Saturday,  Aug. 31, 2013 • Vol. 15--No. 47 • 29 of 32

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patchers.
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Smoke pushes into San Joaquin Valley cities even as containment of massive wildfire grows

• FRESNO, Calif. (AP) -- Smoke from a wildfire around Yosemite National Park is causing problems in the San Joaquin Valley, even as firefighters make advances against the massive blaze.
• Winds had been blowing dense smoke plumes northeast into the Lake Tahoe area and Nevada but a shift brought them west down to the San Joaquin Valley floor.
• Regional air pollution control authorities issued a health caution for San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Merced, Madera, Fresno and Tulare counties. Residents who see or smell smoke were urged to stay inside, especially people with heart of lung problems, older adults and children.
• But in signs of progress, By Friday crews had built containment lines around more than a third of the huge forest fire and officials had lifted evacuation advisories in some small communities in the mountainous area,
• Also, a few dozen firefighters were released and more could be sent home in coming days, said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. More than 4,800 firefighters remained on the scene late Friday.
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South Africa's president says Nelson Mandela remains in hospital, still 'critical but stable'

• JOHANNESBURG (AP) -- Nelson Mandela remains hospitalized in a critical but stable condition, the office of South Africa's president said Saturday.
• The statement from the office of President Jacob Zuma denied reports that Mandela had been released from the hospital.
• The update on the 95-year-old anti-apartheid hero's condition is unchanged from last week, when Zuma said Mandela showed "great resilience."
• "Madiba is still in hospital in Pretoria, and remains in a critical but stable condition," the statement said, referring to Mandela by his clan name. "At times his condition becomes unstable, but he responds to medical interventions."
• Mandela was admitted to a Pretoria hospital on June 8 with what officials said was a recurring lung infection.

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