Mandela's condition. "With less than two weeks to go before the old man's 95th birthday on 18 July, it's time to celebrate his life. The old man is very much alive," said grandson Ndaba Mandela outside the hospital. "When I speak to him he responds. Let us not be in a spirit of sadness but a spiri...