U.S. evangelist Billy Graham, who counseled presidents and preached to millions across the world from his native North Carolina to communist North Korea during his 70 years in the pulpit, died on Wednesday at the age of 99, a spokesman said. Graham died at 8 a.m. EST (1300 GMT) at his home in Montreat, North Carolina, according to Jeremy Blume, a spokesman for the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. According to his ministry, he preached Christianity to more people than anyone else in history, reaching hundreds of millions of people either in person or via TV and satellite links. Graham became the de facto White House chaplain to several U.S. presidents, most famously Richard Nixon. He also met with scores of world leaders and was the first noted evangelist to take his message behind the Iron Curtain. “He was probably the dominant religious leader of his era,” said William Martin, author of “A Prophet With Honor: The BillyGraham Story.” “No more than one or two popes, perhaps one or two other people, came close to what he achieved.” Graham found himself at times in controversy over his disapproving stand on gay rights, as well as over a secretly recorded conversation with Nixon in which the cleric complained that Jews had too much influence on the U.S. media. In the later years of his career he intentionally muted his political beliefs to focus on the Gospel. Graham was no longer a close associate of presidents in recent years but many former U.S…. [Read full story]
Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika has died after a heart attack, political and hospital sources said Friday, but the government's official silence has created political suspense over his succession. The impoverished nation was plunged into a long night of intrigue after Mutharika's heart attack Thursday in the capital Lilongwe. He was rushed to hospital, but doctors were unable to save him, a source at the hospital said. "He died... after two hours of resuscitation," the source said. "The president died yesterday, and his body has been flown to South Africa for embalming and for the process to be dignified, the…... [read more]
Nelson Mandela, the revered icon of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and one of the towering political figures of the 20th century, has died aged 95. JOHANNESBURG: Nelson Mandela, the revered icon of South Africa's anti-apartheid struggle and a towering figure of 20th century politics, died Thursday aged 95. The Nobel Peace laureate, who was elected South Africa's first black president after spending nearly three decades as a political prisoner, died at his Johannesburg home surrounded by his family, after a long battle against lung infection. The news was announced to the nation and the world by a clearly…... [read more]
Guinea-Bissau's President Malam Bacai Sanha died in a hospital in Paris of diabetes complications on Monday as a new presidential election was planned in three months, according to a statement released by Guinea-Bissau's presidency. The statement said that the 64-year-old president, who has been hospitalized by the French Val de Grace hospital since late last year, died on Monday morning. It said a presidential is planned to be held in three months, during which the head of the country's National Assembly Raimundo Pereira will take over as the acting president of Guinea-Bissau. Sanha, a diabetic, has been in poor health…... [read more]
MINNEAPOLIS - Joan Mondale, the wife of former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale and a champion of the arts, died on Monday, her family said in a statement. She was 83. Mondale died with the former vice president, her sons Ted and William, and other family members at her side, said the statement released through their church. She entered hospice care on Friday. The family did not provide details on her illness. "We are grateful for the expressions of love and support we have received. Joan was greatly loved by many. We will miss her dearly," Walter Mondale, 86, said…... [read more]
HA NOI — President Nguyen Minh Triet yesterday sent a message of condolences to the President of the Republic of Zambia, Rupiah Banda, following the death of former President Frederick Chiluba. Chiluba, who was president of Zambia from 1991 to 2002, passed away last Saturday at the age of 68. First Vietnamese Ambassador received by Greek President ATHENS — President Karolos Papoulias received the first Vietnamese Ambassador to Greece, Vu Binh, at an official introduction ceremony in Athens on Monday. During the reception, Papoulias said that he hoped the establishment of new Vietnamese embassy in Greece would boost a bilateral…... [read more]
