President Barack Obama has landed in South Africa, the second stop in his three-country tour of Africa, amid vigils for Nelson Mandela.
Barack Obama said earlier he did not expect to see former President Nelson Mandela, who is critically ill in hospital.
Leaving Senegal, Barack Obama told reporters on board Air Force One: “I don’t need a photo op.”
Meanwhile, Nelson Mandela’s ex-wife, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela said the former leader had made “a great improvement” in recent days, but was “still unwell”.
Correspondents say security is tight in the streets near Mediclinic Heart Hospital in the capital, Pretoria, where the 94-year old is being treated for a lung infection.
Ministers, politicians, Nelson Mandela’s physician and family members were among those visiting the ex-leader on Friday, his 21st day in hospital.
Barack Obama’s plane landed at a military airbase near Pretoria on Friday evening. He has meetings scheduled in the capital on Saturday morning.
But Barack Obama said earlier he did not expect to see the ailing ex-leader during his visit to South Africa.
“I don’t need a photo op,” the president said aboard Air Force One after leaving Senegal.
President Barack Obama has landed in South Africa amid vigils for Nelson Mandela
“The last thing I want to do is to be in any way obtrusive at a time when the family is concerned with Nelson Mandela’s condition.”
He went on to say: “I think the main message we’ll want to deliver is not directly to him, but to his family – is simply profound gratitude for his leadership all these years, and that the thoughts and prayers of the American people are with him, his family and his country.”
Barack Obama met Nelson Mandela in 2005 when he was still a US senator. Both men became the first black presidents of their nations and have received the Nobel Peace Prize.
The US president has described Nelson Mandela as a “hero for the world”, whose “legacy will linger on through the ages”, and who had inspired his own activism as a student.
Earlier on Friday, Winnie Madikizela-Mandela told reporters outside Nelson Mandela’s former home in Soweto: “I’m not a doctor but I can say that from what he was a few days ago there is great improvement, but clinically he is still unwell.”
She also thanked domestic and international media for their coverage, but added that some of the reports had caused the family distress.
“We had no idea of the love for us out there,” she said.
“There may be problems here and there when some of you get carried away and talk about our father in the past tense,” she said.
Winnie Madikizela-Mandela added: “If sometimes we sound bitter, it is because we are dealing with a difficult situation.”
Earlier this week, Nelson Mandela’s eldest daughter criticized the international media camped outside the Mediclinic Heart Hospital, calling them “vultures”.
People in South Africa are anxious about Nelson Mandela’s health but also want to express their pride in the man many consider the father of the nation.
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress (ANC) said it would hold vigils each day that the former leader remained in hospital, and the distinctive black, green and gold colors of the party are much in evidence.
But the party denied it was exploiting the occasion to canvas for votes ahead of next year’s elections.
“We love our ANC regalia and we have every right to wish Madiba well,” party spokesman Jackson Mthembu said.
Meanwhile, a court in the Eastern Cape has granted an application brought by the Mandela family to exhume three of his children and two other relatives and rebury them in the family cemetery in Qunu, which is where the former leader wants to be buried, their lawyers say.
Edward Snowden’s father, Lon Snowden, has said he believes his son would return to the US on certain conditions.
Lon Snowden asked for “ironclad assurances” his son’s rights would be protected in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder.
He asked his son not be held before trial nor subjected to a gag order, and be able to choose where he was tried.
Edward Snowden, who faces spy charges in the US, flew to Moscow last weekend and has requested asylum in Ecuador.
“Mr. Snowden is reasonably confident that his son would voluntarily return to the United States if there were ironclad assurances that his constitutional rights would be honored,” said the letter by Lon Snowden’s lawyer, Bruce Fein.
The correspondence also requested for the case against the former intelligence contractor to be dismissed in the event that any of the three conditions were not met.
Earlier on Friday, Lon Snowden told NBC News he had not spoken to his son since April, a month before he fled to Hong Kong after leaking to media details of a huge US snooping programme.
Lon Snowden said his son had broken the law, but denied he was a traitor.
“At this point I don’t feel that he’s committed treason,” he said.
Edward Snowden’s father, Lon Snowden, has said he believes his son would return to the US on certain conditions
“He has in fact broken US law, in a sense that he has released classified information.”
Lon Snowden also voiced concern his son was being exploited by WikiLeaks, which has offered legal assistance to the 30-year-old.
“I don’t want to put him in peril, but I am concerned about those who surround him,” he said.
“I think WikiLeaks, if you’ve looked at past history, you know, their focus isn’t necessarily the constitution of the United States. It’s simply to release as much information as possible.”
Edward Snowden flew last Sunday from Hong Kong to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, where Russian authorities say he remains in a transit zone.
On Friday, the diplomatic fallout from the affair continued as a US envoy accused China of “misbehavior” for allowing Edward Snowden to leave.
“I don’t think we had a good-faith partner throughout that process,” said Stephen Young, the US consul general in Hong Kong, warning of repercussions.
The city’s government has said the US arrest paperwork had clerical errors, and that it had no legal basis to stop Edward Snowden travelling to Russia.
Beijing has accused the US of “double standards” on cybersecurity.
Ecuador says it has not yet processed the former US National Security Agency contractor’s request for asylum.
Russian authorities complained on Friday the US had not informed them in time that Edward Snowden’s passport had been revoked, placing Moscow in a “tough spot”.
“If this fact had been known in advance, then possibly Mr. Snowden might not have flown to Moscow and this entire story might never have happened,” an unnamed Russian official told Interfax news agency.
Russian President Vladimir Putin this week refused to hand over Edward Snowden to Washington, saying he was a “free man”.
Late on Thursday, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro repeated his offer of sanctuary to the US fugitive.
Rita Ora, Jake Bugg and Liam Gallagher have kicked off the action at this year’s Glastonbury Festival, as the sun dries up the mud-strewn fields.
Liam Gallagher’s band Beady Eye were the surprise opening act on The Other Stage with a raucous set at 11:00 BST.
“It’s never too early for a bit of rock’n’roll aggro, is it?” asked Liam Gallagher, as his band launched into Oasis hit Morning Glory.
Other acts playing on Friday include Chic and headliners The Arctic Monkeys.
After a day of rain, the clouds broke around midday, apparently conjured up by the sun-bleached rock of US sibling trio Haim. By the end of their set, raincoats were being traded for suncream.
About 180,000 fans have gathered at the 900-acre Worthy farm for the festival, which has been largely peaceful so far, with 107 reported crimes and 61 arrests.
Liam Gallagher have kicked off the action at this year’s Glastonbury Festival
Somerset police say there have also been 32 drug related offences reported, 12 of which were for possession of restricted substances.
Liam Gallagher’s early morning set was something of a turnaround for the former Oasis frontman, who previously headlined the festival in 1995 and 2004.
The latter appearance was not well-received, and Gallagher later claimed the festival was “full of idiots”.
After Friday’s performance, Liam Gallagher said that playing such an early starting time on the Friday morning had been something of a surprise.
“Someone just asked us – do you fancy going on at 11 o’clock, and we thought, why not? We’ve headlined it, we’ve done all that. It’s time to do something different.
“I absolutely loved it, I mean it. I thought 11 o’clock could be really ropey but I thought we done well, man.”
The main stage features a mixture of rap and rock for the rest of Friday, with Professor Green and Dizzee Rascal cosying up to The Vaccines and the Arctic Monkeys.
Professor Green, 29, whose hits include Read All About It and the INXS-based I Need You Tonight added: “There’s more to me than that, and I think this is the best opportunity to show that to people.
“We’re going to put some new music in the set as well as the old, because I think a lot of people that are here won’t know my music, bar the singles, so this is a good opportunity to show the musicality of what we do when we play live.”
Rumors of “secret appearances” are always rife at Glastonbury, and this year’s crop range from the likely (Fatboy Slim and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke) to the fanciful (Daft Punk and David Bowie).
Definitely confirmed for the weekend are co-headliners Mumford and Sons and The Rolling Stones.
Scotty McCreery made a dream come true for 16-year-old Sadie Robertson of the hit A&E show Duck Dynasty.
Scotty McCreery played Sadie Robertson’s recent birthday party after spending an afternoon mudding with John Luke Robertson and enjoying Miss Kay’s home cooking.
The June 17 sweet 16 bash took place at a vineyard in West Monroe, Louisiana.
Us Weekly covered the party for their most recent issue, and in the magazine, fans get a glimpse of the fun, which included Willie and John Luke Robertson joining Scotty McCreery for a version of Man of Constant Sorrow.
Scotty McCreery played Sadie Robertson’s recent birthday party after spending an afternoon mudding with John Luke Robertson and enjoying Miss Kay’s home cooking
According to Country Music Rocks, Scotty McCreery and the Robertsons first met before his recent performance at the Grand Ole Opry. He was invited to play Sadie Robertson’s party and he accepted, thinking it’d be a surprise.
Sadie Robertson knew all about it however, even requesting he play her favorite song, See You Tonight.
“This boy made my birthday the best day of my life! So thankful that he came down for my party!” she wrote on Twitter.
The day before, the singer and his bandmates went mudding in John Luke Robertson’s jeep and several four-wheelers. Later, they enjoyed friend shrimp and banana pudding before spending the night at the family’s home.
“I was blown away by their hospitality,” Scotty McCreery says.
“I like the fact that they are who they say they are; they are who they look they are on the TV show. They are good, normal folks who like to have fun.”
Yesterday Britney Spears tweeted a sneak peek from her latest music video shoot for Ooh La La song that will feature The Smurfs 2.
Britney Spears, 31, said: “Baby come with me and be my Ooh La La… 🙂 #SneakPeek #OohLaLaVideo.”
In the image, Britney spears appears smiling behind her signature blonde locks and looks as vibrant and glowing as she did from her earliest music video days.
Though more of the video has yet to be revealed, it’s sure to be safe for the whole family as opposed to some of the star’s racier ventures.
The featured song will appear in The Smurfs 2, which hits U.S. theatres on July 31.
In another move that sets a good example for her two children, Britney Spears is auctioning off a feather boa and handcuffs for charity.
The singer wore the items on her Femme Fatale Tour in 2011, which saw her rock the stage in costumes designed by Zaldy Goco.
Britney Spears tweeted a sneak peek from her latest music video shoot for Ooh La La song that will feature The Smurfs 2
Profits from the sale of the items will go to Soles4Souls, a charity that collects unsold shoes from the warehouses of footwear companies and gathers donations from across the United States to distribute to people in need around the world.
The singer posted a series of tweets encouraging support from the sales, writing: “Now u can bid on the boa & handcuffs from the tour & help support @soles4souls … such an amazing cause! More info on http://true2bid.com! [sic].”
The auction is set to last for 13 more days, in which the items are expected to notch up bids far higher than the $0.19 they currently stand at.
Soles4Souls has distributed over 19 million pairs of shoes since it was set up in 2005.
Other celebrities to have worked with the charity include Jessica Alba, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sir Elton John, the Kardashian sisters and Justin Timberlake.
Kris Jenner has confirmed during a TV show that her husband Bruce Jenner has moved out of their Calabasas mansion and into a beachfront pad in Malibu.
Kris Jenner, 57, told Access Hollywood Live that Bruce Jenner, 63, needed to “get away for a bit”.
“It does get a little congested in our house,” admitted Kris Jenner, hinting that the rumors are true that daughter Kim Kardashian, boyfriend Kanye West and their new baby have moved in to their house so Kris can help the new parents with daughter North, nicknamed Nori.
Kris Jenner appeared completely onboard with allowing her husband of 23 years to “have fun” without her.
“It’s a wonderful idea,” she said.
“It’s amazing to have a little bit of space.”
Kris Jenner has confirmed that her husband Bruce Jenner has moved out of their Calabasas mansion and into a beachfront pad in Malibu
But she insisted that he slept at home most nights, although “once in a while” he’ll remain at the beachfront mansion, which is the abode of the couple’s youngest children Kendall and Kylie Jenner.
Kris Jenner was evasive on the show about Kim Kardashian’s new baby, merely stating that the new family had moved into a “private residence”.
But a family insider told RadarOnline.com: “The entire household has been turned upside down because Kim and Nori have moved in. Bruce has been run out of the house! Kris didn’t encourage him to stay either.”
Bruce Jenner “decided to ditch the family home because he was constantly being told to be quiet because of baby Nori” so he thought it would be best to spend some time with his daughters and give Kim Kardashian and Kanye West some space.
The former Olympic gold medalist athlete is a big fan of aviation and often flies expensive scale model helicopters in his spare time but was told his mini-pilot fun would have to be out on hold while the baby settles in.
Bruce Jenner – who has been married to Kris for 22 years – was seen buying a separate home in the latest series of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, but despite occasionally spending time apart the couple insist their marriage is rock solid.
While the Internet comes with nmany benefits, it also has its downsides. For one, it’s an easy way for criminals to steal your personal information. With knowledge about their tactics, however, you can better protect yourself online. Check out these four ways people steal personal information online.
One of the easiest ways that people can steal credit card information is by creating a fraudulent site that looks trustworthy. From there, victims are lured to the site to enter credit card information. For example, you might be fooled into buying a product from the site and use your credit card. When making purchases online, always make sure that a site has the secure image (a padlock) before the address on the address bar.
2. Phishing
Identity theft is so rampant that in 2012, the top complaint reported to the Consumer Sentinel Network was identity theft. The same report says that government document/benefit fraud was the most frequently reported form of identity theft. This is when someone illegally uses government documents (social security cards, driver’s licenses, etc.) in order to receive government benefits (welfare, unemployment benefits, etc.).
While this can occur offline, people can also steal this information from the Internet. Phishing is a technique where the thief poses as another individual to steal your personal information. For example, they might send you an email saying that they are your bank and that they need to verify your information. When you click on the link in the email, they’ll ask you to enter your social security number, date of birth, driver’s license number, or whatever other information they need. They can then use this information to create fake government documents.
With this tactic, criminals hack into your computer and literally spy on you. They can see everything you’re doing and watch as you enter usernames and passwords, allowing them access to your bank or credit card accounts along with other personal information.
Spyware is often connected to other software programs, and people download these programs thinking that they’re safe, such as game downloads, web links, and email attachments. Hackers might also create programs that look like something safe, such as a web browser update, so that people trust the program. To protect yourself, be careful about what you download and what links you click on.
4. Pretexting
Pretexting is a technique that criminals use to gain a certain amount of personal information before directly contacting you. First, they’ll do research on you, such as finding out about your marital status, telephone number, email address, home address, and other information that is often found on online directories. They then contact you, such as by calling you on the phone, and pose as a business that needs your information.
People often believe this scam because the person already has much of their personal information. To protect your personal information online, use services such as those at Reputation.com so that criminals can’t get their hands on your information in the first place.
Identity theft is a serious concern, and advancing technologies only makes it easier for criminals to get their hands on your information. Be careful about your online activity, and learn about other ways to protect yourself online.
The latest installment in the Terminator franchise will be the first in a stand-alone “rebooted” trilogy.
Paramount Pictures said the fifth Terminator film, based on the original series starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, is due to be released in June 2015.
There was no official confirmation on who would direct or star in the forthcoming film.
However, Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed earlier this month he would be returning to the role that made him a household name.
Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed he would be returning to the role of Terminator that made him a household name
Speaking at an event in Sydney, Australia, the former governor of California said: “I’m very happy that the studios want me to be in Terminator 5 and to star as the Terminator, which we start shooting in January.”
Arnold Schwarzenegger starred in the first three Terminator films – released in 1984, 1991 and 2003 – which grossed more than $1 billion at the global box office.
A computer-generated version of the actor appeared in 2009’s Terminator Salvation, which starred Christian Bale and Sam Worthington.
The new film will be penned by Shutter Island screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis and Drive Angry’s Patrick Lussier.
With a release date scheduled for June 26, the movie will join a slew of summer blockbusters, coming out a week before Independence Day 2 and two weeks ahead of Pirates of the Caribbean 5.
Star Wars – Episode 7 is also due to be released around the same time.
Monsignor Nunzio Scarano, a senior Italian cleric, has been arrested in connection with an inquiry into the Vatican bank scandal over allegations of corruption and fraud.
Monsignor Nunzio Scarano works in the Vatican’s financial administration. A secret service agent and a financial broker have also been arrested.
They are suspected of trying to move 20 million euros illegally into Italy.
Pope Francis ordered an unprecedented internal investigation into the bank’s affairs in the wake of recent scandals.
Monsignor Nunzio Scarano has been under investigation by Italian police for a series of suspicious transactions involving the recycling of a series of cheques described as church donations through the Vatican Bank.
Monsignor Nunzio Scarano has been arrested in connection with an inquiry into the Vatican bank scandal over allegations of corruption and fraud
Earlier this month, the pontiff named a trusted cleric to oversee the management of the bank, which has been beset by allegations of money-laundering.
Officially known as the Institute for the Works of Religion, the bank is one of the world’s most secretive. It has 114 employees and $7.1 billion (5.4 billion euros) of assets.
Pope Francis has given the commission carte blanche, bypassing normal secrecy rules, to try to get to the bottom of scandals which have plagued the bank for decades.
Traditionally, the Vatican Bank has refused to co-operate with Italian authorities investigating financial crime on the grounds of the sovereign independence of the Vatican city state.
But Pope Francis has shown that he is now determined to get to the bottom of long-standing allegations of corruption and money-laundering by the bank.
The Institute for the Works of Religion was a major shareholder in the Banco Ambrosiano, a big Italian bank which collapsed in 1982 with losses of more than $3 billion.
Its chairman, Roberto Calvi, was found hanging from Blackfriars Bridge in London – in a murder disguised as a suicide. Roberto Calvi had close relations with the Vatican.
Alec and Hilaria Baldwin took to Twitter during James Gandolfini’s funeral service on Thursday.
The pregnant yoga instructor’s social media feed was full of upbeat posts while James Gandolfini’s friends, family and co-stars were gripped with grief at a New York Catholic church.
Hilaria Baldwin’s messages included a request for ideas about wedding anniversary presents and promotional notes about her upcoming appearance on the Rachael Ray show.
The 29-year-old, who is due to give birth to her first child this summer, did make time to pay tribute to James Gandolfini amid the social media flurry, writing: “The circle of life is unbelievable – birth, life, death… Please take care of yourselves as life is fragile. Rest in Peace Jimmy.”
Hilaria Baldwin barely skipped a beat before changing the tone, writing: “What did you do for your first wedding anniversary? What did you give your partner? Ours is coming up!”
During the time of the service, she re-tweeted a post from the Rachael Ray show, promoting one of her own recipes of a summer smoothie.
“I’m sure you have some amazing recipes!” Hilaria Baldwin wrote.
She also re-tweeted a “cute” Us Weekly article about herself, which saw her throwing a baby show for “Military moms-to-be”.
At one point, Hilaria Baldwin directed a magazine to get in touch with her publicist.
She also claimed she didn’t have her cell with her, tweeting: “FYI I don’t believe in bringing phones into a funeral and I never did and I never would.”
Sources close to Hilaria Baldwin insist to that the couple left the ceremony early through a side exit because she was feeling “faint” in the heat and she tweeted from her car on the way home. It’s unclear exactly how long they stayed.
Alec and Hilaria Baldwin arrive at Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine for James Gandolfini’s funeral services
Meanwhile, Alec Baldwin appeared to promote a new movie titled Dirty Wars, posting a link just a short time before he honored James Gandolfini.
Eventually, Alec Baldwin, 55, tweeted: “The end of The Sopranos has a different meaning to me now. Rest in Peace, Jimmy.”
He also posted a link to a news article on the funeral.
Hilaria and Alec Baldwin were among the throngs of stars who turned out at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in New York to say goodbye to the beloved actor.
James Gandolfini’s wife Deborah Lin gave a heart-wrenching eulogy for her ‘honest, kind and loving’ husband in the cathedral.
The first family member to speak, Deborah Lin described James Gandolfini as someone who “cared more about others than himself” and said she enjoyed watching him be a wonderful father to his two children.
“Jim, one of the things I loved the most was watching you be the father that you were to Michael and Lily,” she said.
“Thank you for the memories of the beautiful life we shared together. I love you Jim and I always will. Rest in Peace.”
James Gandolfini’s sister Johanna Antonacci and actor Lennie Loftin also did readings during the ceremony, which began at 10 a.m. local time at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine and Sopranos creator David Chase read out a letter he had written to his leading man.
James Gandolfini’s son, Michael, who tragically found his father dying in an Italian hotel room while the pair were on vacation last week, looked teary-eyed as he arrived at the church just moments after the actor’s casket was escorted inside.
Michael Gandolfini joined more than 1,000 mourners including Edith “Edie” Falco, James Gandolfini’s on-screen wife Carmela in the HBO hit show at for the ceremony, which lasted two hours and was described as a “wonderful” tribute to the star.
Other cast members who came to pay their respects included pregnant Jamie Lynn-Sigler, who played Tony Soprano’s daughter Meadow, Aida Turturro, who played his sister Janice, John Ventimiglia, who portrayed Artie Bucco, and Michael Imperioli, who starred as Tony’s nephew Christopher Moltisanti.
James Gandolfini died of a heart attack at age 51 while holidaying in Rome, Italy, with his son last week.
Gold price has continued its drop, falling to its lowest level in almost three years, after the US Federal Reserve said it could wind down its stimulus programme.
Gold fell to $1,191.21 an ounce in Asia trade, after breaching the $1,200 mark in New York on Thursday for the first time since August 2010.
The US Fed said last week that its bond purchases would start to “taper off” in coming months if the economy recovers.
Analysts said investors had been anticipating further price falls.
As a result there was a sell-off, resulting in a big drop in prices in recent days.
Gold price has continued its drop, falling to its lowest level in almost three years
“You don’t want to catch a falling knife, so people who might be buyers are stepping aside and don’t want to show gold at their quarter-end statement,” said Axel Merk, chief investment officer at Merk Funds.
Gold prices have had a remarkable run over the past few years, driven by two key factors.
The first has been the uncertainty surrounding the global economic situation after the global financial crisis and the sovereign debt problems in the eurozone.
That saw many investors turn to gold – seen as a traditional safe haven asset in times of uncertainty.
At the same time, the slowdown in the global economy, prompted central banks across the world to lower interest rates – to historic lows in many cases – in an attempt to try to boost growth.
Analysts said that with interest rates so low, investors have been favoring gold.
However, things have started to change in the past few months.
The US economy has been recovering; as a result, the Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has said that the US central bank will scale back its $85bn a month bond buying programme.
Analysts said that such a move may see interest rates rise again – making gold a less attractive option.
At the same time, the risks surrounding the eurozone crisis seem to have abated as well, which has also hurt gold prices.
“Gold’s major attribute as a potential hedge against a major global crisis has been diluted,” said Mark Matthews of Julius Baer.
Mark Matthews said that given these factors the gold price may fall further.
Glastonbury Festival reveller Lee Nickleson got down on one knee to propose to his sweetheart – while holding a can of cider.
Lee Nickleson, 35, of Leeds, West Yorkshire, was so nervous about popping the question to Ceilidh Jackson that he forgot to put down his can of Stella Artois Cidre. Friends unfurled a banner reading “Will You Marry Me?” as he proposed to his partner of four years on the first day of the music festival.
Glastonbury reveller Lee Nickleson gets down on one knee to propose girlfriend Ceilidh Jackson
Ceilidh Jackson, 25, was delighted when he pulled the ring from his pocket and immediately said “Yes”. The pair even have their own caravan so they can have some privacy during the festival.
Cash machine installer Lee Nickleson, who has been to the festival once before, said: “I’ve been wanting to propose for a while, but I didn’t know where to do it. Then I realized that Glastonbury would be the perfect place. I proposed on the first day because I wanted to get it out of the way.
“Otherwise I would be too nervous all weekend. I’m glad she didn’t say <<no>> though – that would have put a bit of a dampener on the party. It was Ceilidh’s first time at Glastonbury, so I wanted to make it special. We had a respectable night – we turned in to our love-shack about 2 a.m.
“You don’t want to burn out on the first night of the festival. I probably shouldn’t have been holding a can, but I couldn’t think. I had other things at the forefront of my mind, to be honest. It has set everything up for a great festival.”
Healthcare worker Ceilidh Jackson added: “I don’t mind that he was carrying a can – in fact, I didn’t even notice. I was shocked and delighted. He’s so lovely. I was already looking forward to this weekend so much, but now I think it’ll be the best weekend ever.”
The US Senate has passed a broad immigration reform bill that includes a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants.
The 68-32 vote comes after months of debate and a recent deal to boost border security spending significantly.
But the legislation faces a tough road in the more conservative House.
House Speaker John Boehner has said he will not advance legislation that lacks support of most of his fellow Republicans, who remain resistant.
After the bill’s passage on Thursday, President Barack Obama said the vote brought the US “a critical step closer to fixing our broken immigration system once and for all”.
“Today, the Senate did its job,” Barack Obama said in a statement.
“It’s now up to the House to do the same.”
Barack Obama has made immigration a top priority for his second term, asking Congress to deliver a bill for him to sign by autumn.
As the vote was held on Thursday afternoon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, made the rare request of asking all 99 of his colleagues to be present and to vote from their desks.
“This is not a vote where people should be straggling in,” Harry Reid said.
The US Senate has passed a broad immigration reform bill that includes a path to citizenship for an estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants.
After the vote, members of the bipartisan group that negotiated the original bill, known as the Gang of Eight, thanked the broad coalition that had backed immigration reform efforts.
One member of the group, Democratic Senator Dick Durbin, said the voices of young undocumented immigrants “had made a difference”.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham said the bill’s border security measures had “exceeded every expectation I had”, and said the bill had “practically militarized the border”.
Forward movement on the bill comes shortly after two Republican senators this week brokered a compromise to increase the bill’s funding of border security measures. An amendment that added an additional 20,000 border security agents was passed on Wednesday.
Earlier, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimated the legislation, without the increased border funds, would reduce the US budget deficit by $175 billion over 10 years and boost economic growth.
And analysts say many Republicans acknowledge reforming the immigration system will be key for their election prospects in the future as Hispanics become an increasingly important voter bloc.
On Thursday, John Boehner, the Republican House speaker, said the House would not take up the Senate bill directly.
“We’re going to do our own bill… that reflects the will of our majority and the will of the American people,” he said.
John Boehner’s comments cast doubt on the chances legislation will quickly reach Barack Obama’s desk, and could portend failure for immigration reform entirely, analysts say.
Separate bills designed by House Republicans include stricter border and interior security measures, employment checks and most significantly, no path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
Some Republicans believe such a programme rewards those who broke the law by immigrating to the country illegally.
Senator Chuck Grassley, who voted against the Senate bill, said he was counting on the House to pass legislation that is “much more tough”.
What’s in the Senate immigration bill?
Path to citizenship for immigrants who arrived illegally before 31 December 2011
Billions in funding for border security, including 20,000 new Border Patrol agents, and 700 miles of fencing
Requirement border security and fencing goals be met before these immigrants can become permanent residents
A start-up visa for foreign entrepreneurs; new visa programmes for low-skilled workers and the agricultural sector
All employers must use E-Verify, a programme to verify electronically each employee’s legal status within four years
The Glastonbury Festival rain made its traditional appearance this afternoon, with fans wearing wellies and ponchos when a shower hit the tent city.
However, a good forecast is expected for the rest of the hotly-anticipated weekend.
Meanwhile aerial photographs show the sprawling site of the world-famous music festival, where the rain has stayed away so far for the thousands of fans attending.
Sunshine even broke through the clouds over Worthy Farm in Somerset yesterday, as festival goers trudged miles with rucksacks, tents and sleeping bags to reach the campsites.
The site was due to open at 8 a.m. but flung open its doors an hour early to allow the streams of people in, at an estimated rate of 5,000 per hour. Some had even slept out in their cars overnight to be the first in line.
They carried their precious cargo of beer and cider in shopping trolleys, laundry baskets and wheelbarrows as they made their way across the 900-acre site to secure the best camping spots.
The main performances at the event, which had a fallow year in 2012 to coincide with the Olympic and Paralympic Games, will not start until tomorrow – when Arctic Monkeys will top the bill, followed by The Rolling Stones on Saturday night and Mumford & Sons closing the festival on Sunday.
Celebrities including Kate Moss are set to be among the festival goers, with Mick Jagger even staying in Somerset to enjoy the weekend’s festivities. Hundreds of festival-goers proved they had the moves like Mick Jagger by taking part in a Jumping Jack Flashmob at Glastonbury.
The Jagger Off, arranged by two Rolling Stones fans to celebrate the band’s first appearance at the festival, saw crowds of people mimic Mick Jagger’s trademark dance moves.
It was held near the Pyramid Stage, where the band will perform their headline set on Saturday night, under the watchful eye of a giant metal phoenix that is perching on top of the structure this year.
A sound system played classic Rolling Stones songs including Brown Sugar and Start It Up to about 400 fans.
Organizer James Duke-Evans, 33, from south London, said: “It’s gone fantastically well.
“When it got dreamed up late at night we thought it would be funny if 100 people turned up, but 3,500 joined the Facebook group in the end.
“People like to get involved in something that’s not scripted and programmed. I’ve been told some people were looking forward to this more than the festival itself. And quite frankly – do you really want to live in a world where things like this don’t happen?”
Mick Jagger is expected to be on the festival site over the weekend, and is staying nearby with his family.
There is a chance he might even stumble upon the second “Jagger Off”, at the silent disco held in the early hours of Saturday morning.
“I would imagine it’s on Jagger’s radar. I don’t think he can avoid it,” said James Duke-Evans.
Glastonbury aerial photographs show the sprawling site of the world-famous music festival
“It’s a tribute to him. We’ve watched him for years and I hope he’ll be able to watch us if he sees the footage from today.”
Many of those performing the moves, which including the “finger waggle” and “squeezing through a narrow doorway”, wore Mick Jagger masks as a tribute to their musical hero.
Some 135,000 ticket holders have been making their way on to the site at Worthy Farm, Somerset, since the festival flung open its doors yesterday morning. Campsites have been filling up quickly as music fans rushed to pitch their tents in the best spots.
They are set to be joined by celebrities, said to include Wayne and Colleen Rooney and Kate Moss, over the coming days. The main acts play from tomorrow, with other headline acts including The Arctic Monkeys and Mumford & Sons.
Police are hailing a successful start to the event, with crimes down from the last Glastonbury Festival in 2011.
In the first day, 40 crimes were reported, 22 of which were thefts, mostly from tents, and police made a total of 24 arrests, many of them over drugs.
There have been 24 drug-related offences but some of those involved were dealt with by way of a caution instead of arrest, Inspector Shirley Eden said.
Their first arrest of the festival was a person who tried to smuggle drugs into the site in a packet of fruit pastilles.
A police officer’s suspicion was raised by the fact the sweets had been hidden in a sock.
“It looked like a bag of sweets but it turned out the sweets had been taken out and replaced with drugs,” said the officer.
There is a team of 600 police officers on site, working in three shifts, and plans for the policing operation have been under way since the end of the last festival.
Inspector Shirley Eden said: “For there to have been 40 crimes so far at a festival of this size is pretty good.
“I work in Bath in my day job and would say the populations are roughly equivalent. The number of crimes you would expect in Bath in a 24-hour period is on a par with what we’ve had here. Our message to people is to protect their property and put it in the free lock ups.
“We’ve had officers in plain clothes on site who’ve seen people sleeping, with their mobile phones clearly on display next to them.
“I know people want to relax and chill but they need to look after their stuff. The majority of people here are not criminals and are not looking to steal, but there’s always going to be some crime.”
There have also been arrests for drink driving and theft from a motor vehicle, police said.
Liam Gallagher, rumored to be playing a set with his band Beady Eye, could be seen arriving at Castle Cary – the nearest railway station – by train yesterday morning.
James Wilby, forecaster with Meteogroup, said: “You always expect there to be a deluge when it’s Glastonbury but luckily that doesn’t seem the case.
“There’s a fair bit of cloud around but it’s starting to brighten up, with temperatures up to 20C yesterday. It’s pretty pleasant and will stay dry.
“This morning will be dry and bright but there’s a chance of rain in the afternoon, with a damp end to the day. It will be more typical of the conditions you’d expect at a festival. It could potentially get a bit muddy, but there will only be a millimetre or two of rain.”
Friday will see spots of drizzle but conditions will improve during the day, with Saturday being dry and sunny. Sunday will be the best day of the festival with temperatures up to 22C (71.6F), James Wilby said.
Forecaster Tony Gray from the Met Office said: “On Friday there’s a chance of light rain first thing in the morning, but then it should be cloudy. Saturday you’ve got a chance of some sunny intervals after lunchtime and high temperatures reaching 19C.
“Sunday much the same – a bit overcast, but sunny intervals for the afternoon and evening, highest temperature 19C. Monday it’s basically overcast until 10am, followed by cloudy conditions.”
Glastonbury organizer Michael Eavis said he believes the weather, combined with the line-up, means this year’s festival will be “unusually good”.
“The whole thing is fantastic,” the 77-year-old farmer said.
“There are 1,000 acres of creativity on a massive scale and to a very, very high standard. You won’t see anything else like this in the whole world.”
There is even the promise of the best-ever Glastonbury toilets, with a new system that sees waste go straight into the ground, designed to beat the infamous smell.
Michael Eavis has even said that, 43 years since the first Glastonbury, they have finally found “the perfect loo”.
To mark the resurrection of the festival after a year off, a giant phoenix has been installed on top of the Pyramid stage, designed by Joe Rush, who was behind many of the mechanical vehicles and props used at the Paralympics closing ceremony.
Indeed one of them – a steamship on which singer Rihanna performed – can be found at the festival this year.
Other highlights fans can expect are appearances from Primal Scream, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Smashing Pumpkins, Elvis Costello, The xx, Public Enemy, Professor Green and Dizzee Rascal.
As ever, the Glastonbury Festival is also offering some more unusual acts alongside the chart toppers – with Bruce Forsyth playing on the Avalon Stage on Sunday, country star Kenny Rogers taking to the Pyramid Stage the same day, and the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan monks also making an appearance.
The unlikely combination of shorts and wellies was the order of the day as temperatures rose during the afternoon, with ice cream vans and bars alike enjoying a roaring trade.
Many chose to enjoy the sun while sitting at the stone circle, overlooking the whole site, while others were still pouring in through the entrances.
Family, friends and fans have paid tribute to James Gandolfini at his funeral in New York City, a week after he died in Italy.
David Chase, who created The Sopranos series that made James Gandolfini a household name was among the speakers.
“You were a good boy,” he said during the ceremony at New York’s Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine.
James Gandolfini, who was 51, died following a heart attack last Wednesday while on holiday with his son.
One of four speakers at the funeral, David Chase remembered James Gandolfini in the form of a letter to the actor, in the present tense, saying he brought the traits of a sad boy, “amazed and confused,” to the role of Tony Soprano.
“You could see it in your eyes. That’s why you were a great actor.”
Family, friends and fans have paid tribute to James Gandolfini at his funeral in New York City
David Chase recalled that James Gandolfini once told him: “You know what I want to be? A man. That’s all. I want to be a man.”
David Chase said he marveled upon hearing that, since the actor represented a man so many others wanted to be.
James Gandolfini’s widow, Deborah Lin, and two family friends also spoke during the service.
The actor’s portrayal of the mob boss in the HBO series won him three Emmy Awards as best actor in a drama series. The show ran for six seasons.
Aida Turturro, who played James Gandolfini’s sister in The Sopranos, was one of the first from the show’s large cast to arrive for the funeral service at 10:00 EST, which was led by the Very Reverend Dr. James A Kowalski.
Some 1,500 seats had been set up in the church for celebrities, fellow actors and members of the public who wanted to pay their respects to the star.
Several members of the cast of The Sopranos attended, including Edie Falco, Joe Pantoliano, Dominic Chianese, and Steve Buscemi.
The New Jersey Governor, Chris Christie also made an appearance.
Laila Robins, who played James Gandolfini’s on-screen mother as a young woman in the early seasons, remembered his friendly and humble nature.
“He had an acting coach on set back then because he just wanted to do a good job. That was so sweet, and I remember that about him the most – just how badly he wanted to do a good job. He worked so hard,” she said.
The funeral took place a day after a private family wake was held in New Jersey on Wednesday.
Broadway theatres later paid tribute to James Gandolfini, who was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 for his role in God of Carnage, by dimming their lights.
Officials in Venezuela say they have found a plane that disappeared carrying Vittorio Missoni, the boss of Italian fashion house, in January.
Vittorio Missoni, 58, and his wife were among six people on board the flight from Los Roques islands to Caracas.
Interior Ministry spokesman Jorge Galindo announced the discovery of the plane on Twitter.
Officials said it was found 230 ft under water, north of Los Roques islands in the Caribbean.
Following the plane’s disappearance on January 4, investigators from the Italian Agency for Air Safety (ANSV) said the company that owned the small plane was not fully licensed to operate.
A piece of luggage from the aircraft was found off the Dutch island of Curacao, about 200 miles west of Los Roques, later that month.
Vittorio Missoni was the son of the fashion brand’s founder, Ottavio Missoni, and co-owned the firm with his siblings
Vittorio Missoni was the son of the fashion brand’s founder, Ottavio Missoni, and co-owned the firm with his siblings.
He was returning from a Christmas and New Year holiday with his wife, Maurizia Castiglioni, and two friends – Elda Scalvenzi and Guido Foresti.
Two Venezuelan pilots were also on board the BN-2 Islander plane.
Minutes after take-off, one of the pilots reported that the plane was at 5,000ft and 10 nautical miles from Los Roques airport, Italy’s air safety agency has said.
The last radar report showed the aircraft accelerating at 5,400ft before it rapidly lost altitude and speed, veering to the right until it disappeared from the radar.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect, has been formally charged with killing four people and using a weapon of mass destruction.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 19, faces 30 total charges in the April 15 Boston Marathon blasts, which killed three and injured more than 260 others.
A fourth victim, a policeman, was shot dead by him and his brother during the hunt for them, federal prosecutors say.
Seventeen charges could bring life in prison or even the death penalty, US prosecutors said.
In Boston, US Attorney Carmen Ortiz described the Tsarnaev brothers’ preparation for the attack.
They went to a firing range to take target practice, bought electronic material online that could be used to make bombs, and downloaded a publication that could provide instructions on building explosives, Carmen Ortiz told reporters.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving Boston Marathon bombing suspect, has been formally charged with killing four people and using a weapon of mass destruction
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev also faces charges for a carjacking days after the attacks and for interfering with commerce, prosecutors said.
His brother, Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed in a shoot-out with police days after the twin blasts.
Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was injured in the manhunt and has been held in a prison hospital near Boston since his capture on April 19.
He was found hiding in a boat parked in a residential garden in Watertown, Massachusetts, where according to the indictment, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev wrote a message reading: “The US Government is killing our innocent civilians” and “I can’t stand to see such evil go unpunished.”
According to the indictment, the Tsarnaev brothers made bombs from pressure cookers, low-explosive powder, ball bearings, nails, adhesive, electronic components and other material.
It adds that Dzhokhar Tsarnaev aided and abetted his brother by planting and detonating one of the bombs.
Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev are from a family of ethnic Chechen Muslims from Russia and had been living in the US for about a decade.
Never-before-seen photos and home videos of Michael Jackson with his three children have been released on Wednesday.
The moving images were shown as Prince Michael Jackson became the first member of the Jackson family to give live testimony in the wrongful death lawsuit against concert promoter AEG.
Prince Jackson narrated as the images of his father, who died in 2009 aged 50, lavishing attention on Prince, Paris and Blanket were shown to the jury by Jackson family attorney Brian Panish.
The teenager credited his father with instilling in him a desire to learn and to help others. Along with the photographs, family videos have been entered into evidence, some taken by Michael Jackson himself, as he filmed his children and asked them what they want to be when they grew up.
Speaking on the stand, Prince Jackson revealed that after telling his father he wanted to be a movie director and architect, Michael gave him tips on how he could one day make films.
Paris and Prince Michael II, or Blanket as he is more commonly known, also figure prominently in the still photo and video exhibits.
During his testimony, Prince Jackson said that his father was excited about going back on tour before his death but wanted more time to rehearse and had several tense phone conversations with promoters of his This Is It shows that often ended with the singer in tears.
Prince Jackson, 16, said his father remarked after one of the conversations, “They’re going to kill me”, but did not elaborate further.
The testimony came in a lawsuit claiming AEG negligently hired Conrad Murray, the doctor who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving Jackson an overdose of the anesthetic propofol.
AEG denies it hired the physician or bears any responsibility for the entertainer’s death.
Michael Jackson and his children in touching never-before-seen photos and home videos
Wearing a black suit with a dark grey tie and his long brown hair tucked behind his ears, Prince Jackson testified that he saw AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips at the family’s rented mansion in a heated conversation with Conrad Murray in the days before his father died. The teenager said Randy Phillips grabbed conrad Murray’s elbow and “looked aggressive”.
Michael Jackson wasn’t at home at the time and was probably rehearsing, Prince said.
Conrad Murray’s attorney Valerie Wass and AEG defense attorney Marvin S. Putnam later denied outside court that the meeting Prince described ever happened.
Marvin S. Putnam said Prince Jackson would be re-called to the witness stand during the defense case later in the trial. “I think as the testimony will show when he is called in our defense that’s not what happened,” Marvin S. Putnam said.
“He was a 12-year-old boy who has had to endure this great tragedy.”
For the first time, Prince Jackson publicly provided details about the day his father died. The teenager testified that he saw Dr. Conrad Murray performing CPR on his father, who was hanging halfway off a bed. It appeared Michael Jackson’s eyes were rolled up in the back of his head, Prince told jurors.
Prince Jackson’s eyes appeared red as he recalled being told by Conrad Murray at a hospital that his father was dead. The teenager said he never saw Conrad Murray’s treatments of his father.
“I was 12. To my understanding he was supposed to make sure my dad stayed healthy,” Prince Jackson testified.
Prince Jackson said none of the household staff were allowed upstairs at the mansion, and the singer kept his bedroom locked while receiving treatments from Conrad Murray.
During cross-examination, Marvin S. Putnam played a clip from a deposition of Prince Jackson in which the teen said he discovered the bedroom was locked when he and his siblings were playing hide-and-seek and couldn’t get inside.
Prince Jackson also said his father gave him and Paris a stack of $100 bills on a few occasions to give to Conrad Murray, telling him Murray wouldn’t take the money from him, and the doctor wouldn’t take the full amount from the children.
The teenager said his understanding was that the money was meant to tide Conrad Murray over until he got paid by AEG Live.
Prince Jackson’s grandmother, Katherine, 83, sat in the front row of the courtroom during his testimony.
Katherine Jackson held a tissue and removed her glasses several times.
The testimony began with the teenager showing jurors roughly 15 minutes of private family photos and home videos.
Prince Jackson, Michael Jackson’s eldest son, recalled the moment Dr. Conrad Murray informed him of his father’s death.
Prince Jackson, 16, took to the stand for the first time in the Jackson family’s wrongful death lawsuit against AEG in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
He told the court Conrad Murray simply said: “Sorry kids. Dad’s dead.”
Prince Jackson is a witness in a lawsuit claiming AEG negligently hired Conrad Murray, the doctor who was later convicted of involuntary manslaughter for giving Michael Jackson an overdose of the anesthetic propofol.
According to TMZ, Prince Jackson was in the lounge room of the family’s Holmby Hills mansion when his father went into cardiac arrest on June 25, 2009.
He recalled hearing screams and Conrad Murray called him upstairs. Prince Jackson said his father was “half hanging out of the bed” while the doctor was trying to resuscitate him.
Prince Jackson said his sister Paris, 15, who is being treated following a suicide attempt earlier this month, suffered the most in the wake of their father’s death.
He recalled she screamed that she “wanted her daddy” while Conrad Murray was performing CPR.
Prince Jackson said: “She was my dad’s princess. She definitely is dealing with [his death] in her own way.”
He also revealed his father was excited about going back on tour before his death but wasn’t happy about the terms of the ill-fated shows.
Prince Jackson told jurors his father wanted more time to rehearse and had several tense phone conversations with promoters of his This Is It shows that sometimes ended with his father in tears.
The teen said his father remarked after one of the conversations: “They’re going to kill me,” but he did not elaborate.
Prince Jackson recalled the moment Dr. Conrad Murray informed him of his father’s death
AEG denies it hired the physician or bears any responsibility for the entertainer’s death.
Prince Jackson testified that he saw AEG Live CEO Randy Phillips at the family’s rented mansion in a heated conversation with Conrad Murray in the days before his father died. The teenager said he saw Randy Phillips grabbing Conrad Murray’s elbow.
Randy Phillips “looked aggressive to me”, Prince Jackson testified.
Michael Jackson wasn’t at home at the time and was probably at rehearsals, Prince said.
For the first time, the teenage publicly provided details about the day his father died. Prince Jackson testified that he saw Conrad Murray performing CPR on his father, who was hanging halfway off a bed.
It appeared his father’s eyes were rolled up in the back of his head, Prince Jackson told jurors.
Prince Jackson’s eyes appeared red as he recalled being told by Conrad Murray at a hospital that his father was dead.
The testimony began with the teenager showing jurors roughly 15 minutes of private family photos and home videos.
He described growing up on Neverland Ranch and showed the panel videos of the property’s petting zoos and other amenities. After his father’s acquittal of child molestation charges, Prince Jackson described living in the Middle East, Ireland and Las Vegas.
Prince Jackson told the jury that his father was always working, but his children had no idea he was a global superstar.
“We always listened to his music, but we never knew how famous he was,” he said.
Prince Jackson said he and his sister Paris watched a video of one of their father’s performances and got a sense of his fame when overwhelmed fans were carried from his shows on stretchers.
He is the first Jackson family member to testify during the trial, now in its ninth week. Attorneys have said TJ Jackson, who serves a co-guardian to Prince and his siblings, and Taj Jackson, are also expected to take the witness stand. They are the sons of Tito Jackson.
Prince Jackson, his sister Paris and brother Blanket are plaintiffs in the case against AEG, which their grandmother and primary caretaker filed in August 2010.
In court, Prince Jackson wore a black suit with a dark grey tie with his long brown hair tucked behind his ears. He spoke softly as he began testifying, and the first exhibit shown to jurors was a photo taken with their grandmother on his and Paris’ first day of school.
He described his school life, including taking a summer course in U.S. history, participating on the school’s robotics team and volunteer work.
Another image shown to jurors was Michael Jackson playing piano with his son while Prince was still an infant or toddler.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Brian Panish asked Prince Jackson whether he was interested in pursuing a career in music.
“I can never play an instrument and I definitely cannot sing,” Prince Jackson said to laughter from the jury.
He said he wanted to study film or business when he goes to college.
Prince Jackson said he helped attorneys pick out the videos and photos shown in court.
Michael Jackson sheltered his children from the public eye while he was alive, often obscuring their faces while out in public. The children have been more public in recent years, appearing at a star-studded memorial service and other events honoring their father.
Paris Jackson, 15, had also been expected to testify during the case but was hospitalized last month and her status as a witness remained unclear. Attorneys for AEG played a snippet of her videotaped deposition last week, and more of her testimony may be played for the jury later in the trial.
Blanket Jackson, 11, is not expected to testify.
The jury of six men and six women has learned numerous details about Michael Jackson’s role as a father during the case. They’ve heard about a secret trip to a movie weeks before Michael Jackson’s death, a private circus he hired for Paris’ 11th birthday, and Blanket’s interest in his father’s dance rehearsals.
President Barack Obama has said there will be no “wheeling and dealing” as part of extradition attempts against whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Speaking on a visit to the West African nation of Senegal, Barack Obama said the case would be handled through routine legal channels.
“I am not going to be scrambling jets to get a 29-year-old hacker,” the president added.
Edward Snowden, who faces espionage charges, flew to Moscow last weekend and requested asylum in Ecuador.
Barack Obama said on Thursday that he had not called China and Russia’s presidents about the case, adding: “I shouldn’t have to.”
He told a news conference in the Senegalese capital Dakar: “I’m not going to have one case of a suspect who we’re trying to extradite suddenly being elevated to the point where I’ve got to start doing wheeling and dealing and trading on a whole host of other issues.”
The president added: “My continued expectation is that Russia or other countries that have talked about potentially providing Mr. Snowden asylum recognize that they are a part of an international community and they should be abiding by international law.”
The US has accused Russia and China of helping Edward Snowden, which both deny.
President Barack Obama has said there will be no “wheeling and dealing” as part of extradition attempts against whistleblower Edward Snowden
Edward Obama said the leak highlighted significant vulnerabilities at the National Security Agency (NSA), the US electronic spying organization where Edward Snowden worked as a contractor until last month.
“In terms of US interests, the damage was done with respect to the initial leaks,” he said.
Ecuador said on Thursday it had not processed Edward Snowden’s asylum request because he had not reached any of its diplomatic premises.
The country also renounced its multi-million dollar trade relationship with the US, saying its forthcoming renewal would not influence any decision on Edward Snowden’s case.
“Ecuador will not accept pressures or threats from anyone, and it does not traffic in its values or allow them to be subjugated to mercantile interests,” said government spokesman Fernando Alvarado.
He also made an apparently tongue-in-cheek offer of economic aid to the US for human rights training.
The remarks come a day after the chairman of the US Senate foreign relations committee, Robert Menendez, suggested punishing Ecuador economically if it offered asylum to Edward Snowden.
The American is wanted for leaking to media that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data under a surveillance programme known as PRISM.
On Thursday, Beijing accused the US of “double standards” on cybersecurity.
China’s defense ministry said the Prism programme “has revealed the concerned country’s true face and hypocritical behavior”.
Edward Snowden, now 30, fled to Hong Kong on May 20 before flying to Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport on Sunday, where Russian authorities say he remains in transit.
Although Russia has no extradition treaty with the US, Washington says it wants Moscow to extradite him without delay.
Russia denies reports its secret police have questioned Edward Snowden, whose US passport has been revoked.
Hong Kong officials said he had been allowed out of the territory because of a mistake in the middle name given on US arrest documents.
The US justice department dismissed that as a “pretext for not acting”.
James Gandolfini’s 13-year-old son Michael joined mourners including Edith “Edie” Falco, Gandolfini’s on-screen wife Carmela in the HBO hit The Sopranos at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in NYC for the funeral ceremony, which was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time.
Before proceedings got underway, seven men could be seen escorting James Gandolfini’s casket, covered in a brown sheet, the church – one of the largest in New York.
Other cast members who came to pay their respects included pregnant Jamie Lynn Sigler, who played Tony Soprano’s daughter Meadow, Aida Turturro, who played his sister Janice, John Ventimiglia, who portrayed Artie Bucco, and Michael Imperioli, who starred as Tony’s nephew Christopher Moltisanti.
New Jersey governor Chris Christie arrived to say goodbye to the man who hailed from his state while James Gandolfini fans lined the streets, hoping they would also be allowed inside the church to mourn the passing of the great actor.
The funeral comes after a private wake was held for family and friends on Wednesday in New Jersey.
The 51-year-old died of a heart attack last week while vacationing in Italy with his son Michael.
The ceremony will include a film tribute produced and filmed by HBO for James Gandolfini’s family, the New York Post reported.
HBO crew members have been mapping out the scene at The Church of Saint John the Divine Cathedral since Monday to shoot a video of the Sopranos cast at the actor’s final curtain call.
Cameramen will be posted around the massive cathedral on Amsterdam Avenue and 112th Street, but the footage will not be aired. It will be a private gift to the family from the network, sources say.
“HBO is running the show,” a source said.
Michael Gandolfini joined mourners at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in NYC for his father funeral ceremony
“They’re paying for everything.
“They originally wanted the cast members to file in through the front door, but it would have created [chaos], so now they’re going to escort them to private property and they’re going to walk in through the side.”
Both James Gandolfini ‘s widow Deborah Lin and his first wife Marcy Wudarski were among the mourners at Wednesday’s wake.
It was invitation-only wake and held at the Robert Spearing Funeral Home in Park Ridge, near Westwood where James Gandolfini grew up.
Meanwhile, Broadway theatres in New York City dimmed their marquee lights on Wednesday night in memory of the late Sopranos star, who earned a Tony Award nomination in 2009 for his role in the award-winning God of Carnage.
Meanwhile, James Gandolfini’s former Sopranos costar Lillo Brancato Jr. spoke about his shock at the actor’s passing.
Lillo Brancato is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence at Hudson Correctional Facility in New York for his role in a robbery that left a police officer dead.
“I couldn’t believe my ears,” Lillo Brancato told The New York Daily News.
“I thought it was a mistake.”
James Gandolfini and Marcy Wudarski divorced in December 2002, and their 13-year-old son Michael allegedly found his father’s body after he died.
Marcy Wudarski and James Gandolfini endured a turbulent separation and divorce but are thought to have grown closer over shared custody of their boy during recent years.
On August 30, 2008, after two years of dating, James Gandolfini married former model Deborah Lin in her hometown of Honolulu, Hawaii.
Their baby daughter Liliana Ruth Gandolfini, was born in October 2012 in Los Angeles.
Meanwhile, in Barcelona, the first showing of James Gandolfini’s work in crime-drama Animal Rescue was greeted with a reverential silence and respectful applause.
Los Angeles-based fitness expert Gunnar Peterson, Kim Kardashian’s longtime personal trainer, has revealed the unusual and grueling exercise method the reality star will be using to shed her baby weight.
Gunnar Peterson, who also counts Halle Berry and Sofia Vergara among his clients, said he will be making Kim Kardashian push a 200-pound metal “sled” up and down a 90-foot track.
The workout involves her standing behind the apparatus with both hands on the handlebars and driving it forward to generate speed. This motion apparently helps to strengthen the core and tighten the glutes.
Kim Kardashian, 32, who gave birth to her daughter North West on June 15, will be following in the footsteps of top athletes and body builders who swear by the training technique.
Kim Kardashian, who gave birth to her daughter North West on June 15, will be following in the footsteps of top athletes and body builders who swear by the training technique
However, she will no doubt need a few more weeks to recover from her pregnancy as using the device is known to cause high levels of fatigue.
Indeed, the workout is so punishing Gunnar Peterson says that actress Sofia Vergara curses at him in Spanish while she is pushing the apparatus along.
To encourage his clients to keep going and build up speed he tells them to pretend they are reenacting a robbery or playing cat and mouse.
Sled training will form just one part of Kim Kardashian’s step-by-step postpartum exercise routine.
Other treats Gunnar Peterson has in store are dead lifts, power squats, cardio boxing and bouts on the rowing machine.
This combination will target all parts of her body, from arms and shoulders to bum, thighs and core.
Before Kim Kardashian’s pregnancy, Gunnar Peterson said that he worked out with her three to five days per week at his Beverly Hills gym, depending on her hectic schedule.
“She grinds in the gym year round and makes the right choices outside of the gym so the payoff is increased,” Gunnar Peterson previously told Shape magazine.
Gunnar Peterson, a graduate of Duke University, was inspired to become a personal trainer after being overweight as a child.
On her blog Kim Kardashian calls him an “amazing trainer”.
“We always mix strength moves with cardio intervals and I find that combination is what really works best for me… but everyone is different,” Kim Kardashian adds.
Kim Kardashian is reportedly breastfeeding constantly baby daughter North West.
Kim Kardashian, 32, and Kanye West, 36, are ensconced in Kris Jenner’s six-bedroom Hidden Hills, California, mansion after making a middle-of-the-night escape from the Cedars-Sinai hospital on Friday.
While the first-time parents are spending every second with North – affectionately known as Nori – they have also employed the services of a 24/7 nurse, according Us Weekly.
“Kim can’t believe how maternal she is on her own,” a source told the publication, adding: “She is breastfeeding constantly… [it] is working for her and she already feels she has bonded with Nori.”
Kim Kardashian’s friend and Pussycat Doll founder Robin Antin told Us Weekly: “When I walked in to see her, Kim was holding the baby. I said: <<Oh my God, you’re a natural>>. Kim said: <<I know – it’s so weird>>.”
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are taking well to parenthood as they spend their first week home with baby North
Apparently Kim Kardashian’s sister Kourtney – mother to Mason and Penelope – was a driving force behind Kim’s decision to breastfeed, according to Life & Style magazine.
“[Kim Kardashian] wasn’t going to, but Kourtney is a huge proponent of breastfeeding,” an insider told the publication.
“Kourtney also told [Kim] how much [breastfeeding] helped her lose the baby weight,” after she breastfed son Mason, aged three, for 14 months, and plans to not wean Penelope, who is almost one-year-old, for another year.
Baby North has even brought her lofty father Kanye West, 36, down to earth, with the birth having been a very emotional experience for him.
North West was born five weeks early, weighing in at 4 lbs 15oz on June 15.
Understandably Kanye West is feeling renewed heartache over the loss of his mother Donda who died aged 58 in 2007.
“It’s made him miss his mom very much,” the insider went on.
“He wishes she could see his beautiful baby girl.”
Kanye West, whose new album Yeezus shot to the top of the Billboard 200 chart this week after sales of 327,000 copies in its first week, is also learning how to swaddle, with mixed reports about whether he is getting stuck in on diaper duty.
“The rapper has been changing diapers,” according to People, although Us Weekly reports he has drawn the line at this task.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are staying with her mother Kris Jenner, 57, step father Bruce, 63, and her half sisters Kendall, 17, and Kylie, 15.
Her siblings Kourtney, 34, and Khloe, 29, are also regular visitors and “everybody’s trying to help”.
Kris Jenner has been making Kim Kardashian’s favorite foods, including French toast, while at the same time spending time in their Malibu holiday home to give the new parents some privacy, Us Weekly reports.
And on Tuesday Kris Jenner was in New York for a TV appearance.
The magazine claims that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West will soon be moving out into rented accommodation while renovations on their $9 million, 9,000-sq-ft home in Bell Air, Los Angeles, continue.
It has also been reported that Kanye West proposed to Kim Kardashian days after North arrived.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are said to be planning a September wedding in Paris, The Sun reports.
President Barack Obama has arrived in Senegal on the first leg of a three-nation tour of Africa.
This is Barack Obama’s second visit to the African continent since he became president.
President Barack Obama has arrived in Senegal on the first leg of a three-nation tour of Africa
Barack Obama is hoping to boost economic ties with the African countries and promote good governance – all the countries he is visiting have stable democracies.
The South African leg of his trip is expected to be overshadowed by the continuing critical condition of former President Nelson Mandela.
The White House has said it will defer to the wishes of Nelson Mandela’s family over whether the former South African president is well enough to receive a visit from him in hospital.
Barack Obama, who arrived in the Senegalese capital, Dakar, on Wednesday night with his family, is due to meet the country’s President Macky Sall later on Thursday.
James Gandolfini’s funeral service is scheduled to take place at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine, one of New York City’s largest churches.
The ceremony at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine is planned for 10 a.m. on Thursday, June 27.
It comes after a private wake for James Gandolfini on Wednesday in New Jersey.
James Gandolfini’s funeral service is scheduled to take place at the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine in NYC
The 51-year-old Sopranos star died of a heart attack last week while vacationing in Italy with his son Michael, wife Deborah Lin and their 8-month daughter.
Broadway theaters paid tribute by dimming their lights briefly Wednesday night.
James Gandolfini was nominated for a Tony Award in 2009 as an actor in God of Carnage.
The Italian news agency ANSA reported that James Gandolfini’s body departed Rome for the US on Sunday. Gandolfini family spokesman Michael Kobold earlier told reporters the “provisional plan” was to repatriate the actor’s body Monday.
James Gandolfini had been headed to Sicily to appear at the Taormina Film Festival, which paid tribute to him Saturday.
