Wing walker Jane Wicker and her pilot were confirmed dead after their plane crashed in a ball of flames at Dayton Air Show on Saturday afternoon.
Jane Wicker, a mother of two, was atop the biplane at the Vectren Air Show near Dayton, Ohio when it plunged to the ground in front of horrified onlookers. The pilot, Charlie Schwenker, also perished in the crash.
Witnesses reported hearing screams as the plane dived to the ground.
“All of a sudden I heard screaming and looked up and there was a fire ball,” Stan Thayer of Wilmington told the Dayton Daily News.
Shawn Warwick was also at the event and watching the crash through binoculars.
“I noticed it was upside down really close to the ground. She was sitting on the bottom of the plane,” he said.
“I saw it just go right into the ground and explode.”
Terrence Slaybaugh, the director of aviation for Dayton, confirmed their deaths around 2 p.m. The crash occurred at around 12:45 p.m.
In an interview earlier this week withWDTN, Jane Wicker expressed no apprehension about Saturday’s flight.
Wing walker Jane Wicker and her pilot were confirmed dead after their plane crashed in a ball of flames at Dayton Air Show
“I’m never nervous or scared because I know if I do everything as I usually do, everything’s going to be just fine,” Jane Wicker said.
The air show was cancelled for the rest of the day, and Sunday’s activities were cancelled as well.
Jane Wicker was well-known as a wing walker after being introduced to the daredevil activity through a Flying Circus ride she received as a birthday present.
Tragically, a picture on Facebook seems to indicate that she had recently become engaged.
According to her website, Jane Wicker was a full-time budget-analyst at the FAA, a freelance writer and had recently returned to school to earn a degree in finance.
She first got interested in aviation after taking a ride with a friend in 1988. After her first flying lesson she was hooked and continued to pay for all of her flying lessons until she received her pilot’s certificate in 1989.
Jane Wicker went on to get her several other pilot’s ratings, all while working full-time.
For a birthday present in 1989, Jane Wicker was gifted with an aerobatic plane ride. She loved it and a year later applied to be a wing walker after seeing a classified ad in the Washington Post.
The first time she walked on a wing was also her first air show.
Jane Wicker met her now ex-husband Kirk Wicker at a wing-walking audition. Jane and Kirk Wicker joined up and they created “Beauty and the Beast Wing Walking” together. She would walk on the wings while Kirk Wicker would fly the plane. When their marriage dissolved in 2002, Jane Wicker took a break from wing walking. The couple had two sons, one of which – Ben Wicker – just recently graduated high school.
Jane Wicker got back into wing walking in 2009 when she bought a new plane, Aurora, and re-entered the Airshow Circuit.
Florida aerialist Nik Wallenda has completed a quarter mile tightrope walk without safety harness over the Little Colorado River Gorge in northeastern Arizona.
Daredevil Nik Wallenda performed the stunt late on Sunday on a 2-inch-thick steel cable, 1,500 feet above the river on the Navajo Nation near the Grand Canyon.
He took just more than 22 minutes, pausing and crouching twice as winds whipped around him and the rope swayed.
“Thank you Lord. Thank you for calming that cable, God,” Nik Wallenda said about 13 minutes into the walk.
Nik Wallenda didn’t wear a harness and stepped slowly and steady throughout, murmuring prayers to Jesus almost constantly along the way. He jogged and hopped the last few steps.
Winds blowing across the gorge had been expected to be around 30 mph. Nik Wallenda told Discovery after the walk that the winds were at times “unpredictable” and that dust had accumulated on his contact lenses.
“It was way more windy, and it took every bit of me to stay focused the entire time,” he said.
Nik Wallenda, 34, is a seventh-generation high-wire artist and is part of the famous “Flying Wallendas” circus family – a clan that is no stranger to death-defying feats.
About 600 spectators watching on a large video screen on site cheered him on as he walked toward them. A Navajo Nation ranger, a paramedic and two members of a film crew were stationed on the canyon floor and watched from below.
The ranger Elmer Phillips said Nik Wallenda appeared to be walking like any normal person would on a sidewalk. But he said he got a little nervous when Nik Wallenda stopped the first time.
“Other than that, a pretty amazing feat. I know I wouldn’t even attempt something like that,” Elmer Phillips said.
“Very nicely done.”
Nik Wallenda told reporters after the walk that he hoped his next stunt would be a tightrope walk between the Empire State building and the Chrysler building in New York. But he said he would give up tightrope walking altogether if his wife and children ever asked him.
Before the walk, a group of Navajos, Hopis and other Native Americans stood along a nearby highway with signs protesting the event.
The event was touted as a walk across the Grand Canyon, an area held sacred by many American Indian tribes.
Some local residents believe Nik Wallenda hasn’t accurately pinpointed the location and also said that the Navajo Nation shouldn’t be promoting the gambling of one man’s life for the benefit of tourism.
Discovery’s two-hour broadcast showcased the Navajo landscape that includes Monument Valley, Four Corners, Canyon de Chelly and the tribal capital of Window Rock.
“When people watch this, our main thing is we want the world to know who Navajo people are, our culture, traditions and language are still very much alive,” Geri Hongeva, spokeswoman for the tribe’s Division of Natural Resources, said before the walk.
Nik Wallenda says he has wondered what it would be like to cross an area he considers the Grand Canyon since he was a teenager.
Sunday’s stunt comes a year after he traversed Niagara Falls earning a seventh Guinness world record.
Nik Wallenda wore a microphone and two cameras, one looking down on the dry Little Colorado River bed and one facing straight ahead. His leather shoes with an elk-skin sole helped him keep a grip on the steel cable as he moved across.
Nik Wallenda has completed a quarter mile tightrope walk without safety harness over the Little Colorado River Gorge in northeastern Arizona
The event was broadcast live on the Discovery Channel with a ten-second delay. He was watched by 1.5 million people compared to the 8 million who watched Felix Baumgartner jump from space.
The vertigo sufferer’s ultimate nightmare, the Grand Canyon, is as deadly as it is awe-inspiring. Of the 700 lives it has claimed in the past century, most went over the edge, plunging thousands of feet to the rocky base of the Little Colorado River.
People have slipped over by accident, jumped over on purpose and inadvertently backed over while taking a photo. Some have badly misjudged trying to relieve themselves over the rim for a lark, while a father from Texas pretended to fall to scare his daughter – only to lose his footing and do it properly.
But nobody has ever dared go over the edge balancing on a two-inch thick steel cable.
On paper, the canyon crossing makes the Niagara expedition look like a stroll. There Nik Wallenda was 200 ft above the falls, this time he was 1,500 ft (higher than the Empire State Building) above the ground.
Although the distance Nik Wallenda walked was shorter – 1,400 ft compared to 1,800 ft – every inch of the way had a crucial difference.
This time, Nik Wallenda a devout Christian and father-of -three, did not have any safety device.
The TV company that broadcast the Niagara stunt – loth to confront viewers with a sudden, dramatic death – insisted he wear a harness. Nik Wallenda, who never usually wears one and had threatened to shrug it off if he felt it was hindering him, later said he hated wearing it, and vowed never to do so again.
Like safety nets, harnesses give you a false sense of security which increases the likelihood you will lose concentration and make a mistake, he says. They might also stop you from getting nervous, but Nik Wallenda, who already holds six Guinness World Records, doesn’t seem to know the concept of anxiety when he is on a high wire.
It may be in his genes. He is a seventh generation member of a dynasty of circus aerialists known since the Twenties as The Flying Wallendas. The troupe never used safety nets after one of them bounced out of a net and died.
Nik Wallenda’s great-grandfather, Karl, the troupe’s founder, was killed aged 73 while attempting a tightrope walk in 30 mph winds between the ten-storey-high towers of a Puerto Rico hotel.
For his latest challenge, Nik Wallenda chose a desolate and relatively narrow part of the canyon known as Hellhole Bend.
Here the view – featured in various TV commercials – is as stunning as anywhere along the entire length of the canyon, as the sides fall instantly away into sheer cliffs and a butte (like a fat skyscraper) juts out from the canyon’s north rim.
Nik Wallenda was ferried by helicopter to the isolated butte from where, leaving the pinyon and yucca scrub, he took his first tentative steps over thin air.
The first couple of steps are always the worst, he says, as clad in soft leather shoes custom-made by his mother, he moves slowly towards the canyon’s south rim in what is more of a slide than a walk.
As usual with these finely-calibrated operations, the tautness of the cable is crucial. Freak winds have been known to bring down helicopters in the canyon, and could play havoc with Nik Wallenda’s progress.
Counter weights were suspended along the wire to keep it stable in gusts he anticipates could be as strong as 35mph.
The 8.5-ton cable – of a type usually used for undersea dredging – was suspended from four anchors that have been drilled and cemented 15 ft deep into the limestone rock on either side.
Organizers promised that the only weather condition that would delay the walk was lightning anywhere within a 15-mile radius – Nik Wallenda, after all, carries a 43 lbs metal balancing pole attached around his neck by a brace.
If he got stuck in the middle, prevented from advancing by high winds, a rescue crew could get to him in 30 seconds by sending a small metal basket along the cable in which he could take shelter.
Nik Wallenda had anticipated the walk would take 20 to 30 minutes. If it took longer and the light started to fail, he could have been in trouble: a big danger for a funambulist – the proper term for a tightrope walker – is not being able to see the wire ahead.
Another danger is the cable starting to bounce. Curiously, this can happen if he walks at an even pace because that can set up a rhythmic movement along the cable, so he will try to vary it, speeding up and slowing down.
He’ll was on an empty stomach – hiccups could be disastrous.
The canyon walk was broadcast live in 200 countries by the Discovery Channel – albeit with a ten-second delay in case of disaster. Two cameras strapped to Nik Wallenda’s body gave viewers the same hair-raising vistas he saw on his way across.
Nik Wallenda has been training for months at his home in Florida, conducting walks of similar lengths to the canyon crossing twice every day over a local lake, using the same sort of wire he will employ in Arizona.
He’s practiced walking in 52 mph gusts during tropical storms, and last week even managed to stay up as wind machines pounded him with a steady blast of 92 mph.
His parents – both highwire walkers – used to ram home the importance of being prepared for the unexpected, pelting him with pine cones as he swayed on a practice wire in their garden, or coming up behind him and shaking the wire.
His father and mentor, Terry, was the reassuring voice in his earpiece when Nik Wallenda stepped out over the abyss.
Still, Nik Wallenda admits that some eventualities can never be foreseen out on the wire. He was once stung by a bee and has had birds land on his balancing pole. Out in the Arizona desert, that could be a vulture.
As to how he copes with the extraordinary mental strain, Nik Wallenda, an unshowy performer who usually does his walks in shorts and T-shirt, doesn’t shed much light on the subject.
It’s basically all he knows, he says. There’s certainly an otherworldly quality to a man who claims to get “very peaceful” out on the wire.
In the past, Nik Wallenda has hung from his teeth from a helicopter, and ridden a motorcycle up a steel cable. But he doesn’t like being called a daredevil.
“I do consider what I do an art,” he says.
“And I consider a daredevil more of somebody who says: <<I’m going to do something that’s never been done before but I haven’t trained for it>>. I train and train and train and over-train for this.”
Nik Wallenda’s wife Erendira, 32, is another wire walker. He got down on one knee to propose when they were both on a high wire.
Erendira Wallenda and the children watched him succeed in his breath-taking stunt on Sunday night.
They always say a family prayer, but there is no real ritual before his walks, Nik Wallenda insists.
“I’m not superstitious. I give my wife and kids a hug and a kiss, and say: <<See you in a few minutes>> – just like I do when I go out to get groceries.”
Samsung has unveiled Ativ Q, a tablet that can switch between the Windows 8 and Android operating systems.
The Ativ Q has a 13.3in (33.8cm) screen that sits over a keyboard that can be folded out for typing or set to act as a stand. In addition it has a stylus.
Samsung tablet comes just over a fortnight after Asus unveiled its own laptop-tablet hybrid which also runs both Microsoft and Google’s systems.
One analyst said he expected this to be a trend that other firms would follow.
“It’s a very cost-effective way for manufacturers to offer extra value to consumers at a time when it’s very hard to differentiate benefits from one device to another,” said Chris Green, principal technology analyst at Davies Murphy Group.
“You can tap into the industry-standard Windows productivity solutions – from Office to third-party programs – as well as all the mobile apps of Google’s system. It’s the logical next step.”
The Ativ Q runs off Intel’s new Haswell chip and Samsung said it offered up to nine hours of battery life. It added that the device’s screen had been designed to be bright enough to be used outside on a sunny day.
The launch was announced at a press conference in London.
Samsung has unveiled Ativ Q, a tablet that can switch between the Windows 8 and Android operating systems
Samsung also showed off another touchscreen computer, the Ativ Tab 3 which it described as the world’s thinnest tablet to run the full Windows 8 system, as well as new PCs.
Among the other announcements was the Galaxy NX – a camera which allows its lenses to be changed, runs off the Android system and supports 4G data transfers.
It marks the firm’s latest attempt to sell a device which offers higher quality images than the typical smartphone, but also allows pictures and video to be edited with apps and uploaded to the internet.
It adds to a product line that also includes a handset featuring a 10x optical zoom.
“The Galaxy NX camera looks impressive and is more likely to appeal to serious photographers than its S4 Zoom, which is quite a bulky smartphone because of the lens on the back,” said Graeme Neill, deputy editor at Mobile Today.
“Samsung’s main difference from its rival Apple is the sheer volume of products it brings to market.
“It is really determined to be making a smartphone, tablet, camera and laptop for everybody, from those who want high-end devices to consumers on a budget.”
The announcements come at a time when the South Korean firm’s stock has come under pressure.
Samsung Electronics shares have fallen by nearly 14% since June 4 after a number of banks cut their profit forecasts for the company.
They said they were worried its flagship Android device, the Galaxy S4, was not selling as well as they had previously predicted and raised concerns about rising competition from Chinese smart device makers.
Pope Francis offered Down Syndrome teenage Alberto di Tullio a very rare privilege during his general audience last week – a personal tour of the “Popemobile”.
Pope Francis offered Down Syndrome teenage Alberto di Tullio a very rare privilege during his general audience
The pontiff invited Alberto di Tullio, 17, up onto his open-top Mercedes at the end of his general audience on Wednesday while tens of thousands of people looked on.
The boy’s father, Celestino di Tullio, told reporters how he choked up when Pope Francis approached his son. He said the Pope saw him and embraced him. When the boy pointed to the car, Pope Francis invited him up.
Footage shows Pope Francis and Alberto di Tullio chatting on the open-deck of the “Popemobile” before the teenager had a go in the pope’s white swivel chair.
Pictures of the Rome hotel room in which James Gandolfini spent his final moments have emerged.
In room 449 of the art deco Boscolo Exedra Roma hotel, a $671 per night suite overlooking the Piazza della Repubblica, James Gandolfini died June 19 of a massive heart attack at the age of 51.
Photos show the ornate marble bathroom in which the actor was found by his 13-year-old son Michael and where paramedics worked to save James Gandolfini before rushing him to Policlinico Umberto I hospital.
Celebrity chef Sandra Lee would later stay in the finely appointed room on Friday, until learning it was the very same in which James Gandolfini took ill.
When media learned that Sandra Lee had been so quickly placed in the suite, they pounced. Sources told the New York Post that Sandra Lee was “saddened” when she learned of the fourth floor room’s recent history.
Sandra Lee was in town with her sister and nieces. Room 449 was one of several she’d rented for their trip.
As Italian media began to swarm, Sandra Lee and company left after only one night.
James Gandolfini, who found fame playing a mafia boss was vacationing in Rome prior to the Taormina Film Festival, which he was slated to attend in Sicily over the weekend.
The actor was set to receive an award at the festival. He instead received a tribute on Saturday.
James Gandolfini and his son toured the Vatican prior to his death as they awaited the arrival of his sister.
Boscolo Exedra Roma hotel bathroom where James Gandolfini suffered a fatal heart attack
Leta Gandolfini, one of the actor’s two older sisters who both live in New Jersey, appeared grief-last stricken last week as she arrived at the morgue flanked by security guards.
An autopsy on Friday confirmed James Gandolfini died of a heart attack and that there were no suspicious factors, such as alcohol, on his medical report.
He was taken by ambulance to the hospital around 10:40pm Wednesday night.
He was reportedly alive as six men removed him from the Hotel Exedra, but had entered cardiac arrest by the time he reached the hospital.
Doctors worked for over half an hour, trying to bring James Gandolfini back, but it was to no avail.
The alarm was first raised when the actor’s son Michael called the hotel’s front desk after finding his father in the bathroom.
The night before his death, James Gandolfini dined with Michael in Rome’s Trastevere neighborhood.
His waiter Andrei Burca told the New York Post: “He had a big smile, a big laugh, and looked happy.”
But just 24 hours later, Michael Gandolfini found his father suffering from a heart attack in the bathroom of their hotel room. Doctors battled for 40 minutes to save him but he was later pronounced dead.
James Gandolfini’s body was initially slated to be flown to the U.S.by Wednesday or Thursday, and his funeral held in New York.
“In Italy, it can take up to 10 days to get all the necessary documents and paperwork to repatriate the body. We are looking forward to working with the Italian government and officials to shorten that process,” family friend and spokesman Michael Kobold originally said.
But, on Sunday, those plans appeared to accelerate.
That’s when Michael Kobold told reporters that the “provisional plan” is to depart Rome on Monday afternoon for the United States, several days earlier than anticipated. He did not specify which U.S. airport.
The Italian news agency ANSA later released photos of James Gandolfini’s body departing Rome.
The agency says the private plane took off at 6 p.m. Sunday. Its exact U.S. destination was unclear.
Family spokesman Michael Kobold had told reporters the “provisional plan” was to repatriate Gandolfini’s body Monday.
Michael Kobold thanked Italian and U.S. authorities, including U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, his predecessor Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton for helping with arrangements.
Deborah Lin, who had been married to James Gandolfini for five years, was spotted at a Los Angeles shopping mall buying clothes for their baby daughter before the funeral.
In his home state of New Jersey, flags will be flown at half-mast on state buildings on Monday, New Jersey governor Chris Christie said.
James Gandolfini rose to fame playing a hitman in the 1993 film True Romance, and roles in films such as Terminal Velocity and Get Shorty followed.
However, it was not until his breakout role in 1999 in the hit television show The Sopranos that he became a household name.
Since The Sopranos ended its six-season run in June 2007, James Gandolfini had appeared in a number of big-screen roles, including the crime drama Killing Them Softly and Zero Dark Thirty, a film about the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
James Gandolfini had been working on an upcoming HBO series, Criminal Justice, and had two films due out next year.
Former South African President Nelson Mandela has become critically ill in hospital, President Jacob Zuma has announced.
Jacob Zuma said he had visited Nelson Mandela and spoken to his wife and medical teams.
Doctors were “doing everything possible to get his condition to improve” said Jacob Zuma in a statement.
Nelson Mandela, 94, was taken to hospital in Pretoria earlier this month for the third time this year, with a lung infection.
Jacob Zuma said he had been told by doctors that the former president’s condition had worsened over the past 24 hours.
“The doctors are doing everything possible to get his condition to improve and are ensuring that Madiba is well-looked after and is comfortable. He is in good hands,” said Jacob Zuma, using Nelson Mandela’s clan name by which he is widely known in South Africa.
Jacob Zuma appealed for prayers for Nelson Mandela and his medical team.
Nelson Mandela has become critically ill in hospital
Mac Maharaj, Jacob Zuma’s spokesman, said the doctors’ use of the word “critical” was “sufficient explanation that should raise concern amongst us”.
“Therefore we want to assure the public that the doctors are working away to try and get his condition to improve,” he said.
The release of information relating to Nelson Mandela is always carefully controlled by the government to avoid sparking alarm.
The use of the word “critical” to describe his condition will be seen as very worrying by South Africans, many of whom see him as like a family member.
There has been little information about Nelson Mandela’s condition in recent days. On June 13 Jacob Zuma, who releases all official updates relating to the much-loved leader, said his health continued to improve but that his condition remained serious.
More recently, one of Nelson Mandela’s grandsons, Ndaba Mandela, said his grandfather was getting better and he hoped he would be home soon.
Nelson Mandela’s wife, Graca Machel, thanked all those who had sent messages of support, saying they had brought “love, comfort and hope”.
The former president is revered for leading the fight against white minority rule in South Africa and then preaching reconciliation despite being imprisoned for 27 years. He left power after five years as president.
He is believed to have suffered damage to his lungs while working in a prison quarry.
He contracted tuberculosis in the 1980s while being held in jail on the windswept Robben Island.
Nelson Mandela retired from public life in 2004 and has rarely been seen at official events since.
Edward Snowden, the CIA contractor who leaked classified documents revealing US internet and phone surveillance, has asked Ecuador for asylum.
The request was confirmed by Ecuador’s foreign minister on Twitter.
Edward Snowden had fled the US for Hong Kong but flew out on Sunday morning and is currently in Moscow.
A US extradition request to Hong Kong failed but Washington insists he should now be denied international travel.
Ecuador’s Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino, who is in Vietnam,said on Twitter: “The Government of Ecuador has received an asylum request from Edward J. #Snowden.”
Wikileaks said in a statement that Edward Snowden was “bound for the Republic of Ecuador via a safe route for the purposes of asylum, and is being escorted by diplomats and legal advisers from Wikileaks”.
The anti-secrecy group said Edward Snowden’s asylum request would be formally processed when he arrived in Ecuador.
The US state department said Edward Snowden’s passport had been revoked, saying this was “routine and consistent with US regulations”.
“Persons wanted on felony charges, such as Mr. Snowden, should not be allowed to proceed in any further international travel, other than is necessary to return him to the United States,” said spokeswoman Jen Psaki.
However, one US official told the Associated Press that if a senior official in a country or airline ordered it, a country could overlook the lack of a passport.
Edward Snowden had fled the US for Hong Kong but flew out on Sunday morning and is currently in Moscow
Hong Kong officials said Edward Snowden had left “on his own accord for a third country through a lawful and normal channel” because the US extradition request was incomplete and there was no legal basis to restrict him from departing.
Edward Snowden left on Aeroflot flight SU213 and landed at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport shortly after 17:00 local time on Sunday, where he was reportedly picked up by either a Venezuelan or Ecuadorean embassy car.
A source at the Russian airline company was quoted earlier as saying that Edward Snowden would fly on to Cuba – one report said he was booked on a Monday morning flight there.
It is unclear where Edward Snowden currently is, but he is reported to have not left the airport, and the Ecuadorean ambassador was spotted at an airside hotel.
The US and Ecuador have a joint extradition treaty, but it is not applicable to “crimes or offences of a political character”.
Ecuador is already giving political asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, who has been sheltering in its London embassy for the past year.
The US justice department has said it will seek co-operation from whichever country Edward Snowden arrives in.
“We will continue to discuss this matter with Hong Kong and pursue relevant law enforcement co-operation with other countries where Mr. Snowden may be attempting to travel,” Nanda Chitre, a spokeswoman for the justice department said in a statement.
Edward Snowden had left his home in Hawaii after leaking details of his work as an National Security Agency (NSA) analyst and the extensive US surveillance programme to the UK’s Guardian newspaper and the Washington Post.
He has been charged in the US with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence.
Each of the charges carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence. The complaint is dated June 14 – although it was made public only on Friday.
NSA chief Keith Alexander told ABC News on Sunday there had been no warning that Edward Snowden had taken the documents.
“Clearly, the system did not work as it should have,” he said.
General Keith Alexander also said the spying agency was overhauling its operations to tighten security on contractors, including tracking the actions of system administrators like Edward Snowden.
The leaks have led to revelations that the US is systematically seizing vast amounts of phone and web data under an NSA programme known as PRISM.
Edward Snowden said earlier that he had decided to speak out after observing “a continuing litany of lies” from senior officials to Congress.
US officials have defended the practice of gathering telephone and internet data from private users around the world.
They say PRISM cannot be used to intentionally target any Americans or anyone in the US, and that it is supervised by judges.
More than one million people have taken part in protests in about 100 cities across Brazil, the latest in a wave of demonstrations.
Violence erupted in many places and an 18-year-old man died when a car drove through a barricade in Sao Paulo state.
Protests began more than a week ago over high transport fares but are also highlighting corruption and the cost of next year’s football World Cup.
President Dilma Rousseff called off a trip to Japan to deal with the crisis.
She has called an emergency meeting of her cabinet for Friday to discuss the unrest.
The newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, citing official figures, said that more than one million people had taken part in Thursday’s demonstrations.
Brazilian media said there were protests in more than 100 cities.
In Rio de Janeiro riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at groups of masked young men trying to approach the City Hall late on Thursday. At least 29 people were reported injured.
Rio authorities sealed off the state legislature building, the state governor’s office, Guanabara Palace and the mayor’s office.
More than one million people have taken part in protests in about 100 cities across Brazil
TV images showed gangs looting shops in the city centre – although many Rio shopkeepers and banks had put up wooden hoardings to protect their premises.
In the capital, Brasilia, demonstrators started a small fire at the entrance to the foreign ministry and were driven back by police using rubber bullets and tear gas.
Other government buildings in the city were attacked and riot police used tear gas and rubber bullets to scatter the crowds. About 26 people were reported injured.
There were also clashes outside a football stadium in Salvador ahead of a Confederations Cup match between Nigeria and Uruguay.
More clashes were reported in Porto Alegre in the south, Campinas north of Sao Paulo and in the north-eastern city of Salvador.
The 18-year-old man killed in the city of Ribeirao Preto was the first person reported to have died in the protests. The motorist who drove through the barricade is said to have fled the scene.
In Sao Paulo, police said 100,000 people had gathered on the city’s landmark Avenida Paulista.
Members of the city’s Free Access Movement (Movimento Passe Livre) – which has been campaigning for better public transport – earlier pledged to take to the streets “to celebrate” the reversal of a public-transport fare increase.
The protests, originally triggered by the increase on 2 June, have since grown into a much wider movement.
Protesters are angry at corruption and poor public services as well as the huge cost of next year’s football World Cup, saying the government should also invest in education and healthcare.
Previous Confederations Cup matches have drawn protests, with demonstrators expressing their anger at steep ticket prices and the money spent on the Confederations Cup, the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Sao Paulo Mayor Fernando Haddad said Wednesday’s reversal of the fare rise was a “big sacrifice”, which meant other investments would have to be cut.
Sao Paulo and Rio are the latest two cities to reverse such increases after similar moves by the authorities in Cuiaba, Recife and Joao Pessoa.
Details about James Gandolfini’s final moments come as a photograph has emerged apparently showing the actor enjoying an evening out with his son Michael the night before his sudden death.
In what could be the last picture of the award-winning actor, James Gandolfini appeared at ease and in good health as he ate dinner at the Sabatini Restaurant with his son Michael, according to fellow holidaymaker Blake Kahn, who took the photo.
James Gandolfini pictured having family meal night before fatal heart attack
Another member of Blake Kahn’s group, Dee Duncan of Roswell, Georgia, added that James Gandolfini looked as if he was enjoying the “magical atmosphere” as jugglers and magicians performed in the square.
Blake Kahn, from Atlanta, Georgia, later shared the images with 11Alive.
James Gandolfini was on vacation in Rome with Michael, wife Deborah and their nine-month-old daughter Liliana to “reconnect with his Italian roots” before the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily.
James Gandolfini’s Sopranos colleagues have led tributes from the showbiz world, with the show’s creator David Chase who compared him to Mozart, praising him as “one of the greatest actors of this or any time”.
James Gandolfini died after he suffered a heart attack in his hotel room in Italy on Wednesday night, and doctors battled for 40 minutes to save him.
Medical staff rushed to Hotel Boscolo in Rome after James Gandolfini’s 13-year-old son found his father suffering the attack in their bathroom around 10 p.m. on Wednesday.
James Gandolfini died after he suffered a heart attack in his hotel room in Italy on Wednesday night
James Gandolfini was taken by ambulance to Policlinico Umberto I hospital where he was pronounced dead. The actor, best known for his role as Tony Soprano in HBO series The Sopranos, was just 51.
“The resuscitation maneuvers, including heart massage etc., continued for 40 minutes and then, seeing no electric activity from the heart, this was interrupted and we declared James dead,” said emergency room chief Claudio Modini.
“The patient was considered dead on arrival, and for that reason an autopsy has been requested to be carried out by a pathologist, as is normal procedure in our country.”
Big Brain is the first high-resolution 3D digital model of the human brain created by a research team.
The reconstruction shows the brain’s anatomy in microscopic detail, enabling researchers to see features smaller than a strand of hair.
Big Brain will be made freely available to neuroscientists to help them in their research.
The model has been published in the journal Science.
The research team had to slice 7,400 sections from the brain of a deceased 65-year-old woman, each half the thickness of a human hair.
The team then had to stain each slice to bring out the anatomical detail and scan them into the computer in high definition.
The final step was to reassemble the scanned slices inside the computer.
In all, 80 billion neurons have been captured in this painstaking process which took 10 years to complete.
Big Brain is the first high-resolution 3D digital model of the human brain
The result is a 3D high definition digital brain into which researchers can zoom to study areas of interest in microscopic detail.
One of the researchers involved, Prof. Katrin Amunts from the Julich Research Centre in Germany, said that it was “like using Google Earth. You can see details that are not visible before we had this 3D reconstruction”.
Another member of the team, Prof. Alan Evans of McGill University in Canada, described the achievement as a “technical tour de force”.
Among the neuroscientists who will be using Big Brain is Prof. Paul Fletcher, a psychiatrist at Cambridge University who is scanning the brains of patients to learn more about eating disorders.
Big Brain, he says, goes a “step further” than the best scans he can obtain by enabling him to see details at the level at which brain computations take place.
“We will be able to study the responses seen in people and map it on to an atlas that goes close to the individual layers of the brain’s cortex, to the very cells themselves.”
Big Brain is one among many recent big neuroscience initiatives.
Researchers in the US have recently begun a $38 million Human Connectome Project which involves incredibly detailed scans to show the connections between important areas of the brain.
A few weeks ago President Barack Obama announced a $100 million initiative to map the human brain to help find cures for disorders such as Alzheimer’s.
And the European Union has proposed a billion pound programme that will in effect create a brain from scratch using computer technology.
Solstice, or Litha, means a stopping or standing still of the sun.
The summer solstice is the longest day of the year and is celebrated by thousands of pagans across the world. In the northern hemisphere the Solstice usually falls around June 21.
Stonehenge is believed to have been used as an important religious site by early Britons 4,000 years ago
Stonehenge, UK’s ancient monument in Wiltshire, is believed to have been used as an important religious site by early Britons 4,000 years ago.
Recent pagan celebrations at the site began in the 20th Century.
On Litha, the central Altar stone at Stonehenge aligns with the Heel stone, the Slaughter stone and the rising sun to the north east.
Singapore pollution levels reached a new record high for a third day in a row, as smoky haze from fires in Indonesia shrouded the city state.
The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit 401 at 12:00 on Friday – the highest in the country’s history.
The haze is also affecting Malaysia, with another 100 schools closed in the south of the country.
Indonesia has prepared helicopters and cloud seeding equipment to try to tackle the fires.
Singaporean PM Lee Hsieng Loong warned on Thursday that the haze could remain in place for weeks.
“We can’t tell how this problem is going to develop because it depends on the burning, it depends on the weather, it depends on the wind,” he said.
“It can easily last for several weeks and quite possibly it could last longer until the dry season ends in Sumatra which may be September or October.”
A PSI reading above 300 is defined as “hazardous”, while Singapore government guidelines say a PSI reading of above 400 over 24 hours “may be life threatening to ill and elderly persons”.
“Healthy people [may also] experience adverse symptoms that affect normal activity,” the government says.
Singapore pollution levels reached a new record high for a third day in a row, as smoky haze from fires in Indonesia shrouded the city state
The PSI dropped back down to 245 at 14:00, although this is still in the “very unhealthy” range, and above peak levels during the 1997-1998 South East Asian Haze.
Philip Koh, a doctor, told AFP news agency that the number of medical consultations he had had in the past week had increased by 20%.
“My patients are telling me they are worried about how long this is going to last and how much higher this is going to go,” he said.
Singapore’s National Environment Agency has started providing hourly PSI updates on its website, in addition to the three-hourly updates it previously provided.
Around 300 schools in southern Malaysia have now been closed as a result of the smog. Schools in Singapore are currently closed for the holidays.
There are also reports of flight delays in both Singapore’s Changi airport and Riau province in Indonesia.
The fires are caused by illegal slash-and-burn land clearance in Sumatra, to the west of Singapore.
The smog has strained diplomatic relations between Singapore and Indonesia – two countries that usually share good relations.
PM Lee Hsieng Loong said Singapore had provided satellite date to Indonesia to help it identify companies involved and said that if any Singapore firms were involved, that would be addressed.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency said it would deploy two helicopters to conduct “water-bombing” operations, as well as planes with cloud seeding equipment.
Reports say around 100 Indonesian firefighters are attempting to put out the fires in Sumatra.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said “all the country’s resources” would be mobilized to extinguish the fires.
Most Asian markets have fallen again as investors continue to react to news that the Federal Reserve could begin to scale back its stimulus programme.
South Korea’s main index dropped 1.5% while Australia’s lost 0.4%. However, Japan’s Nikkei reversed early losses.
The indexes in Shanghai and Hong Kong were down more than 2% in early trade but pared losses.
On Thursday in the US, the Dow Jones share index fell 2.3% – its biggest drop this year.
The Fed has been trying to support the weak US economy by buying bonds at a rate of $85 billion a month, under a policy known as quantitative easing (QE).
However, on Wednesday, Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said that if the US economy continued to show sign of improvement the central bank could start to slow down its bond purchases as early as this year and end the programme next year.
Most Asian markets have fallen again as investors continue to react to news that the Federal Reserve could begin to scale back its stimulus programme
The excess liquidity in the US has meant a lot of funds have been flowing into emerging markets, especially in Asia.
“Asia has benefited from US capital inflows, partly in relation to QE,” said Mitul Kotecha, from Credit Agricole CIB.
“It has been force-fed with steroids, and now that the steroids are going to be pulled back what will happen is a period of transitional volatility that can continue through summer.”
Currencies in Asia were weak as well against the US dollar, however the weakness in the Japanese yen caused a big reversal in the Nikkei in late trade.
The Nikkei, which had sank more than 2% during the morning trading session, finished 1.7% higher.
A weak yen is good news for Japanese exporters as it makes their goods cheaper overseas and boosts profits that are repatriated back home.
Exporters led the gains with Suzuki Motor jumping nearly 4% and Fast Retailing surging more than 6%.
Brody Jenner is in no rush to meet Kim Kardashian’s baby daughter – or even learn her name.
In fact, Brody Jenner, 29, feels “there is too much responsibility” in being trusted with the name, as he would be sure to let the secret out.
Brody Jenner says there is too much responsibility in being trusted with Kim Kardashian’s baby name
He told Ryan Seacrest that he’s trying to be sensitive to Kim Kardashian after she went into labor five weeks ahead of her due date.
Brody Jenner explained: “It’s so new.
“So I’m going to give her some time and then as soon as she’s ready, I’ll come see her.”
While rumors abound about the name of his new niece, with Kim Kardashian said to be seriously considering both North and Kaidence as possible titles for her child, Brody Jenner claims ignorance.
He admitted: “I don’t want to know!”
Adding light-heartedly: “There is too much responsibility, don’t tell me!”
Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were caught hugging and kissing during a secret reunion in New York this week.
Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were pictured strolling in New York City on Tuesday – just hours after Italian judges ordered them to return to court for a retrial for the murder of British student Meredith Kercher
The tryst has already led to concerns that the couple should not be in contact with each other now they have been recalled for a retrial.
As reported by the Daily Mirror, Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito were pictured hugging closely, with Amanda closing her eyes during the warm embrace as Raffaele kissed her cheek.
Amanda Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were caught hugging and kissing during a secret reunion in New York this
The meeting has led to rumors that the pair have become romantically involved again. James Terrano, who is reportedly Amanda Knox’s boyfriend, was nowhere to be seen.
As Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito walked and chatted along the street, Amanda’s mother walked behind. One onlooker told the Daily Mirror that the pair looked like a couple who had been together for some time.
He said: “You only have to look at him to see he still holds a huge torch for Amanda.
“They never once stopped chatting. It’s astonishing they are allowed to even talk to each other, let along see one another, considering they are both suspects in a murder trial.”
Amanda Knox declined to comment on the reunion, with Raffaele Sollecito admitting the pair have much to plan.
Hours before their secret reunion on Tuesday, Italy’s high court faulted the acquittal of Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito by the appeals court for the murder of Meredith Kercher.
Brazilia’s President Dilma Rousseff has cancelled a planned trip to Japan over continuing mass anti-government protests across the country.
The move is an indication of the seriousness of the situation confronting her, correspondents say.
In the north-eastern city of Salvador, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters ahead of an international football match there.
Big rallies are being staged in Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and other cities.
Demonstrators in Sao Paulo earlier said they would take to the streets “to celebrate” the reversal of a public-transport fare increase announced on Wednesday.
The protests, which were originally triggered by the increase, have since grown into a much wider movement.
Demonstrators are angry at corruption and spending on next year’s World Cup.
Brazilia’s President Dilma Rousseff has cancelled a planned trip to Japan over continuing mass anti-government protests across the country
On Thursday, President Dilma Rousseff’s office announced that her trip to Japan planned for next week had been called off. Another visit to the Brazilian state of Bahia has also been put on hold.
In a statement, the office acknowledged that the decision had been taken as a result of the continuing demonstrations.
President Dilma Rousseff earlier publicly stated that she was proud that so many people were fighting for a better country.
In Salvador on Thursday, clashes erupted when protesters tried to break through a police barrier near the stadium where a Confederations Cup match between Nigeria and Uruguay is due start later. It was not immediately clear if there were any injuries.
Meanwhile, thousands of people are marching in central Rio de Janeiro near the iconic Candelaria Church, but there have been no reports of violence.
The city authorities earlier erected barricades around the state legislature building, which was vandalized during protests on Monday.
The state governor’s office, Guanabara Palace, and the mayor’s office had been secured by police cordons.
A number of Rio shopkeepers had put up wooden hoardings to protect the front of their businesses and some banks have done the same.
In the capital Brasilia, big crowds gathered outside the National Congress building.
Previous Confederations Cup matches have drawn protests, with demonstrators expressing their anger at steep ticket prices and the money spent on the Confederations Cup, the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has offered his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas, government sources say.
It was not immediately clear whether Mahmoud Abbas had accepted the resignation. Sources say Rami Hamdallah quit in a disagreement over his authority.
An academic and political independent, Rami Hamdallah was sworn in on June 6.
Rami Hamdallah replaced Salam Fayyad who stepped down in April after a long-running dispute with President Mahmoud Abbas.
The new prime minister was given two deputies – one for political affairs and one for economic affairs – but resigned because of a “conflict over authority”, reports say.
If Rami Hamdallah’s resignation is accepted, it could leave a damaging gap as the Palestinian leadership grapples with a financial crisis and the US leads efforts to revive peace talks with Israel.
Rami Hamdallah’s cabinet had only met for the first time last week. It consisted mainly of members of the Fatah party, one of the two main Palestinian political factions, led by Mahmoud Abbas.
At the time, commentators observed that the new PM would have little room to manoeuvre in a government dominated by Fatah members.
Newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah has offered his resignation to President Mahmoud Abbas
The other main faction, Hamas, described the appointment of Rami Hamdallah as “illegal” because it was not a unity government formed as a result of a reconciliation agreement.
When he was appointed, Rami Hamdallah stated his administration would rule only for “a transitional period” until a unity government was formed.
His appointment filled a political vacuum in the Palestinian Authority, but now it appears it has opened up again – and that will be deeply troubling for President Mahmoud Abbas.
Before his appointment as prime minister, Rami Hamdallah had been known for his 15-year tenure as head of the al-Najah National University, and did not have a high profile as a politician.
There has been a deep rift between the two main Palestinian factions since 2007, when Hamas set up a rival government in Gaza after ousting Fatah in clashes.
The two factions are currently engaged in drawn-out reconciliation talks. Last month, officials on both sides announced plans to form a technocratic government by August that would then prepare for new elections.
Vanessa Lachey has revealed that she put on 65 lbs whilst pregnant with her son Camden.
In the nine months since he was born, Vanessa Lachey has since shed the weight.
Vanessa Lachey, 32, says she did not do it with the help of a fad diet or crazed exercise regime.
She says she simply just “let it happen” and that happiness is the key to her healthy lifestyle.
“I gained, I think, 65 pounds when I was pregnant,” Vanessa Lachey said in an interview with HuffPo Live.
“And I will say to moms out there, <<Don’t stress about losing it. It will happen when it happens>>.
Vanessa Lachey has revealed that she put on 65 lbs whilst pregnant with her son Camden
“Cam’s 9 months, so it’s been a minute, and we’re working, and we’re traveling, and it’s just about maintaining a happy, healthy lifestyle, not obsessing about it.”
Vanessa Lachey stresses that the “get thin quick” tactic is a waste of time and new mothers should more be concentrating on and spending time with their newborns.
“I think that’s one thing I would like to convey to moms everywhere,” she continued.
“It’s not about this <<get skinny quick>> diet or these fads. Just enjoy time being a mom. You’ve just had this wonderful, magical moment, and you shouldn’t be stressing about that kind of stuff.”
But Vanessa Lachey does rave about the slimming effects of Spanx, praising the individual who created them in the process.
“If you’re really worried, Spanx are amazing,” she joked.
“Thank you to the inventor of that.”
Vanessa also took time out in the interview to praise her husband 98 Degrees singer Nick Lachey.
“He was born to be a daddy,” she said.
Vanessa Lachey has been in the audience several times when her husband has performed with his boy band 98 Degrees, who are currently on tour with Boyz II Men and New Kids on the Block for The Package Tour.
According to reports, Kim Kardashian can’t wait to get back in the gym and regain her slim figure after giving birth to her baby daughter.
“She’s already looking ahead to when she can exercise again,” a source told Us Weekly.
Another added: “She really wants to get back into shape. It’s important to her.”
Kim Kardashian, 32, was working with trainer to the stars Tracy Anderson throughout her pregnancy, but the publication also claims she is considering hiring Gunnar Peterson.
Gunnar Peterson is responsible for helping Kim Kardashian’s younger sister Khloe, 28, with her recent 25 lbs weight loss.
While she is not able to start exercising just yet, Kim Kardashian is allegedly already watching what she eats.
The magazine claims that the reality star’s hospital room is chock-a-block with flowers but she has insisted well-wishers are not allowed to bring any tasty treats for her to eat.
“She has over 30 bouquets from loved ones,” a source said.
“She told everyone not to bring sweets – she said she doesn’t need any temptations.”
Kim Kardashian can’t wait to get back in the gym and regain her slim figure after giving birth to her baby daughter
It is believed that Kim Kardashian and her daughter, whose name is yet to be revealed, will stay in hospital until the baby, who was born five weeks prematurely, reaches five pounds.
While Kim Kardashian and the little one are getting some rest, the baby’s father Kanye West has apparently been hard at work.
The rapper’s creative juices have been flowing since he welcomed his daughter into the world.
“He’s been really inspired by the birth,” a source told Life & Style.
“He’s written four songs already.”
The insider added that while Kanye West, whose album Yeezus was released on Tuesday, has been busy with his music, he has also been very attentive to his two girls.
“Kanye is actually really being good right now,” the source said.
Kim Kardashian is unsurprisingly enamored with her child and gushed to a friend that the little one “is so cute and sweet”, according to Us Weekly.
But she had a stressful time during the birth over the weekend.
Warned by doctors that she was most likely suffering from the life-threatening condition preeclampsia, Kim Kardashian was forced to deal with going into premature labor on Friday night to save the life of her baby girl.
It has been revealed that Kim Kardashian’s baby name does not start with a “K”.
“They’re not quite ready to announce the name yet,” a source close to the couple tells Us Weekly.
“But the name definitely does not start with a K, despite all the rumors that have been out.”
Kim Kardashian before giving birth
Kim Kardashian, 32, is reported to have just left hospital following the birth of her daughter in the early hours of Saturday morning according to Hollywood Life. And according to reports, Kim Kardashian can’t wait to get back in the gym and regain her slim figure.
“She’s already looking ahead to when she can exercise again,” a source told Us Weekly.
Another added: “She really wants to get back into shape. It’s important to her.”
James Gandolfini was on a boys trip with his teenage son Michael when he died of a suspected heart attack in Italy on Wednesday.
Actor and friend Gilles Marini wrote a post on his Facebook page paying tribute to James Gandolfini revealing that the 51-year-old actor was on a “boy trip” in Rome with his son Michael.
James Gandolfini was on a boys trip with his teenage son Michael when he died of a suspected heart attack in Italy
Gilles Marini wrote: “I am heartbroken. My bud James Gandolfini just died. Last Saturday he told me at our kids graduation ghat (sic) he was so happy to go with his son to Italy. A boy trip!”
He added: “It was an honor to have met this man, such a great Dad! I spent so much time with James son teaching him soccer. I feel for that kid it must be so hard right now for little Michael.”
James Gandolfini had son Michael with his ex-wife Marcy Wudarski, from whom he was divorced in December 2002.
The actor is survived by his second wife Deborah Lin and their nine-month-old daughter Liliana Ruth and Michael.
At least seven people have been injured in a stampede in China, which happened when David Beckham arrived at Shanghai Tongji University.
Witnesses said about 1,000 fans rushed forward, as former England star David Beckham arrived and waved to them.
Retired David Beckham, 38, was there to meet members of the university team, as an ambassador to the Chinese Super League.
At least seven people have been injured in a stampede in China, which happened when David Beckham arrived at Shanghai Tongji University
Fans pushed through a police cordon, and students, police and university security guards were injured.
Chu Dan, a Tongji University player, described the situation as “too crazy”.
“We didn’t expect so many people showing up here. Too many fans of Beckham,” he said.
The event was subsequently cancelled and Shanghai police said they would investigate.
A post from David Beckham, on the popular Chinese social media site Weibo, wished the injured speedy recoveries and expresses regret for the cancellation.
The retired footballer is in China on a seven-day promotional tour for the country’s top football league.
David Beckham began his new role as “image ambassador” when he announced his retirement from professional football, having won the French league title with his team, Paris Saint-Germain.
