Mr Mandela retired from public life eight years ago but has suffered declining health in recent years.

South African President Jacob Zuma’s office said the “love and good wishes of all South Africans and people throughout the world”

It has not been officially announced which hospital he had been taken to, but it is believed to be in Johannesburg.

Last year, Mandela received treatment in Johannesburg’s Milpark hospital for respiratory problems.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner is affectionately known in South Africa as Madiba.

He spent 27 years in prison for his actions against the apartheid regime before being released in 1990.

In 1994, he became South Africa’s first black president, stepping down in 1999 after one term.

A man walked into John Newman Hairdressing in Rothwell, Northamptonshire, and snatched a mobile phone from under the owner’s nose customer Kevin Winson and hairdresser Darren Greenfield did not hesitate to react.

Kevin, halfway through a cut and with a black cape still around his neck, jumped out of his chair and joined Darren to salon owner John Newman and pursue the thief toward Market Square.

The duo were soon joined by two motorists who, seeing the commotion, split up and cornered the man at the end of Well Lane.

He was then pushed into a hedge and held by the men before a team of grateful police officers arrived.

Yesterday (WEDS) the thief, Isaia Stoian, faced Kettering magistrates charged with theft.

The 18-year-old, from Ilford in Essex, admitted the offence, saying he took the phone to sell for money to buy a ticket to get home to Romania.

Activating a suspended sentence for theft last year, he was jailed by magistrates for 26 weeks.

After the hearing, Mr Newman said it should act as a warning for any criminal wanting to take on the community of the town. He said: “People were jumping over themselves to help join in and catch this man.

Being nearly 56 and slightly overweight I couldn’t keep up with the man and stopped at the Red Lion – but only to see my customer and hairdresser run by.

“It was so funny, I was angry but laughing, it just reminded me of that scene in Only Fools and Horses where Del Boy and Rodney run dressed as Batman and Robin.

“Luckily two people I knew were also nearby in their cars and they teamed up, one going down Well Lane and the other down Ponder Street, to trap the man. I’ll be buying them all a few drinks.”

Police officers searched Stoian before finding the phone in the hedge. He was arrested and taken into custody.

Another man who was with Stoian was released without charge.

Mr Winson, 46, of Baker Avenue in Broughton, returned to the shop in Bridge Street 15 minutes later with cape still around his neck to have his haircut finished.

He said: “I wouldn’t say Batman, I’d say I looked more like Del Boy from Only Fools and Horses.”

The court heard how Stoian had walked into the shop as Mr Newman was cashing up at about 5pm.

He placed a newspaper over the John’s iPhone before walking out with both in his hand.

Andy Hopkinson, for Stoian, said his client had found it difficult to find work since arriving in the country since 2004.

Nikki Sinclaire, 43, was being quizzed by detectives from West Midlands Police’s Economic Crime Unit over allegations about her allowance and expense claims.

Three other people, two women and a 19-year-old teenager, were also arrested at addresses in Solihull, Worcester and Birmingham.

All four remained in custody on Wednesday night.

Miss Sinclaire, from Meriden, West Midlands, was arrested at a Birmingham police station yesterday evening by detectives from West Midlands Police’s Economic Crime Unit.

A spokeswoman for West Midlands Police said last night: ‘‘West Midlands Police Economic Crime Unit have today arrested four people on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud the European Parliament.

‘‘Two women, aged 55 and 39, and a man aged 19 were arrested at addresses in Solihull, Worcester and Birmingham this morning, while a 43 year-old woman was later arrested at a police station in Birmingham. All four remain in custody this evening.

‘‘The arrests are part of an ongoing investigation which followed an allegation made in 2010 into allowances and expenses.’’ Miss Sinclaire was elected to the European Parliament as a UKIP MEP for the West Midlands in June 2009, but was later expelled from the party over policy rows.

British MEPs earn around £80,000 in wages from the European Parliament each year, depending on the euro exchange rate. They can also claim up to £205,000 annually in staffing allowance.

In 2010, London-born Miss Sinclaire said she would welcome an official inquiry into her own expenses after denying reports she had claimed money she was not entitled to.

It followed accusations by a whistleblower that she had claimed nearly GBP840 for driving the 1,200 miles from her Birmingham home to the parliament in Strasbourg, when she had allegedly travelled by plane, which can cost as little as £260.

An investigation by the European Parliament’s anti-fraud office was the only way she could clear her name, Miss Sinclaire said at the time.

“I have never intentionally claimed anything I wasn’t entitled to,” she said. “And none of this money went into my personal bank account.“

Far from making a profit from expenses, she actually subsidised her work as an MEP with £10,000 a year from her own salary, she said.

Miss Sinclaire stood in the 2010 General Election in Meriden, but won just 1.3 per cent of the vote, against 2.6 per cent for the UKIP candidate. 

Little Cerys Edwards, from Sutton Coldfield, West Midlands, will also get an annual £450,000 payout for the rest of her life, it is understood.

Cerys was 11 months old when her family’s car was hit head-on by driver Antonio Boparan in Streetly Lane, Sutton Coldfield, in November 2006. 

Just 19 at the time, the millionaire’s son, who passed his test only six months earlier, was driving at more than 70mph in a 30mph zone and was on the wrong side of the road in a powerful Range Rover Sport.

Boparan, from Sutton Coldfield, would have faced up to 14 years in prison if Cerys had died.

But instead he served just six months of a 21-month sentence after being found guilty of dangerous driving in 2008.

Cerys, who has been dependent on a ventilator and a team of nurses since 2006, received an interim payment of £800,000 from the Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Group in 2008.

The group has also paid towards her care costs since she moved into an adapted home at the end of 2010.

Before returning home Cerys endured dozens of operations, spent seven months in Birmingham Children’s Hospital, 16 months in a Surrey rehabilitation centre and two years in a temporary rented house.

Her family’s long legal battle was due to finally come to an end in front of Judge Martin McKenna at Birmingham County Court this morning.

No comment was available from Cerys’s parents, Gareth and Tracey, but the settlement will help pay for her accommodation and round-the-clock nursing needs.

Sentencing Boparan in 2008, Judge Frank Chapman slammed him for ‘ruining’ the Edwards family’s life.

He said: “Whatever sentence I pass cannot restore Cerys Edwards to full health so there will be many who will think the sentence I am passing is too short.

“The maximum sentence of this offence remains at two years, nobody died as a result of this offence but Cerys sustained very serious injuries.

“Those injuries are irreversible – she will never walk and never talk again.

“The lives of her family have been utterly ruined by what you did. You were driving a very very powerful car – I have heard this sort of car described as a tank with a sport car engine.

“You were clearly not suitable to drive it.”

A campaign raised the case with former Justice Secretary Jack Straw, who said he was “disgusted“ at Boparan’s jail sentence.

More than 13,000 campaigners backed a call for tougher sentences, prompting the Government to change the law.

A petition was delivered to Westminster by Cerys’s parents in July 2009.

As a result, anyone convicted of the new offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving will face up to five years in prison instead of the current maximum of two for dangerous driving.

Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke said: “Dangerous driving can destroy lives and have a devastating effect on victims and their families and friends.

“We have listened to the victims of dangerous drivers, their families, MPs, judges and road safety groups and their experiences have directly informed these changes.“

The young Muntjac must have been left thinking ‘oh deer’ after it got more than he bargained for this week when out for a midnight feast by getting jammed in metal railings.

The stranded buck was found thrashing around near Marsh Lane, Curdworth, Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands on Monday morning.

The terrified animal was left stranded for some time as the emergency services had to be called in to separate the bars of the railings.

RSPCA inspector Daniel Cole arrived to find the deer had managed to pull most of his body and his four legs through the railings but was stuck by his back end.

With the assistance of a couple of locals, Daniel tried to free the deer using a car jack but when this was unsuccessful called for expert help in the form of  Warwickshire fire and rescue.  They used special equipment which widened the gap in the railings freeing the deer within minutes.

“Many thanks go to officers from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue as their help was invaluable with this rescue,” said inspector Cole.  “The deer was clearly distressed as he was making an alarming noise, screaming like a child.

“With any wildlife rescue we do our utmost to keep the animal as calm as possible preventing undue stress.  I put a towel over the deer’s head which quietened him down.  He had sustained a few minor grazes but thankfully nothing major so once he was free it was in his best interests to allow him to immediately return to the wild.”

Muntjac were first introduced from China to Woburn Park in Bedfordshire in the early 20th century. Deliberate releases and escapes from Woburn, Northamptonshire, and Warwickshire led to feral populations establishing.

They are now widespread in England.  They are generally solitary animals or can be found in pairs. They are active 24 hours a day but make more use of open spaces during the hours of darkness.

Peak times of activity are at dawn and dusk. After feeding, long periods are spent “lying up”, when the deer lies down to ruminate. A common name for muntjac is “barking deer” resulting from the repeated, loud bark given under a number of circumstances. An alarmed muntjac may scream whereas maternal does and kids squeak.

Grandmother Christine Seymour was subjected to a frenzied attack by her housemate Andrzej Chranowski, who rained down punches on her face and repeatedly stabbed her with surgical scissors.

Moments earlier she had been standing in the street outside her home, talking to a friend on the phone when without warning Chranowski, 34, lunged at her – and after tearing a 4.5cm deep wound in her chest, tried to rip out her heart.

The attack came from nowhere, but after the initial onslaught Chranowski didn’t let up – dragging the bleeding woman from the street, into the hallway of the house they shared.

He was this week starting an 18-year prison sentence.

Now, over a year on from the horrific attack which nearly killed her, Miss Seymour, 60, has vowed that the experience of that terrible night will not be a life sentence for her.

She is determined the “friendly giant who turned into a crazy monster” will not ruin the rest of her life.

Bravely displaying the wounds that criss-cross her body, Miss Seymour said: “One of them missed my heart by a centimetre. I’m lucky to be alive.”

She described how as she tried to crawl to the safety of her own room, he asked her “Are you not dead yet?” before dumping her on her bed.

The terrified night shift worker revealed her only thought was “I don’t want to die yet. I don’t want this man to be the one to decide my time is up.”

Her physical wounds have now healed, but she still suffers pain from the damaged nerves in her arms where she tried to defend herself from the scissors.

She still suffers emotional trauma, which is as raw as the day it happened, she added.

The brave pensioner, who now lives in another shared house in Spalding, Lincs, says she “has good days and bad days”

On the bad days she is paralysed by fear and unable to leave her home.

She continued: “I have lived in Spalding all of my life and before this happened I wasn’t afraid of anything.  Now, I am frightened of what is behind every door and round every corner.

“What he did has not just affected me, but also a lot of other people, such as my family and the people who witnessed what happened.

“I am having trauma counselling to help me deal with what happened and put it behind me but at the moment it is with me every day. When I close my eyes I am right back there. But I have said all along that I will not let this man beat me.

“I don’t want to be this blubbering mess for ever and I am determined to get back to being the old Christine.”

The brave grandmother has praised the paramedic who saved her life that night in Spalding and the police whose hard work brought Chranowski to justice.

She said: “I am pleased with the sentence. It is a long time and I hope it gives him time to reflect on what he has done.

“We had lived in that same house for more than two years and he always seemed quiet and polite. He always said hello and I called him the friendly giant. But on that night he became a crazy monster.

“I still don’t understand why he did what he did, but I just hope that when he gets out of prison in eight or nine years, they send him home to Poland.

“I can’t forgive him for what he has done to me.”

According to a recent study, 77 percent of parents who drive their kids to school find both the morning and afternoon school run more stressful than work or grocery shopping.

It found a staggering 54 per cent of people are more likely to use their horn or swear at other drivers during the school run than at any other time on the road as stress levels are so heightened.

Eighty per cent of parents admit to losing their temper with their young ones on the drive to school on a daily basis – and 42 per cent even admit to feeling sick when thinking about the prospect of the dreaded drive.

Head of the Psychology Department at Birmingham City University, Professor Craig Jackson, said the results did not surprise him.

“The school run has change from what it was in previous generations,” he said.

“It’s seen as being more hectic and there’s more vehicles on the road and more people driving to school rather than walking.

“It gives the psychological impression of being a more hectic period of the day and for many parents it’s probably seen as part of their working day.

“Many young parents now won’t be working 9-5 jobs and for many of those parents taking their kids to school for 8.45 means it’s eating into their working day.

“So it will feel like they’re stealing time which will contribute to feeling snappy and ill-tempered.”

The study also found that 60 percent of parents felt the school run delayed them by at least ten minutes a day as it was hard to get the children out of the house – while 30 percent of parents said they had ‘fallen out’ with other parents over parking issues around the school gates.

“When people see a young mum in a 4 x 4 blocking the road that will justify their stereotypes and be an excuse to use their horn,” added Prof. Jackson, whose work focuses on how the workplace can effect people’s health and well-being.

“But there is a positive in this for the children. No matter how stressful and horrible it is for parents, there is a positive for their children that they are getting to school at the same time every day and that’s what kids need, consistency.

“There’s plenty of research on the stress of working but psychologists haven’t focused on the commute and particularly the school run.

“It’s like a barometer. If you’re running late at the start of the day then you’re running late all day.”

Busy mum and bank manager, Julie Bennett, admits she dreads the school run more than any other part of her day.

“When I wake up, the first thing I think about is normally the kids and getting them to school. It doesn’t matter how well organised you are, it’s always a nightmare,” said the 43-year-old, who is married with two boys under the age of 10.

“Managing a bank isn’t a piece of cake but the school run is definitely more stressful. It might only be a 20 minute drive for us but the kids are constantly fighting with each other and the traffic is so frustrating.

“Some of the meetings I have at work are pretty intense and Saturday morning at the supermarket can be a nightmare but it’s nowhere near as painful as the school run.

“You get the ‘soccer mum’ stereotypes but most of the people I see dropping their kids at school are busy professionals like me.

“There are so many people on the roads trying to get to school and they are always in urban areas where the roads aren’t build for that many cars.”

The study, conducted by Micro Scooters UK, was undertaken in January to help promote other ways parents can take their children to school.

Commenting on the findings, Philippa Gogarty, co-founder of Micro Scooters UK said: “As Mums ourselves, we understand the challenges of the school run. It’s definitely the most stressful part of my day so the results don’t surprise me.

“Children, whatever age they are, don’t really take any responsibility for getting into the car with everything they need so it all falls down to the mother.

“And you do it so often so you know if you don’t leave by a certain time then you know the traffic will build up at the roundabout and the stress starts.

“We wanted to get Micro Scooters ‘out there’ and we’re now developing a national scooter proficiency programme in a bid to make scooting even more accessible””

David O’Neill won a race discrimination battle against the Ocean Dragon in Birmingham’s Chinese Quarter following a year-long fight for compensation.

The 19-year-old, from the Selly Oak area of the city, successfully sued the diner after his hours were drastically cut by a new Chinese manager who handed his shifts to workers from China.

David, a first-year law student at Staffordshire University, won his lengthy battle after representing himself at a Birmingham employment tribunal and was awarded total compensation of £5,322.89.

But he is yet to receive a penny from the restaurant owners – and a High Court appointed bailiff will now be sent in to recover compensation if the Ocean Dragon fails to comply.

David started working at the Ocean Dragon, an upmarket Arcadian Centre restaurant, in May 2010 as a part-time waiter under a white manager, his first-ever job.

“From the end of October 2010, a new Chinese manager was appointed as general manager who cut my hours dramatically and those of other white staff, until I was given no hours whatsoever after November 2010,” he said.

“Although I kept contacting the manager, she kept informing me that there were no hours available but she would be in touch.”

David said he realised he was being discriminated against on ethnic grounds after new Chinese staff were recruited to take over his hours – despite assurances from the manager that he would be given more work.

“I sent a letter of complaint to the company outlining my concerns and they denied all knowledge of me even working at the company.

“As the company seemed to completely disregard and push my grievances aside, I felt I had no option but to begin legal proceedings.”

In legal proceedings which lasted from last May until December, David sued for discrimination, unfair dismissal, failure to issue a contract of employment, and unauthorised deductions.

No comment was available from the restaurant.

Appearing at Northampton Crown Court today, the ex-Norwich star was handed a six month jail term by Judge Richard Bray and banned from driving for 18 months.

The court heard McKenzie, 33, who retired from professional football in December, sent  Northamptonshire police a series of bogus letters to avoid repeated speeding fines and the loss of his driving licence.

Claiming to be from a fictional garage in London, the letters, sent to dodge six speeding fines between February 2008 and January 2010, claimed the former footballer’s car was off the road when he was caught speeding.

Claire Howell, prosecuting, at a hearing last year, said that each time he received a notice of intended prosecution, McKenzie sent back a letter stating mechanics were working on his car when it was said to have been caught by speed cameras.

Sentencing McKenzie to six months in prison on Tuesday, Judge Bray said: ”These offences strike right at the heart of justice.

“It would send completely the wrong message not to pass a custodial sentence.”

The former Norwich City, Coventry City and Charlton Athletic star was supported in court by his uncle, former world champion boxer Duke McKenzie, former So Solid Crew rapper MC Harvey and former Burnley defender Clarke Carlisle, chairman of the Professional Footballers Association.

In an emotional statement released after he was sentenced, McKenzie, who has suffered from depression in the past, says his behaviour was “totally unacceptable”.

“I was not in a good place and couldn’t always make sense of what was going on. Some things being personal and some being work related,” said McKenzie in the statement.

“Unfortunately at that time I fell deep into depression, which led me to try and take my life. Around that period I wasn’t thinking straight, and got caught up with the wrong people around me.

“My behaviour towards certain things like these speeding offences were totally unacceptable and very naive of me to allow a third party to take my points for me.

“I broke the law six times in that two year period which I am now very aware of. I am truly sorry for these offences that I committed.

“It took a lot to speak out publicly about trying to end my life and now turning it around with helping others with issues of depression and starting a new career in music.

“I am now leaving my wife and my beautiful four children along with some fantastic friends and family. God willing they will be okay.

“Anyone that knows me, knows my heart and more importantly knows the change in me from where I was compared to where I am now. I am a fighter and looks like now I don’t have a choice but to battle on which I will do.”

After being arrested and questioned on suspicion of perverting the course of justice, the former Premier League player made a full confession on the understanding he would receive a caution.

But six months later, he was summoned to court to answer the charges again after a mix-up between Dc Simon Coles and Sgt Gez Jackson resulted in McKenzie being cautioned for the six offences without the case being referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.

During a protracted series of hearings and legal argument, Judge Bray was asked to decide whether the caution should be quashed, allowing for McKenzie to be prosecuted – but the caution was subsequently withdrawn by Northamptonshire Police.

Last month the striker pleaded guilty to the six charges, which relate to separate occasions over a two-year period when he sought to avoid a driving ban.

The court heard McKenzie, who played his last game for non-league Kettering Town in December, committed the offences around the time he was suffering from depression, and has been working with the Professional Footballers’ Association helping others with the same condition.

A sombre mood gripped Alvechurch Middle School, Alvechurch, Worcestershire, as students arrived for morning classes.

A number of pupils gathered around a flagpole in the car park where candles and floral tributes to games and maths teacher Peter Rippington, 59, had been laid.  

Mr Rippington died on Sunday morning after the coach he was travelling in ran into a ditch in Northern France.

Today/yesterday (SUN), as the flag outside the school flew at half-mast, more pupils and parents left floral tributes at the scene.

Several pupils left apples, with which the popular teacher – known as ‘Mr Ripp’ – was associated.

By the end of the morning school run, dozens of bouquets, pictures and other tributes had been left.

Several pupils wept as they approached the school grounds, and had to be comforted by their parents.

Police stood guard at all three gates of the school complex, which also houses a junior school, as parents brought their children in.

Parents expressed shock at the death of Mr Rippington, described as a well-loved teacher who was known to many in the local area.

Parent Sharon McCann paid an emotional tribute to ‘Mr Ripp’ outside the school.

Fighting back tears as she praised the “inspirational” teacher, she said: “He could get the kids to do things that other teachers couldn’t.

“He was the best, he’s going to be missed so much, he was lovely.

“It’s a huge loss to the school.”

Mrs McCann, 40, added that Mr Rippington, who had been due to retire next month, was a well-known character in the small village.

She said: “He used to speak to everyone, he was so polite and friendly, he always had a good thing to say.

“He always rode his bike to school, he had a very healthy lifestyle.

“It’s so cruel, why does it always happen to the best?”

Mrs McCann said her son Cameron, 13, had been devastated when he heard news of the popular teacher’s death.

She said: “He always said when he had detention Mr Ripp would sit at the front of the class peeling his apple.

“When he heard he said he wanted to leave an apple with all the flowers as a tribute.”

Former pupil Rich Burnett, 22, said that Mr Rippington, who had been at the school for around 30 years, taught a great number of people in the village.

He said: “He was very well-known outside of the school and around the village.

“You couldn’t go through the school without being taught by him.

“He will be missed greatly – he was a funny guy who loved his job.

“It’s a real shock for the true villagers that this has happened.”

Staff at the school and the local Reverend also paid tribute to Mr Rippington.

Revd David Martin, Rector of Alvechurch, said Mr Rippington “gave his whole life to Alvechurch CE Middle School.”

He added: “Peter was very much part of the wider community in Alvechurch and will be missed by many.”

Rev Martin said that St Laurence’s Church in the village would be open all day for well-wishers to say prayers and light candles.

Chair of Governors Bryan Maybee also paid tribute to the “inspirational and dedicated” teacher.

He  said: “I am thankful to be able to confirm that the staff and children who were well enough to travel and are not staying in France, arrived back safely on Sunday night at around midnight.”

He added: “The headteacher’s focus at this time is, as I am sure you will understand, is being available to all who need her within the school.

“She joins me in praising Peter Rippington for all he has done for the school and local community over the years and her thoughts, as are mine, are with his family at this tragic time.”

Neighbour Pamela Wainwright, 28, came to pay her respects to her former teacher.

She said that Mr Rippington, who lived on the same street as her, would be remembered for the school trips he organised.

She said: “The main memory I’ll have is the ski trips and how he made it on those ski trips.

“He was just a fantastic man, he was a lovely man, very generous and supportive.

“It’s devastating really, especially for the family, it’s a tragic loss.”