Niagara tightrope walk nears for US acrobat Nik Wallenda

An American acrobat is to become the first person in more than a century to walk a tightrope over Niagara Falls after being granted rare permission.

It has long been illegal to carry out such stunts at the Falls because so many people have died trying.

Mr Wallenda, 33, was born into a family of circus performers and has been tightrope-walking since he was two-years-old.