Edward Snowden: Russia Offers To Consider Asylum Request – Russia has offered to consider an asylum request from the US whistleblower Edward Snowden, in the Kremlin’s latest move to woo critics of the west. [guardian]

Mandela Family Gathers Round Ailing Icon – As ex-president Nelson Mandela battles in hospital against a potentially life-threatening lung infection, his kin – no strangers to family feuds – have come together to be at his bedside. [news24]

Here Is Whistleblower Edward Snowden’s Pole-Dancing Girlfriend – Lindsay Mills, a 28-year-old dancer in Hawaii, is the girlfriend of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, according to various reports. [gawker]

Google, Others Pushing For More Transparency Post-NSA Revelation – After days of fielding criticism about the government’s surveillance programs, tech titans went on the offensive Tuesday. [politico]

Sales Of Orwell’s ‘1984’ Spike After NSA Revelations – As of this morning, Amazon sales of George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1984 had jumped 6,021 percent in just 24 hours, to No. 213 on Amazon’s bestseller list. [npr]

BUY ‘1984’ HERE

Gauntlett: Shuttleworth Bid Could Be Devastating For SA – Mark Shuttleworth’s bid to have SA’s exchange control declared unconstitutional could have a devastating effect on the country, says Jeremy Gauntlett. [mg]

Google Buys Israel’s Waze to keep mobile maps lead – Google Inc bought Israeli mapping startup Waze on Tuesday for just over $1 billion, a source familiar with the matter said, acquiring an online real-time mapping service to safeguard its lead in one of the most crucial aspects of smartphone usage. [reuters]

South Korea: Talks With North Scrapped Over Negotiators – The Koreas’ first high-level talks in years were scrapped a day before they were to begin Wednesday because the sides didn’t agree on who would lead the talks. [time]

Smit Outlines His Plans – John Smit, the incoming CEO of The Sharks, has addressed the media at Kings Park, outlining his role, effective from July, which includes making difficult decisions. [sport24]

Sergio Garcia Left An Apology Letter In Tiger Woods’ Locker – Sergio Garcia told reporters at his U.S. Open media conference Tuesday afternoon that he left a note in his rival’s locker earlier in the day addressing a racist remark he made several weeks ago at a European Tour awards dinner. [usatoday]

Russia’s Lower House Passes Anti-Gay Bill As Protesters Beaten, Arrested – A bill that stigmatizes Russia’s gay community and bans the distribution of information about homosexuality to children was overwhelmingly approved by the lower house of parliament Tuesday. [washpo]

One-Armed Miss Iowa Will Compete in Miss America Pageant – Nicole Kelly, who was born without her left forearm, was crowned Miss Iowa over the weekend. As a result, the 23-year-old will find herself competing at the Miss America pageant on Sept. 15. [eonline]

Ringo Starr Will Adapt ‘Octopus’s Garden’ As A Children’s Book – Starr is taking the Beatles song – one of the few that Starr wrote and sang for the group – and turning the idea into a children’s book. The picture book is planned for an October release in the UK and a January 2014 release in the US and will be published by Simon & Schuster. [csm]

Video Reveals Bizarre Deep-Sea Oarfish – Behold the oarfish, a bizarre beast the lives in the deep ocean, far offshore. Due to its remote home, little is known about the fish, whose dorsal fins delicately undulate as it glides about the deep. [livescience]

Jackson Family: Debbie Will Become Paris’ Guardian Over Our Dead Bodies – Michael Jackson’s family has circled the wagons … with many family members expressing outrage at the prospect Debbie Rowe could become Paris Jackson’s legal guardian. [tmz]

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Siv Ngesi With Bailey Schneider At 2pm – Siv is in to talk about his one man show Panic at the Artscape Theatre. Siv plays Thando Molepo – a young man in his late twenties, facing and attempting to deal with a number of internal, domestic, relational and macro conflicts, all of them related in some way, or having some bearing on each other. Panic is written by Mike van Graan and directed by Heinrich Reisenhofer. [baileyschneider]

The Bro Show with Paul Snodgrass, 18h00-20h00 – Some shows just have an angle we like and know you will love – Snoddy’s Bro Show is just that. Great local and international bands, celeb guests and the unique workings of the mind of one of South Africa’s finest full on shock comedians, Snoddy is perhaps that blip on the radar of life that you know you want to get to know. Tune in from 18h00-20h00 and catch The Bro Show live on 2ovfm! [broshow]

Bass Instinct With Candice Heyns, 20h00-22h00 – Candice is one half of the unstoppable musical duo Blush ’N Bass – two South African females that bring a tasteful, yet sexy, music experience to electro nightclubs in SA. Candice promises a professionally delivered show with music that will tantalize anyone’s ears. She takes you through a musical journey and without you even realizing it, you will be off your couch, tapping your feet, clapping your hands or dancing in front of your mirror singing to yourself! [bassinstinct]