US: South Carolina sheriff refuses to lower flag for Mandela

The US flag flew high outside a sheriff's office in South Carolina on Monday in defiance of an order from President Barack Obama to lower all flags in memory of the late South African leader Nelson Mandela.

Picken's County Sheriff Rick Clark said he believed the lowering of the flag to half-staff was a tribute that should be reserved for US citizens. "To show a sign of respect for what Nelson Mandela's done, I have no problem with lowering it in South Africa, in their country," Clark told a local television station. (Reuters)