Andy Murray pulls out of French Open
Andy Murray has withdrawn from the French Open with the back injury that forced him out in Italy last week.
Britain's world number two retired in his first match in Rome and has opted against playing on the Paris clay.
Murray will hope to be fit for the start of the grass-court season at Queen's Club on 10 June.
"It's been a really tough decision, and I love playing in Paris, but after seeking medical advice I'm not fit to compete," said the US Open champion. Apologies to the organisers and thanks to everyone for the messages of support. Now my complete focus is on getting back on the court as soon as possible."
It will be the first Grand Slam tournament Murray has missed since Wimbledon in 2007.
The French Open, the second Grand Slam of the year, starts at Roland Garros on Sunday.
Murray looked troubled throughout his match with Marcel Granollers on his 26th birthday in Rome. He withdrew with a lower-back problem after winning a tie-break to square the match at one set all.
At the time the Scot said he would be "very surprised" if he would be fit for the French Open.
His only previous mid-match retirement coincidentally came on his 20th birthday, when he snapped a tendon in his wrist at the 2007 Hamburg Masters. That was the most serious injury Murray has suffered and led to him missing both the French Open and Wimbledon.
Murray struggled with a lower-back problem throughout the clay season last year.
One match against Jarkko Nieminen during the French Open prompted former Wimbledon champion Virginia Wade to call him a "drama queen".
He had injections before Wimbledon but said the problem returned in Madrid two weeks ago and did not improve with rest.
"Until Madrid, it had been OK but it's not been perfect for a long period," Murray said at the Italian Open. "You always go into matches with little niggles and such, but it's frustrating when for a long period you're hurting.
"It's been an issue for a while now and I want to make sure it goes away. It's not enjoyable when you're playing in pain."
Murray reached the Roland Garros quarter-finals last year, losing to David Ferrer, before reaching his first Wimbledon final, winning Olympic gold back at SW19, and clinching his first Grand Slam at the US Open.
Eminem’s Publishers Sue Facebook For Copyright Infringement, Ad Agency Responds By Attacking Dr. Dre
Eminem has sold over 80 million records worldwide, his last album was the first album to attain a million digital downloads and he’s basically everywhere. That does not mean he is willing to let just anyone use his music. Eminem’s publishing company, Eight Mile Style LLC has filed a lawsuit against the social media giant Facebook for unlawfully using an Eminem song for its Facebook Home application advertisement.
According to the suit, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg showcased an ad by Portland, Oregon ad company Wieden + Kennedy entitled “Airplane” when he debuted the new Facebook Home app in April. In the advertisement was music uncannily similar to “Under The Influence”, Eminem’s collaboration with his D12 group from The Marshall Mathers LP.
The lawsuit claims that initial viewers of the unedited advertisement noticed the similarities and in perceived admission of guilt, Facebook released an altered version of the ad on their YouTube channel: “The alteration of the Airplane advertisement was an admission that Facebook knew it had infringed on the Eminem/D12 Composition,” says the lawsuit.
Even after Facebook altered the song for the ad, 8 Mile Style still released a cease and desist order because Facebook and Wieden + Kennedy did not have the “permission to alter the Eminem/D12 Composition” according to the lawsuit.
This is when things get heated.
The lawsuit alleges that Facebook and the ad agency’s response to the cease and desist order contained disparaging accusations aimed at someone virtually unrelated to the song, Dr. Dre: Counsel falsely and wrongfully alleged that Andre Young, professionally known as Dr. Dre, composed ‘Under the Influence.’ Yet, a simple Internet search of the Eminem/D12 Composition would have revealed that “Under the Influence” was composed by Marshall Mathers, III, and members of D12, including Denaun Porter, Von Carlisle, Ondre Moore, R. Arthur Johnson, and DeShaun Holton. Dr. Dre likewise did not produce ‘Under the Influence.’
The suit continues to allege that the defendants made additional allegations regarding Dr. Dre, including accusing him of illegally sampling a Michael Jackson song for the Under The Influence beat he did not produce.
Eight Mile Style are suing for up to $150,000 per infringement.
Source: Allhiphop
Toots' Alleged Attacker Named, Behind Bars
The 19-year-old man who allegedly hit Frederick 'Toots' Hibbert, who performs as Toots and the Maytals, in the head with a bottle on Saturday night has been named.
According to AP, He is William C. Lewis of Henrico, Virginia, USA. He has been charged with aggravated assault and public intoxication. A Richmond jail spokeswoman said on Monday night that Lewis remained in jail on US$3,500 bond.
The band's manager, Mike Cacia, said that Hibbert performed at a concert on Sunday night in Westhampton Beach, New York Cacia said Hibbert only holds the bottle thrower responsible and has no grudges against the community.
Toots and the Maytals was performing at the Dominion Riverrock Outdoor Sports and Music Festival when the incident occurred in the latter stages of Country Road. The band stopped playing after he was hit, and it was reported that Hibbert was disappointed that the concert was interrupted.
Hibbert was treated at the VCU Medical Centre for the cut and released. Sunday's acoustic concert at the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Centre in New York was part of a stint that continues until Sunday, June 2.
For the acoustic tour, Toots and the Maytals performs with bass (played by Toots Hibbert's son, Hopeton), a pair of backing vocalists, percussions, and Toots on lead vocals and guitar. Andrea Davis, part of the band's Jamaican management team, said the stint to June 2 is part of a two-part acoustic trek, which resumes in the fall with shows in the US and Europe.
The acoustic tours follow the Grammy nomination for Toots and the Maytals' Reggae Got Soul: Unplugged on Strawberry Hill album earlier this year.
Source-Jamaica Gleaner
Record price for rare illustrated Harry Potter book
A rare first edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, with annotations and drawings by author JK Rowling, has sold for a record price.
After a bidding war between two buyers the book sold for £150,000, a new record for a printed book by Rowling.
It was part of a sale of annotated first edition books by 50 UK and Commonwealth writers.
The sale raised a total of £439,200 for English PEN, which campaigns for freedom of expression.
"The sale room fell silent as two determined bidders vied for the prized edition," said a spokesperson for Sotheby's in London.
"Bidding leapt in increments of up to £25,000 and the hammer finally fell, to a round of applause, on a £150,000 telephone bid."
The second-highest price of the auction was achieved by a copy of Matilda by Roald Dahl, with new illustrations by Quentin Blake, which sold for £30,000.
The sale was attended by a number of authors whose works were featured in the sale, including Helen Fielding, Colm Toibin, Jeanette Winterson, Frederick Forsyth, Ben Okri, Margaret Drabble, Andrea Levy and Wendy Cope.
Dr Philip W Errington of Sotheby's called the books "the ultimate first editions" due to the "remarkable personal insights that the authors have granted us, through their annotations".Rowling's personal annotations cover 43 pages and include references to the Harry Potter series as a whole and also the film adaptations.
Her notes include a reflection on an anomaly in chapter four about snapped wands and a section of text she refused to cut.
Rowling also talks about the genesis of the game of Quidditch.
Quidditch, she writes "was invented in a small hotel in Manchester after a row with my then boyfriend.
"I had been pondering the things that hold a society together, cause it to congregate and signify its particular character and knew I needed a sport."
The broomstick-based pursuit, she continues, "infuriates men… which is quite satisfying given my state of mind when I invented it."
Rowling's 22 original illustrations include drawings of an Albus Dumbledore chocolate frog card, a brooding Snape, Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback dragon and a man with two faces.
The largest amount paid for a JK Rowling book was the £2 million fetched in 2007 by a handwritten copy of Tales of Beedle the Bard.
Rowling wrote and illustrated seven copies of the collection of fairy tales, but only auctioned one to raise funds for her Children's Voice charity.
Kelly Rowland joins Demi Lovato on The X Factor USA
Destiny's Child singer Kelly Rowland has confirmed that she will join the judging panel for the next series of The X Factor USA.
She will star alongside Demi Lovato and Simon Cowell who have already signed on to the show.
"It's taken more than a decade but I'm delighted to finally be on a panel with three girls (I think!)," said Simon Cowell who also produces the series.
The fourth judge has also been named as Latin pop star, Paulina Rubio.
"Paulina and Kelly both have great taste and massive experience in the music industry and together with Demi, this is going to be a fun panel," added Simon.
"It just feels like the time to do something different."
Previously Kelly Rowland has featured on the British version of The X Factor, alongside judges including Louis Walsh and Tulisa.
"I am very excited to be reuniting with Simon Cowell and The X Factor family," she said.
"It feels great to be able to take this journey here at home in the States!"
She recently reunited with her Destiny's Child co-stars, Beyonce and Michelle Williams, to perform at this year's Super Bowl half time show.
George Michael 'lay bleeding on M1'
Pop legend George Michael lay bleeding on the M1 after a car crash, a woman who stopped to help him has said.
Katherine Fox, 23, from Dunstable, sat with the former Wham! star after the smash near St Albans last week.
She stopped her car to help the stricken singer after "seeing a body lying in the road".
But the receptionist has admitted that until she read the BBC News website later on, she had no idea who it was she had acted Good Samaritan for.
Ms Fox waited for the emergency services with Michael, 49, after the Range Rover in which he was a passenger was involved in the crash near junction 6A in Hertfordshire last Thursday.
He was airlifted to a specialist trauma centre in London for treatment to head injuries.Ms Fox described how she was on her way home from work, when the traffic in front of her started to slow down.
"I was driving in the third lane of the motorway and had to slam my brakes on and go between the third and fourth lane," she said. "At that point I looked back and saw a body lying in the road so I stopped my car because no-one except the car behind me had stopped."
She said she reversed her Mini so that Michael was "protected" between her vehicle and another, got out and went into "caring mode".
Ms Fox said the singer was already being comforted by another man, who she believed had been in the car with him.
She said although there was "blood everywhere", Michael was conscious.
Apple's Tim Cook defends tax strategy in Senate
The technology giant Apple has been defending itself against accusations that it's avoided paying tax on tens of billions of dollars in profits.
Chief executive Tim Cook told a US Senate committee Apple paid all the taxes it owed, complying with both the law, and the spirit of the law.
He said last year it paid $6bn to the US Treasury, a tax rate of about 30%.
Earlier, the head of a Senate committee panel accused Apple of "exploiting an absurdity" in its tax payments.
Apple's grilling comes as leading global brands are under growing scrutiny over their tax methods.
Google, Amazon and Starbucks have all appeared recently in front of UK politicians to answer questions about their affairs.
One country where Apple has a favourable tax regime is the Republic of Ireland.
Apple's appearance comes just a day after the same panel branded Apple's complex structure the "Holy Grail of tax avoidance".
On Monday, the Subcommittee said Apple had used "a complex web of offshore entities" to avoid paying billions of dollars in US income taxes. But it said there was no indication the firm had acted illegally.
Mr Cook told the panel that a "dramatic simplification" of US tax laws was required, and said the firm believed that reform should be "revenue neutral". Apple has been accused by The Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which has been examining "methods employed by multinational corporations to shift profits offshore", of being "among America's largest tax avoiders".
Committee member John McCain said although the action taken by Apple was legal, it could be unfair to other companies: "My question is, couldn't one draw the conclusion that you and Apple have an unfair advantage over domestic based corporations and companies, in other words, smaller companies in this country that don't have the same ability that you do to locate in Ireland or other countries overseas?"
Mr Cook said he believed Apple was one of the largest taxpayers in the US, having paid $6bn in federal corporate income tax in the 2012 fiscal year. Mr McCain said: "Apple claims to be the largest US corporate taxpayer, but by sheer size and scale, it is also among America's largest tax avoiders."
Apple has a cash stockpile of $145bn (£95bn), but the Senate committee said $102bn of this was held offshore.
Mr Cook also told the hearing that Apple considered itself an American firm, and was one that had created jobs across the country.
"We are proud to be an American company, and equally proud of our contribution to the American economy," he said.
In its report into Apple, the subcommittee's chairman Carl Levin said: "Apple wasn't satisfied with shifting its profits to a low-tax offshore tax haven.
"Apple sought the Holy Grail of tax avoidance. It has created offshore entities holding tens of billions of dollars, while claiming to be tax resident nowhere." Apple has stated: "Apple does not move its intellectual property into offshore tax havens and use it to sell products back into the US in order to avoid US tax.
"It does not use revolving loans from foreign subsidiaries to fund its domestic operations; it does not hold money on a Caribbean island; and it does not have a bank account in the Cayman Islands."
It added that it had "substantial" foreign cash because it sells the majority of its products outside the US, and these foreign earnings were taxed in the jurisdictions where they were earned.
British inflation eases by more than expected
Official figures show that consumer price inflation in Britain eased in April, largely on the back of lower fuel prices and airfares. The Office for National Statistics said Tuesday that the annual rate fell to 2.4 per cent in April from 2.8 per cent the previous month. The fall was bigger than anticipated — the consensus in the markets was for a more modest fall to 2.6 per cent.
Inflation nevertheless remains above the Bank of England's target of 2 per cent. The drop in inflation hit the pound, as investors speculated that it may prompt the central bank to enact another monetary stimulus soon. After the figures were released, the pound was trading 0.5 per cent lower at $1.5190. Prior to their release, the pound was trading around the $1.5213 mark.
Souce-AP
Obama opposes bill on Keystone pipeline
The White House says President Barack Obama opposes a House of Representatives bill that would speed approval of the proposed Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada to Texas. The White House said Tuesday that the bill “seeks to circumvent longstanding and proven processes” by removing a requirement for a presidential permit. The legislation also says no new environmental studies are needed.
Republicans say the bill is needed to ensure the long-delayed pipeline is built. The project would carry oil from tar sands in Canada to refineries along the Gulf Coast. Opponents say the pipeline would carry “dirty oil” that could trigger global warming. Supporters say it would bolster North American energy resources. Canada’s prime minister has said the project “absolutely” must go forward.
A House vote is expected Wednesday.
Sorce-AP
Former Saab Automobile chiefs arrested for accounts fraud
Three former top executives from carmaker Saab Automobile have been arrested in Sweden on suspicion of accounting fraud.
The three are "suspected of aggravated attempts to avoid tax controls", according to Swedish prosecutor Olof Sahlgren.
Mr Sahlgren alleged that the trio falsified parts of Saab Automobile's accounts between 2010 and 2011.
The crimes carry potential prison sentences of up to four years.
The prosecutor did not identify the three, who worked for Saab Automobile during the period it was owned by Dutch luxury car maker Spyker.
Spyker bought the Swedish firm from General Motors in 2010. However, Spyker failed to reinvigorate the loss-making brand, and Saab Automobile filed for bankruptcy in December 2011.
The carmaker was then sold to National Electric Vehicle Sweden, a Hong Kong based firm, which is planning to make electric cars that carry the Saab badge.
Saab Automobile is not part of Saab Group, which makes fighter jets and other defence and security equipment.