Nation & World

'Sopranos' star James Gandolfini dead at 51

LOS ANGELES — HBO and James Gandolfini's managers say the actor famous for his role in "The Sopranos" has died in Italy.

In a fast-food first, Dunkin' Donuts adds gluten-free

Dunkin' Donuts is poised to beat McDonald's and Starbucks in introducing the fast-food industry's first gluten-free pastries.

Energy Secretary visits Hanford site

RICHLAND — Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz says he intends to have a new plan by the end of the summer for resolving technical problems with a waste treatment plant under construction at the nation's most contaminated nuclear site.

Country-pop singer Slim Whitman dies at 90

LOS ANGELES — Slim Whitman, a country pop singer whose forlorn wail influenced a generation of vocalists in the early 1950s, has died at age 90.

Monsoon floods kill 102 in India, strand pilgrims

LUCKNOW, India — India's prime minister said Wednesday that the death toll from flooding this week in the northern state of Uttrakhand had surpassed 100 and could rise substantially.

Egypt's top cleric: Protests against Morsi permitted

CAIRO — Egypt's top Muslim cleric declared Wednesday that peaceful protests against the president are permitted, dismissing declarations by Islamist hard-liners that those behind protests planned for June 30 are heretics.

Palace sheds some light on Kate's baby plans

LONDON — With Prince William and the former Kate Middleton expecting their first child in mid-July -- and much of the world interested in the birth of a future monarch -- the royals' office has released some of the couple's plans, although many details are still being kept private. Kate has made several public appearances recently but is expected to keep a low profile in the final weeks of her pregnancy. Here is the latest news about the infant who will, upon entering the world, be third in line for the British throne.

Iceland: 'Informal talks' about Snowden asylum

STOCKHOLM — A WikiLeaks spokesman who claims to represent Edward Snowden has reached out to government officials in Iceland about the potential of the NSA leaker applying for asylum in the Nordic country, officials there said Wednesday.

Tropical depression heads toward Mexican coast

MIAMI — Forecasters say a tropical depression crossing Mexico's Bay of Campeche is getting better organized and is expected to become a tropical storm before making landfall along Mexico's Gulf Coast.

Protesters out again in Brazil's biggest city

SAO PAULO — Scattered street demonstrations popped up around Brazil early Wednesday as protesters continued their collective cry against the low-quality public services they receive in exchange for high taxes and high prices.

Palestinians toughen line on Israel talks

RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian president and his Fatah movement on Wednesday signaled a tough line on talks with Israel, casting new doubt on U.S. efforts to revive long-stalled negotiations.

Former TWA Flight 800 investigators want new probe

MINEOLA, N.Y. — Former investigators are pushing to reopen the probe into the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 off the coast of New York, saying new evidence points to the often-discounted theory that a missile strike may have downed the jumbo jet.

Obama renews calls for nuclear reductions

BERLIN — Appealing for a new citizen activism in the free world, President Barack Obama renewed his call Wednesday to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear stockpiles and to confront climate change, a danger he called "the global threat of our time."

Death of journalist Hastings remains under investigation

He was apparently killed in an auto accident

LOS ANGELES — Authorities are continuing to sort out the details of an auto accident that apparently claimed the life of award-winning journalist Michael Hastings.

Senators seek cost cuts for F-35 fighter jet

WASHINGTON — Senators are seeking cost-cutting opportunities in the Pentagon's $400 billion program for the next-generation F-35, a fighter jet with a troubled testing record that military leaders say America cannot afford not to build.