Nelson Mandela

The former South African president celebrated his special day surrounded by his extended family and friends at his home in Houghton, outside of Johannesburg. At his home, some 92 children, including Mandela’s grandchildren and great grandchildren, and others flown from his native village, Mvezo, sang a special birthday song for him. Earlier in the day, close friends including former Zambian president, Kenneth Kaunda called upon him. Guests also included his second wife, Winnie Mandela.

Days before Mandela’s birthday, the United Nation’s launched the first “Nelson Mandela International Day” which will be commemorated annually on his birthday.

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Not only are 2010 World Cup soccer fans, enjoying the skills of unfamiliar soccer teams from nations like Serbia, Slovenia and Slovakia, they are also getting a taste of South African culture – albeit in an annoying way.

For the first three days of the World Cup in South Africa, viewers watching games on television were confounded by a constant buzzing sound, as if drones of bees were humming in the broadcasters’ microphones. Some viewers speculated it was from the collective cheering of thousands of soccer fans in the stadiums from which respective games were being broadcast.

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Sarah 'Fergie' Ferguson

According to the British tabloid, News of the World, Fergie said at a meeting with one of its reporters posing as a business tycoon in a ritzy London apartment, "Five hundred thousand pounds when you can, to me . . . open doors."

The controversial Fergie told the reporter, “Then you open up all the channels, whatever you need, whatever you want and you meet Andrew and its fine.”

The footage showed Ferguson smoking casually as she laid out the terms and conditions for access to the prince and even said that prince was aware of what she was the dirty deal.

She asked the reporter for $40,000 in cash and another $720,000 by wire transfer.

Apart from the obvious embarrassment to the Royal Family, the major concern is the thought that Prince Andrew, who is Britain's special representative for international trade and investment, could be bought.

However, Ferguson, who later apologized, said the prince had no knowledge of what she was doing and his hands are clean.

She said while her financial situation is undesirable at the moment, it was no excuse for her actions.

Fergie and Andrew, who have two daughters, Beatrice, 21 and Eugenie, 20, divorced in 1996.

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Thousands of airline travelers began breathing a sigh of relief on Wednesday as European airports and airspace across the European continent reopened.

For six days travelers to and from Europe experienced significant inconvenience, and airlines, huge financial losses, as ash-filled clouds emitting from an Icelandic volcano made flying dangerous forcing flights to remain grounded.

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