Whether swimming the Atlantic or running multiple marathons, they are raising the stakes

Eddie Izzard has had to abandon his gruelling challenge to run a marathon each day for 27 days in South Africa due to "medical complications".

Aung San Suu Kyi will finally get a chance to deliver her acceptance speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, nearly 21 years after she won it.

England's three-Test summer tour of South Africa will include midweek matches in Kimblerley and Potchefstroom against SA Barbarians teams, it was confirmed today.

British actor Idris Elba is set to portray Nelson Mandela on the big screen.

A 38-year-old man was in custody today after being arrested following an eight-hour stand-off with armed police at an Italian restaurant in Glasgow city centre.

Black British actors should go west to Hollywood as quickly as they can because they won't find leading roles in the UK, David Harewood, the acclaimed National Theatre performer, has advised.

David Harewood has criticised the lack of opportunities for young black actors in the UK and has advised them to consider heading to the US.

The African National Congress stumbled into its second century yesterday with little rejoicing, amid a clampdown on speeches and after international dignitaries stayed away from a chaotic series of commemorative events.

Tens of thousands of chanting and dancing revelers in South Africa are waving the green and gold of the African National Congress as Africa's oldest liberation movement celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Against all odds, the party of Mandela has reached an historic milestone. But despite its achievements, many South Africans say it has not done enough to help the poor. Alex Duval Smith reports from Mangaung

Starring: Michelle Yeoh, David Thewlis

Vic Finkelstein, who has died aged 73, was an activist and academic whose writings gave intellectual shape to the disabled people's movement. Finkelstein was born in Johannesburg in 1938, and grew up in Durban. He claimed later that his "lifelong resistance against regimentation" started in nursery school, while his Jewish background gave him an abhorrence of human oppression.

In victory in Berlin two years ago, Caster Semenya was denied the opportunity to bask in the glow of her success in the World Championship 800m final by the storm about her gender that broke just before the two-lap race. In the home straight in Daegu yesterday, the 20-year-old South African was denied the gold medal when Mariya Savinova of Russia shot past her in stunning fashion.