Nelson Mandela: 95th Birthday Marked Worldwide

The world is celebrating Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday as his family insist he is making "remarkable" progress in hospital.

South Africans marked the momentous milestone with acts of charity, capped by news that the former president's health was improving.

"He continues to respond positively to treatment and we are encouraged by the progress he is making," said President Jacob Zuma, after visiting Mr Mandela in hospital.

"We are proud to call this international icon our own as South Africans and wish him good health."

He thanked people for their support of Mr Mandela and "undying love and compassion, and for responding to a call to give the beloved figure "the biggest birthday celebration ever this year."

South Africans took to the streets in celebration of their national hero. Biker gangs cleaned streets, volunteers planted trees and politicians spent 67 minutes on worthy projects - to mark Mr Mandela's 67 years of public service.

Children in schools around the country started the day by singing "Happy Birthday" to Mr Mandela.

Thursday also marks 15 years since the anti-apartheid leader married his third wife Graca Machel.

The UN declared the Nobel peace laureate's birthday Mandela Day in 2010, but for many this year takes on extra poignancy.

Mr Mandela has spent the last 41 days in a Pretoria hospital in a critical but stable condition after being admitted for a recurring lung infection on June 8.

His youngest daughter told Sky News her father has been able to communicate and watch television .

"He is making remarkable progress," said Zindzi Mandela, adding that when she visited him on Tuesday he was "watching TV with his headphones".

"He responds very well ... with his eyes, and he nods and sometimes he lifts his hand like to shake your hand."

Granddaughter Ndileka Mandela poured soup for poor children at a charity event and said her family had been unsure about whether her grandfather would live to see his birthday.

"But because of the fighter that he is, he was able to fight a repressive system, and he was able, through God and everybody's prayers, to make it today," she said.

President Zuma opened low-cost housing for poor black and white families in the Pretoria area, while Retired archbishop Desmond Tutu helped to paint a school outside Cape Town.

US President Barack Obama also urged people to honour Mr Mandela on his birthday "through individual and collective acts of service".

"Through our own lives, by heeding his example, we can honour the man who showed his own people - and the world - the path to justice, equality and freedom," Mr Obama said.

The South African government is hosting a ceremony for the symbolic handing over of Mr Mandela's new high-tech ID card, which will be received by Zindzi Mandela.

The event is laden with meaning in a country where apartheid was enforced by pass books, which black citizens were forced to carry and which limited movement to certain areas at certain times.

"On behalf of government and all the people of South Africa, we wish Madiba a joyous 95th birthday," said Mr Zuma, using Mr Mandela's clan name.

A group of young South African artists and designers unveiled a project celebrating Mr Mandela's life through paintings and posters.

The group whittled down 700 posters submitted by designers from more than 70 countries, to 95 for each year of Mr Mandela's life.

A single special edition of the posters will be auctioned off to raise money for a proposed children's hospital that will be named after Mr Mandela, the group said.

"He carries across this concept of humanity and selflessness," said Mohammed Jogie, a co-founder of the project.

Elsewhere world leaders, pop stars and companies also pledged their support for Mr Mandela.

"I will also be giving my 67 minutes to make the world a better place, one small step at a time," said Sir Richard Branson.

In the UK, a giant portrait of Mr Mandela's face has been etched into the English countryside to celebrate his birthday.

The two-acre maze in corn crops in Birchington, near Margate, Kent, was the idea of Karen Botha and Dawn Tilley who have spent the past five years working on the design.

Meanwhile, 50 abandoned street children in the Philippines will get to tour a Manila television studio and see performances by local artists.

And the Australian city of Melbourne will hold a concert featuring local and African artists at the weekend, while a music festival later this year in Norway will promote equality in schools.