The wife and mother of an Irish garda shot by an armed robber while on holiday in the US are on their way to his hospital bedside.

Rio de Janeiro ended this year’s carnival parade in style today, wowing a capacity crowd of 60,000 revellers with a samba act celebrating Brazil’s African roots.

Sopranos star James Gandolfini will reign as celebrity monarch Bacchus during the 2007 carnival season in New Orleans.

Sunshine and mild temperatures helped bring the crowds out yesterday as New Orleans’ first post-Katrina Mardi Gras neared, but a stroll through the French Quarter is a lot easier now than it was this time last year.