It's critical now

South Africans are heading to work in a sombre mood as they await news on former President Nelson Mandela. The South African presidency announced on Sunday evening that Mr Mandela had become critical, even though doctors were "doing everything possible". A senior official said South Africans should not hold out "false hopes". Neither should Edward Snowden, who is apparently considering applying for asylum in Ecuador. Washington is urging Moscow to send Snowden back to the United States instead of letting him fly to Ecuador for asylum. Snowden, a computer contractor who exposed details of secret U.S. surveillance programs, is a man on the run. After being holed up in Hong Kong for weeks, he took a flight to Moscow on Sunday, with help from the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks. His next destination is believed to be Ecuador, who has already given WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange refuge in its embassy in London for a year after he unsuccessfully fought extradition to Sweden in British courts. But he should remember that asylum is granted on a case-by-case basis and just because Assange got asylum doesn't necessarily mean Snowden will. But enough about that because Hostess is betting on a sweet comeback for Twinkies when they return to shelves next month. The company went bankrupt after an acrimonious fight with its unionized workers last year, but is back up and running under new owners and a leaner structure. It says it plans to have Twinkies and other snack cakes back on shelves starting July 15.