Mandela Makes ‘Dramatic’ Progress, Says Daughter – Former president Nelson Mandela, who has been in hospital for almost six weeks, has made “dramatic progress”, and may be going home “anytime soon”, his daughter Zindzi has said on the eve of his 95th birthday. [news24]

Nelson Mandela: 95th Birthday Marked Worldwide – Nelson Mandela spends his birthday in hospital, as people around the world honour his legacy through acts of charity. [skynews]

F1 Boss Ecclestone Charged With Bribery – Bernie Ecclestone, Formula One’s chief executive, has been charged with bribery over a sale of a stake in the motor racing business, which threatens to put the brakes on a planned flotation. [telegraph]

Johan Kotze Sentenced To Life – “Modimolle Monster” Johan Kotze was sentenced to life in prison for murder and rape on Wednesday. Kotze was reportedly handed a life-term for murder, a second life-term for rape and an additional 25 years for kidnapping and assault. [africa]

Basson Hearing: Witness Won’t Talk About Mandela – A former SA Defence Force surgeon general has refused to divulge details of meetings and discussions he had with former president Nelson Mandela. [mail&guardian]

Intel And IBM See Big Fall In Profit – Two tech titans, IBM and Intel, have reported big drops in net income. Intel reported a second-quarter profit of $2bn (£1.32bn), down 29% from a year ago. For its part, IBM saw earnings for the same period fall 17% to $3.23bn. [bbc] 

Zimbabweans To Launch Independent TV Station – A new privately-owned television station begins broadcasting in Zimbabwe this week, hoping to provide an independent voice ahead of elections, a company spokesman said Wednesday. [glopo]

Bond Actor Paul Bhattacharjee Found Dead – British actor Paul Bhattacharjee, who appeared in Casino Royale and EastEnders, has been found dead. The 53-year-old was last seen leaving the Royal Court theatre in London’s Sloane Square on 10 July. [stuff]

Huge Rollover Leads To Massive R1.4 Billion Saturday Jackpot – Those of you who haven’t automated the process should probably get tickets for Saturday’s $141 Powerball lottery. [here]

Ariel Castro Pleads Not Guilty To 977 Charges At New Arraignment – The Cleveland man accused of holding three women captive in his home for over a decade pleaded not guilty Wednesday on an expanded indictment charging him with 512 counts of kidnapping and 446 counts of rape, among other crimes. [guardian]

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Rolling Stone Defends Cover Featuring Boston Marathon Bombing Suspect – Rolling Stone has defended its controversial new cover featuring Boston Marathon bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after triggering a firestorm of comments. [cbs]

Change Of Plan: Brangelina Might Get Married On A Boat – Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie better have good sea legs – they’re up for a floating wedding. The couple have been making enquiries about getting married aboard the Hebridean Princess, a ship sailing the waters off Scotland and previously chartered by The Queen. [thesun]

Cold War-Era CIA Tapped James Bond for Gadget Ideas – It looks like the relationship between former CIA Director Allen Dulles and 007 mastermind Ian Fleming ran deeper than some might’ve expected. A study of declassified documents has revealed that the United States’ highly secretive security organization copied gadgets from James Bond films and used some of the books to bolster its image. [mashable]

Gay Marriage To Be Legal In England As Law Clears Last Hurdle – Gay marriage is to become legal in England and Wales after the lower house of the British parliament approved the final changes on Tuesday to a law that had Prime Minister David Cameron’s backing but split his ruling Conservative party. [reuters]

Judges of a Graceful Sport, Caught in a Clumsy Cheating Scandal – Notes were scrawled across palms. Marked-up answer sheets were filled with suspicious adjustments. Exams were mysteriously missing pages. [nytimes]

Trial Begins For Captain In Costa Concordia Cruise Disaster – The ship captain accused of causing the deaths of 32 people in last year’s Costa Concordia cruise disaster asked for a plea bargain Wednesday as his trial got under way in Italy. [cnn]

Rihanna Tells Angry Fans To ‘Cut That Shit Out’ After They Pelt Her With Potato Crisps After Yet Another Late Start – It seems her fans are finally tiring of her late starts. For fuming Rihanna told fans to ‘cut that s*** out’ after they showered her with food after she turned up an hour late to her show in Manchester on Tuesday. [dailymail]

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African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa Giveaway, 12h00-14h00 – Just Josie broadcasts live from the African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel from 12h00-14h00 today to school you on why this is the perfect breakaway during winter. From the unique bar, to the idea setting for business meetings, come day or night, this hotel boasts a number of facilities which sets it apart from many others. Tune in from 12h00 today and find out how you can win a weekend stay! [justjosie]

The UK Top 40 With Rhys Woods, 15h00-17h00 – Tune in every Thursday for an exclusive look at some of hottest tracks in Britain. Join quirky Comedian and Actor Rhys Woods and Comedienne and Writer Anne Hirsch as they countdown the UK’s Top 40 singles chart. Fierce and cutting edge music served with a side of  major laughs. [rhyswoods]

Biz Takeouts With Greater Than PR, VWV Group and TEDx CT Speakers, 17h00 – Tonight’s Biz Takeouts looks at Public Relations with Greater Than PR, Brand Experience Agency VWV Massive and lastly he also chats to some of the upcoming  TEDx Cape Town event speakers. Tonight’s show will be a bumper 1h30min edition, so tune in from 17h00. [biztakeouts]