In pictures: Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday

Children outside clinic in Pretoria where Nelson Mandela is being treated, Pretoria (18 July) — Image caption,
South Africans of all ages have been celebrating the 95th birthday of Nelson Mandela, their first black president.

Newspaper vendor holds up paper with Mandela's picture on the front, Soweto (18 July)

This newspaper vendor in the township of Soweto, where Mr Mandela once lived, holds up the day's paper bearing birthday wishes to the former leader.

Pupils at the Denver primary school in Johannesburg pray for Nelson Mandela (18 July)

Mr Mandela has been in hospital for more than a month with a recurring lung infection. These pupils at a Johannesburg primary school offered prayers for his health.

Well-wishers outside Mr Mandela's hospital in Pretoria (18 July)

Well-wishers gathered outside the MediClinic Heart Hospital in Pretoria, where Mr Mandela has been undergoing treatment for more than a month.

Pupils at Phefeni High School, Soweto, sing Happy Birthday to Nelson Mandela (18 July)

Schoolchildren - including these teenagers at Phefeni High School, opposite Mr Mandela's former home in Soweto - began Mandela Day by singing Happy Birthday to the man regarded as the father of modern South Africa.

Candles burning for Nelson Mandela, St George's Cathedral, Cape Town (18 July)

In St George's Cathedral, in Cape Town, people lit candles for Mr Mandela.

Children hold placards at a township school, Atteridgeville, near Pretoria (18 July)

At times, the outlook for Mr Mandela's health seemed bleak, but doctors say his condition has improved. Across the country his birthday is being marked by relief - many, like this schoolgirl in Atteridgeville township, greeting him by his clan name, Madiba.

Four of Nelson Mandela's grandchildren - Adjoa Amuah, Mbuso, Zondwa and Tukwini (from left to right) - work on a garden, Mamelodi township, outside Pretoria (18 July)

South Africans were encouraged to donate 67 minutes of their day to volunteer work, to mark Mr Mandela's 67 years of public service. Four of Mr Mandela's grandchildren set an example, working on a garden outside Pretoria.

South African President Jacob Zuma arrives at Nelson Mandela's hospital, Pretoria (18 July)

South African President Jacob Zuma went to the hospital in Pretoria to mark his predecessor's 95th birthday.

Mr Mandela is the first recipient of a digital ID card in South Africa, as the government begins rolling out a new system.

Two women read from a children's version of Nelson Mandela's autobiography to a school class in Nairobi (18 July)

Mr Mandela's story resonates far beyond South Africa. These two women are reading from a children's version of his autobiography to a school in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.

The peloton waits behind an image of Nelson Mandela to begin Thursday's stage of the Tour de France, Gap (18 July)

Riders preparing for the day's stage in the Tour de France gathered by a giant poster of Mr Mandela.

Image of Nelson Mandela on a Times Square billboard, New York City (18 July)

Mr Mandela's image was displayed on a billboard in New York's Times Square, along with a birthday greeting.

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