Former South African leader Nelson Mandela hospitalizedFebruary 25, 2012 - 13:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Former South African leader Nelson Mandela, 93, was admitted to hospital on Saturday after doctors advised specialist medical attention for a long-standing abdominal complaint, AFP reported. "President Jacob Zuma wishes to advise that former president Nelson Mandela was admitted to hospital on February 25, 2012," a statement from the presidency said. "Madiba has had a long-standing abdominal complaint and doctors feel it needs proper specialist medical attention." The health of the increasingly frail anti-apartheid icon, who is affectionately known as Madiba, sparked national fears after he was hospitalized early last year for an acute respiratory infection. "We wish him a speedy recovery and assure him of the love and good wishes of all South Africans and people throughout the world," the statement from the presidency said. "We request that all respect the privacy of Madiba and that of his family during this period." Mandela returned to his Johannesburg home last month from his rural home village in the Eastern Cape. He last appeared in public at the final of the football World Cup hosted by South Africa in July 2010. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993, a year before he was elected the country's first black president in South Africa's first all-race vote and served one term before stepping down in 1999. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Concept to complete Yerevan Cascade discussed at city hall A conceptual proposal to complete the Cascade complex in downtown Yerevan has been presented by Jean-Michel Wilmotte. Pashinyan visits flood-hit region Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Saturday, June 8 visited the disaster area in the Lori province. €3.5 mln EU grant to support justice reforms in Armenia The European Union has paid €3.5 mln grant to Armenia within a €11mln program on Support to Justice Reforms. Yerevan reacts to Baku’s proposal to see Minsk Group abolition Alen Simonyan has declared that Armenia is taking steps aimed at concluding a peace treaty with Azerbaijan. |