COLOMBO, July 24, 2008 (AFP) - Sri Lanka will on Friday mark a quarter of a century since the country's worst ethnic riots claimed scores of lives, but 25 years on there is little prospect of peace on the island.

QUNU, July 19, 2008 (AFP) - Nelson Mandela, South Africa's anti-apartheid hero feted worldwide after turning 90, was toasted by leaders at a lavish feast Saturday as he prepared finally to bow out of public life.

Guests stood and cheered and a choir sang 'Here is our hope' as Mandela entered a festive tent set up outside his rural home for the celebration of an extraordinary lifetime.

QUNU, July 19, 2008 (AFP) - Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama on Saturday praised Nelson Mandela's courage and conviction in a video tribute made to mark the South African hero's 90th birthday.

QUNU, July 19, 2008 (AFP) - Nelson Mandela, fresh from being feted at home and abroad on his 90th birthday, was to host a banquet Saturday for the new generation of South African leaders as well as hundreds of friends.

QUNU, July 18, 2008 (AFP) - Nelson Mandela, the icon of the anti-apartheid movement and South Africa's first black president, marked his 90th birthday on Friday with an appeal on behalf of his Rainbow Nation's poor.

As tributes poured in for the world's best loved elder statesman, Mandela spent the day surrounded by the family he was unable to see during 27 years in captivity.

QUNU, July 18, 2008 (AFP) - Seventy-year-old Zeblon Muthwa rose at the crack of dawn on Friday to saddle his horse for a 40-kilometer (25-mile) ride to join in Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday celebrations.

JOHANNESBURG, July 18, 2008 (AFP) - Tributes flooded in Friday from home and abroad as former South African president Nelson Mandela turned 90. Here is a collection of some of the messages:

MOSCOW, July 18, 2008 (AFP) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday congratulated anti-apartheid icon and former South African president Nelson Mandela on his 90th birthday.

QUNU, July 18, 2008 (AFP) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela on Friday bemoaned the growing gap between rich and poor in his country as he marked his 90th birthday.

QUNU, July 18, 2008 (AFP) - Nelson Mandela, the icon of the anti-apartheid movement and South Africa's first black president, celebrated his 90th birthday Friday as tributes poured in from around the world.