DIED. R.M. WILLIAMS, 95, iconic cattleman of the Australian bush whose leather-goods and clothing company became a global business empire; near Toowoomba, Queensland. Williams worked as a gold prospector and ranch hand before he began making elastic-sided boots in a shed in the 1930s. He became a multimillionaire but remained a rugged outdoorsman. At the age of 70, Williams finished first in a 250-kilometer horse race in Queensland.
CANCELLED. THE REAGANS, a four-hour cbs miniseries about Ronald Reagan and his wife Nancy, after Republicans complained that it was biased against the former U.S. President; in New York. The network shifted the TV series, which portrays Reagan as out of touch with reality, to pay channel Showtime; critics accused producers of surrendering their artistic independence.
DIED. BOBBY HATFIELD, 63, tenor who was half of the "blue-eyed soul" duo the Righteous Brothers, whose song You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' is one of the most played in U.S. radio history; in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Under producer Phil Spector, the group stood out as white artists in a genre dominated by black musicians. The duo's hits included Unchained Melody and (You're My) Soul and Inspiration. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.
SENTENCED. SUSHIL SHARMA, 43, former Congress Party youth leader, to death for murdering his wife and then attempting to dispose of her dismembered body in a tandoor, or clay oven; by a court in Delhi. Police say Sharma, who suspected his wife of infidelity, shot her after finding her drinking vodka and talking on the phone with the suspected paramour. The grisly case shocked India, where it is known as the "tandoor murder."
Numbers
40% Proportion of U.S. wealth held by the richest 1% of Americans
18% Proportion of Britain's wealth held by the richest 1%
$1.4 trillion Potential cost to South Korea if the North Korean economy collapses, according to rating agency Standard & Poor's
900 Number of suspected separatist rebels that the Indonesian military claims to have killed in Aceh since martial law was declared six months ago
40,000 Number of Hong Kong people who celebrated China's first manned space mission at a ceremony featuring astronaut Yang Liwei in song with actor Jackie Chan
43 million Number of Indian children aged 6 to 14 who do not attend school
$5 million Amount set aside by Microsoft to reward people who inform on hackers. The company is offering a $250,000 bounty on those responsible for the Sobig and Blaster computer viruses
80 megabytes Average amount of information produced annually per person on the planetequivalent to 1,333 copies of Tolstoy's War and Peace