For whom did President Obama deliver the address?

President Obama has hailed Nelson Mandela as one of the giants of history in an address at the former South African president’s memorial service, comparing Mandela to Mohandas Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King. Mr. Obama called him the last great liberator of the 20th century. He urged the crowd of world leaders, celebrities, and tens of thousands of South Africans to embrace his message of peace. But Mr. Obama had a tough message too, questioning whether today’s leaders were living up to Nelson Mandela’s integrity and commitment to justice and peace.

The authorities in the Australian state of New South Wales have urged people living in the Blue Mountains to leave their homes as strengthening winds and high temperatures threatened to spread a major bush fire. Forecasters warned that Wednesday could be the worst day since the crisis began more than a week ago. Exhausted firefighters have been preparing for their most challenging day yet. They have been carrying out controlled burning of key areas. The idea was to deprive fires of fuel and prevent them travelling. On Monday, they joined up two large fires to make one that is easier to manage. Around 60 fires are burning in New South Wales, and there are 17 of them, still uncontrolled.