New Amy Winehouse film to mark 10 years since singer's death

LONDON — A new documentary about Amy Winehouse, in which her mother will share details about her late daughter’s life, will be released in July, marking 10 years since the British singer’s death at age 27.

“Amy Winehouse: 10 Years On”, commissioned by Britain’s BBC Two and BBC Music, will be told through the narrative of the “Rehab” and “Back to Black” singer’s mother Janis, who has multiple sclerosis and wants to share her memories, the broadcaster said.

It described Janis as “a figure close to Amy whom we have yet to hear a lot from and whose version of events often differs from the narrative we have been told before”.

“I don’t feel the world knew the true Amy, the one that I brought up, and I’m looking forward to the opportunity to offer an understanding of her roots and a deeper insight into the real Amy,” Janis Winehouse said in a statement on Wednesday.

Winehouse, a Grammy Award winner, died from alcohol poisoning at her London home in July 2011. She had struggled with drinking and drug problems through much of her career.

The documentary will feature previously unseen family archive material, the BBC said. “Janis will be aided by family, friends and those who knew Amy best to piece together the side of Amy rarely seen,” it said.

“The film will be a powerful and sensitive account of one of Britain’s best-loved and greatly-missed musical talents, offering a new female-driven interpretation of her life, her loves and her legacy.”

A 2015 documentary “AMY” about Winehouse won director Asif Kapadia an Oscar, although at the time the singer’s father Mitch Winehouse called it misleading and said the family had disassociated itself from the film.

Reporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Mark Heinrich

-reuters

New York state announces deal to legalize recreational marijuana

Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York state lawmakers formally agreed in late-night talks on a deal to legalize recreational marijuana use for adults 21 and over, the governor's office announced Sunday.

Once the underlying legislation passes -- Cuomo's Democratic party holds strong majorities in both legislative chambers -- New York will join 14 other states and the District of Columbia in permitting cannabis use. 

A statement from Cuomo's office said the change could net an additional $350 million in annual tax revenues and create tens of thousands of jobs.

The draft law would allow adults 21 and over to purchase cannabis and grow plants for personal consumption at home, with a plan to divert some funds to drug treatment and education.

"Legalizing adult-use cannabis isn't just about creating a new market that will provide jobs and benefit the economy -- it's also about justice for long-marginalized communities and ensuring those who've been unfairly penalized in the past will now get a chance to benefit," Cuomo said in the statement.

The law would take immediate effect once passed, but sales could take up to two years to start, as New York creates a proposed cannabis board and gets legal structures in place, a state lawmaker said Friday.

New York would automatically clear records of people with past convictions of marijuana-related offenses that would no longer be criminalized.

The law would also eliminate penalties for possession of up to three ounces of the drug (85 grams), the new personal possession limit. An existing medical-marijuana program would be expanded.

The state plans to tax marijuana sales at nine percent, with revenues from an additional four-percent tax divided between local and county government. 

The bill would create loans, grants and programs to foster job creation and industry participation from small farmers, women and disabled veterans, as well as New Yorkers from minority communities.

The decision, reached late Saturday, came after years of wrangling over legalizing recreational pot use in New York.

The deal was reached as Governor Cuomo faces investigation from several angles, including for an alleged pattern of sexually harassing and intimidating women employees, as well as for accusations his administration orchestrated a cover-up of nursing home deaths related to Covid-19.

Proponents say the new marijuana legislation will be a step toward addressing decades of injustice affecting minority and impoverished communities, which were disproportionately targeted by decades of harsh drug criminalization.

"This landmark legislation brings justice to New York State by ending prohibition, expunging conviction records that have curtailed the opportunities of countless predominately young Black and Latinx New Yorkers...", The Legal Aid Society, a social justice law firm, said in a Sunday statement.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Heat acquire Victor Oladipo from Rockets

The Miami Heat acquired well-traveled Victor Oladipo on Thursday in a trade with the Houston Rockets.

The Rockets received Avery Bradley and Kelly Olynyk in the deal. Houston also received the right to swap 2022 draft picks with Miami.

Oladipo played in just 20 games for the Rockets after getting dealt to Houston in the mega deal that sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets in January. He started the season with the Indiana Pacers.

The 28-year-old guard averaged 21.2 points per game to go with 5.0 assists and 4.8 rebounds with Houston. 

He owns a career average of 17.6 points per game with the Orlando Magic, Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana and Houston.

Oladipo ruptured his quad, which ended his 2018-19 season and forced him to miss all but 19 games of the 2019-20 season.

He turned down a two-year, $45.2-million extension with the Rockets.

Bradley, 30, played in just 10 games (one start) for the Heat and averaged 8.5 points per game after signing a one-year deal with them in the offseason. He missed time due to injuries and COVID protocols.

A two-time NBA All-Defensive Team selection, Bradley won an NBA championship last season with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Olynyk, 29, spent the past three-plus seasons in Miami after a four-year stint in Boston. 

Olynyk averaged 10.0 points and 5.2 rebounds in 265 games (105 starts) with the Heat. He is set to become a free agent after the season.

-reuters

Tesla can now be bought for bitcoin, Elon Musk says

Tesla Inc customers can now buy its electric vehicles with bitcoin, its boss, Elon Musk, said on Wednesday, marking a significant step forward for the cryptocurrency's use in commerce.

"You can now buy a Tesla with bitcoin," Musk said on Twitter, adding that the option would be available outside the United States later this year.

The electric-car maker said last month it bought $1.5 billion worth of bitcoin and would soon accept it as a form of payment for cars, in a large stride toward mainstream acceptance that sent bitcoin soaring to a record high of nearly $62,000.

Bitcoin, the world's biggest digital currency, rose more than 4% after Musk's tweet and was last trading at $56,429.

Musk said bitcoin paid to Tesla would not be converted into traditional currency, but he gave few other details on how the bitcoin payments would be processed. The company was using "internal & open source software", he said.

Most mainstream companies such as AT&T Inc and Microsoft Corp that allow customers to pay with bitcoin typically use specialist payment processors that convert the cryptocurrency into, say, dollars and send the sum to the company.

Like other cryptocurrencies, bitcoin is still little used for commerce in major economies, hampered by its volatility and relatively costly and slow processing times.

Musk, who regularly posts comments on Twitter about cryptocurrencies, last month criticized conventional cash, saying when it "has negative real interest, only a fool wouldn't look elsewhere".

He had said that the difference with cash made it "adventurous enough" for the S&P 500 company to hold the cryptocurrency.

Following Tesla's investment in bitcoin, companies including Mastercard Inc and Bank of New York Mellon Corp have embraced the emerging asset, sparking predictions that bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies will become a regular part of investment portfolios.

Uber Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi said the ride-hailing company discussed and "quickly dismissed" the idea of investing in bitcoin. However, he said Uber could potentially accept the cryptocurrency as payment.

General Motors Co said it would evaluate whether bitcoin could be accepted as payment for its vehicles.

Tesla recently added "Technoking of Tesla" to Musk's list of official titles. 

(Reporting by Tom Wilson in London and Maria Ponnezhath in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur, Robert Birsel)

-reuters-

Nintendo teams up with Pokemon Go creator for smartphone games

TOKYO - Japanese games giant Nintendo is teaming up with the US firm behind runaway hit Pokemon Go to develop augmented reality smartphone games, the two companies said Tuesday.

Their first joint venture will involve Nintendo's lovable half-vegetable, half-animal Pikmin characters in a game expected to launch sometime this year.

Augmented reality (AR) technology allows images and animations to be superimposed on the real-world view seen on a smartphone's rear camera.

It was key to the success of Niantic's Pokemon Go, which thrilled users around the world with the appearance of Pokemon characters in their neighborhoods across the globe.

"Niantic's AR technology has made it possible for us to experience the world as if Pikmin are secretly living all around us," Nintendo representative director Shigeru Miyamoto said in a press release.

Miyamoto, creator of Pikmin and other famed Nintendo characters including Super Mario and Donkey Kong, said the new app would be designed around "making walking fun."

Nintendo had in the past been reluctant to let its characters venture outside traditional consoles and into the increasingly popular world of smartphone gaming.

But in recent years, it has released a string of mobile titles, including 2016's "Super Mario Run" and 2019's "Mario Kart Tour."

"The deal could help address complaints among investors that Nintendo hasn't been able to earn much from smartphone apps," Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Research Institute, told Bloomberg News.

"As we continue to expand our games portfolio, it was a natural next step to team up with Nintendo," Niantic CEO John Hanke said in a joint press release.

"We're looking forward to shaping the future of AR together," he added, without offering details on which other Nintendo characters might be in line for AR games.

Pokemon Go has been hugely successful since its 2016 launch, earning more than a billion dollars in the first 10 months of 2020 alone, according to tracker Sensor Tower.

Agence France-Presse

Texas Roadhouse CEO Kent Taylor dies amid COVID-19 struggle

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Kent Taylor, founder and CEO of the Texas Roadhouse restaurant chain, has died. He was 65. His family and the company say he took his own life after suffering from symptoms related to COVID-19, including severe tinnitus.

Taylor’s family and the company on Sunday confirmed his death in a statement.

Tinnitus is a common condition involving ringing or or other noises in one or both ears. Experts say the coronavirus can exacerbate tinnitus problems.

“Kent battled and fought hard like the former track champion that he was, but the suffering that greatly intensified in recent days became unbearable,” the statement said.

Taylor recent committed to funding a clinical study to help military members suffering with tinnitus, the statement said.

“Kent leaves an unmatched legacy as a people-first leader, which is why he often said that Texas Roadhouse was a people company that just happened to serve steaks,” the statement said.

Taylor opened the first Texas Roadhouse restaurant in 1993 in Clarksville, Indiana, coming up with the idea on a cocktail napkin. It currently operates 610 restaurants in 49 states and 10 other countries. Texas Roadhouse is based in Taylor’s hometown of Louisville, Kentucky.

“Kent’s kind and generous spirit was his constant driving force whether it was quietly helping a friend or building one of America’s great companies in @texasroadhouse,” Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer said on Twitter. “He was a maverick entrepreneur who embodied the values of never giving up and putting others first.”

Taylor, who died Thursday, is survived by his parents, Powell and Marilyn Taylor; three children and five grandchildren. Texas Roadhouse spokesman Travis Doster said a small private service is planned this week.

-Associated Press

Italy reports 401 coronavirus deaths, 23,832 new cases

ROME — Italy reported 401 coronavirus-related deaths on Saturday, up from 386 the day before, the health ministry said.

The daily tally of new infections slipped to 23,832 from 25,735 the day before, it added.

Italy has registered 104,642 deaths linked to COVID-19 since its outbreak emerged in February last year, the second-highest toll in Europe after Britain and the seventh-highest in the world. The country has reported 3.35 million cases to date.

Patients in hospital with COVID-19 – not including those in intensive care – stood at 27,061 on Saturday, up from 26,858 a day earlier.

There were 243 new admissions to intensive care units, compared with 244 on Friday. The total number of intensive care patients increased to 3,387.

-reuters

Andrew Wiggins’ 40 helps Warriors trounce Grizzlies

Andrew Wiggins exploded for a season-best 40 points and Jordan Poole, subbing for injured Stephen Curry, missed his season-high by one with 25 Friday night, lifting the short-handed Golden State Warriors to a 116-103 victory over the host Memphis Grizzlies in the opener of a two-day, two-game series.

The Western Conference playoff hopefuls, who had not met this season, will duel again Saturday night, also at Memphis.

Despite playing without Curry, who suffered a bruised tailbone Wednesday in a win over Houston, and key reserves James Wiseman and Eric Paschall, both out for COVID-related reasons, the Warriors took the lead for good in the 10th minute of the game on a Kent Bazemore layup.

En route to a second straight win on a three-game trip, the Warriors went up by as many as 21 in the second quarter and 25 in the third before coasting home.

Ja Morant and Grayson Allen had 14 points apiece for Memphis, which lost for the fourth time in its last five games.

Wiggins’ 40-point game was the ninth of his career, with the previous eight all having come while he was with the Minnesota Timberwolves. It fell seven points shy of his career-high of 47 points for the Timberwolves against the Los Angeles Lakers in November 2016.

Wiggins connected on a season-high six 3-pointers, which was one shy of his career-high.

Poole, who has been productive off the bench since a stint in the G League, made the most of his first start of the season. His 25 points came up just short of his career-high of 26, which he set at Phoenix, also in Curry’s absence, on March 4.

Curry’s brother-in-law, Damion Lee, added season-high 21 points and Kevon Looney chipped in with a season-high-tying 11 for the Warriors, who had been 0-2 in Curry’s previous absences.

Lee bombed in four 3-pointers and Poole three for the Warriors, who outscored the Grizzlies 45-24 from beyond the arc.

Draymond Green recorded a game-high 13 assists and a team-high 11 rebounds to complement two points.

Jonas Valanciunas grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds as part of a double-double with 10 points for the Grizzlies, who were coming off an 89-85 win over Miami on Wednesday.

Brandon Clarke added 13 points.

-reuters

Blackpink vocalist Rose’s solo single debuts at No. 43 on Official Charts

Rose of South Korean girl group Blackpink saw her debut solo release hit No. 43 on the Official Charts, becoming the first K-pop female soloist to chart on the British music ranking.

“On the Ground,” the Blackpink member’s new release, reached No. 43 on the latest version of the Official Singles Top 100 updated weekly.

As a group, Blackpink had landed on the British music chart a number of times, peaking at No. 20 with the 2020 megahit “How You Like That.”

Rose released her first solo material on March 12, more than four years since her debut as the main vocalist of the four-piece act.

The double-track album, featuring songs “On the Ground” and “Gone,” has got off to a stellar start, with the physical version selling 280,000 copies in its first week, a record for a K-pop female soloist.

“On the Ground” also swept iTunes Top Song charts in 51 territories and reached No. 8 on the streaming giant Spotify. Its music video has been watched more than 100 million times on YouTube in roughly a week.

-The Korea Herald

Google to invest over $7B in US, create 10,000 jobs – CEO

Washington, United States — Google will invest more than $7 billion in the United States this year and create thousands of jobs, the tech giant’s CEO said Thursday.

“We plan to invest over $7 billion in offices and data centers across the US and create at least 10,000 new full-time Google jobs in the US this year,” Sundar Pichai said in a statement.

Pichai said Google “wants to be a part” of America’s economic recovery from the pandemic and is investing in some communities that are new to the company, as well as expanding in others across 19 states.

The announcement comes as Google faces pressure from dozens of US states that accuse the internet giant of abusing its search dominance to eliminate competition.

Google will spend $1 billion in its home state of California.

Outside of the San Fransisco Bay Area, Google said it would add thousands of jobs in Atlanta, Washington DC, Chicago, and New York.

“This will help bring more jobs and investment to diverse communities as part of our previously announced racial equity commitments,” Pichai said.

Google’s parent company Alphabet last month reported a 50-percent jump in quarterly profit to $15.2 billion as its digital ad business thrived.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Celtics hand Rockets 16th straight loss in blowout

Jaylen Brown scored 24 points, Jayson Tatum added 23 and the Boston Celtics rolled to a 134-107 victory over the host Houston Rockets on Sunday at Toyota Center.

The Celtics, who have won five of six games, overcame an early eight-point deficit courtesy of Tatum and Brown passing the baton offensively. 

Boston also helped matters by displaying superior ball security, coming alive after five early turnovers helped Houston to its 28-20 lead.

Tatum scored 12 points in the first quarter and ignited an 18-6 Boston run that closed the frame. The Celtics shot 61.9 percent in the period, including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers, to erase the deficit. Brown took control in the second with 16 points, including a 3 with 6:26 left that built the lead to 54-36.

The Rockets, meanwhile, opened the period missing 10 of 11 shots. The Celtics' lead ballooned to 66-53 by the intermission with Brown scoring 21 points before the break while the Boston bench contributed 25 points. The Celtics managed a 34-18 advantage on the glass and held the Rockets, who extended their losing skid to 16 games, to 7-of-25 3-point shooting in the first half.

Victor Oladipo had 26 points, six rebounds and four assists for the Rockets while Kenyon Martin Jr. added 21 points and four rebounds off the Houston bench. Kevin Porter Jr. cooled considerably after a hot start and finished with 11 points on 3-for-12 shooting plus seven assists.

With a loss on Tuesday against the Atlanta Hawks, the Rockets would match the franchise record of 17 consecutive losses set during their inaugural season in San Diego in 1967-68.

The Celtics' dominance extended beyond Brown and Tatum. Kemba Walker scored 11 points over the first two minutes of the third quarter to help Boston extend its lead to 79-57. Tristan Thompson grabbed 13 rebounds. Robert Williams totaled 16 points, 13 rebounds and three blocks off the bench as the Celtics' reserves scored 63 points.

-reuters

China's Xiaomi soars as US judge lifts it from backlist

HONG KONG - Shares in Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi surged more than 10 percent in Hong Kong on Monday after a US judge removed it from a blacklist that barred American companies from investing in it.

The firm's stock price has been hammered since mid-January when Donald Trump, in his last days in office, included it in a group the White House considered a threat to US national security.

The move classified Xiaomi, which is among the biggest smartphone makers in the world, as one of nine "Communist Chinese military companies" that also included state oil giant CNOOC, and popular social media app TikTok.

But US District Judge Rudolph Contreras ruled Friday that the Department of Defense and the Treasury "have not made the case that the national security interests at stake here are compelling".

He removed Xiaomi from the blacklist and suspended the investment ban after the firm appealed against the blacklisting.

The news sent shares in the firm surging 12 percent in Hong Kong morning trade Monday, having lost more than 40 percent since Trump's order. 

However, while Xiaomi was removed, US regulators listed Huawei and ZTE among Chinese telecom equipment makers considered a threat to national security, signalling that a hoped-for softening of relations is not on the cards.

Washington claims Huawei has close ties to China's military and that Beijing could use its equipment for espionage -- accusations the company denies.

Agence France-Presse

Queen Elizabeth makes first appearance since Harry and Meghan interview

LONDON - Britain's Queen Elizabeth has made her first appearance since a tell-all interview by grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan rocked the monarchy, but made no reference to the crisis it had caused her family.

During the Oprah Winfrey interview, Meghan said a member of the royal family had made a racist comment and Harry criticized his relatives for how they dealt with press treatment of his wife, with the fallout dominating the British media since it aired last Sunday.

On Thursday, Harry's elder brother Prince William told reporters "we're very much not a racist family", the day after the 94-year-old monarch herself issued a statement on behalf of the royals in which she said they were saddened by how challenging the couple had found the last few years.

The Sun newspaper, citing an unnamed source, said Harry's father, heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, had wanted to issue a point by point rebuttal, but the royal family had decided not to get involved in a 'tit for tat' battle.

In a video call with scientists and schoolchildren to mark British Science Week, the queen did not refer to the interview at all, the royals' usual approach to what they have said was a private, family matter.

Instead she discussed the latest updates from NASA's Mars Perseverance mission, as well as the discovery of a rare meteorite which landed in Gloucestershire, western England last month, the first to be recovered in the United Kingdom for 30 years.

"I’m glad it didn't hit anyone," the queen quipped during the "virtual showcase", which took place on Wednesday although details were only released by Buckingham Palace on Friday.

When told by space scientist and broadcaster Maggie Aderin-Pocock that she had been inspired to follow her career by the exploits of Russian Yuri Gagarin, the first human in space in 1961, Elizabeth, who has reigned for 69 years, recounted that she had met him shortly afterwards at Buckingham Palace.

Asked what he was like, she replied: "Russian, he didn't speak English. He was fascinating and I suppose being the first one, it was particularly fascinating." 

(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Kate Holton)

-reuters

Japan sees high rate of anaphylaxis after taking Pfizer vaccine

TOKYO - People in Japan who received Pfizer Inc.'s COVID-19 vaccine seem to have suffered anaphylaxis at a higher rate than in the United States and Europe, the minister in charge of vaccination efforts said Wednesday.

Taro Kono told a parliamentary committee that 17 cases of anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially fatal allergic reaction, have been reported among the 107,558 health care workers who had been inoculated as of Tuesday.

"It's true, this seems to be more than in the United States and Europe," he said.

The rate compares with 5 cases in every 1 million doses administered in the United States and 20 cases per million in Britain, though Japan is further behind in its vaccine rollout and it could change as more people receive shots.

Japan is in the process of inoculating some 4.8 million health-care workers nationwide before expanding to people aged 65 or older in mid-April. People with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes, and those working at elderly care facilities are slated to come next.

People who take the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech SE are being asked to remain on site for at least 15 minutes to check for anaphylaxis and other side effects.

According to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, symptoms experienced within 5 to 30 minutes of receiving a shot include sore throat, hives and difficulty breathing. All of them recovered after receiving treatment.

Health minister Norihisa Tamura has said a ministry panel plans to review the matter on Friday, looking into whether the symptoms reported in Japan were as serious as those abroad.

Pfizer has said clinical trials showed its vaccine to be 95 percent effective in preventing symptoms of COVID-19, and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has called inoculations the "decisive factor" in bringing the pandemic under control.

But only 63.1 percent of respondents in a Kyodo News poll conducted last month said they want to be vaccinated, with 27.4 percent saying they do not, apparently due to concerns over side effects.

Reported coronavirus cases in Japan had been falling since Suga declared a state of emergency in the Tokyo metropolitan area and other regions in January.

But the decline has bottomed out in recent weeks and the emergency declaration was extended until March 21 amid lingering worries of the strain on hospitals and the spread of more infectious variants of the virus.

Shigeru Omi, head of the government's COVID-19 subcommittee, said Wednesday the variants, first discovered in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, would also become the dominant strain in Japan "sooner or later."

"There is no question that the process to replace the existing strain has already begun," he told a parliamentary committee, stressing the need to step up efforts to monitor their spread.

-Kyodo News

Sweden records 11,014 new COVID-19 cases, 39 deaths since Friday

STOCKHOLM - Sweden, which has shunned lockdowns throughout the pandemic, has registered 11,014 new coronavirus cases since Friday, health agency statistics showed on Tuesday.

The figure compared with 11,804 cases during the corresponding period last week.

The country of 10 million inhabitants registered 39 new deaths, taking the total to 13,042. The deaths registered have occurred over several days and sometimes weeks.

Sweden's death rate per capital is many times higher than that of its Nordic neighbors' but lower than in several European countries that opted for lockdowns.

-reuters 

Tennis: Djokovic takes Federer's world no. 1 record, eyes Grand Slam history

PARIS, France -- Novak Djokovic will on Monday set a new landmark of 311 weeks as world number one, surpassing Roger Federer whose hold on a record-equalling 20 Grand Slam titles is now firmly in the Serb's sights.

The 33-year-old Djokovic, already the winner of 18 majors, has time on his side with Federer turning 40 in August.

He is also a year younger than Rafael Nadal who also has 20 majors.

"Now that I've become the historic No.1, I'm relieved," said Djokovic after sweeping to a ninth Australian Open last month which guaranteed his extended stay at the top.

"Now, I'm going to be able to focus mainly on the Grand Slams."

Djokovic reclaimed the top ranking from Nadal in February 2020 and finished as year-end number one for the sixth time, tying the mark set by Pete Sampras.

He is currently in his fifth different spell atop the rankings. 

Nadal, currently at number two, has been at the top for 'only' 209 weeks in total although the 13-time Roland Garros champion can boast being a top 10 ever-present since April 2005.

He will, however, lose his world number two spot to Daniil Medvedev a week on Monday.

Federer, who returns to action in Doha next week after more than a year out of action to recover from two knee surgeries, will slip out of the top five on Monday.

Djokovic made his top 100 debut in July 2005, just weeks after Nadal had won his first Roland Garros.

He was top 50 in June 2006, top 20 for the first time in October 2006 and top 10 by March 2007.

He first became world number one at the age of 24 on July 4, 2011, the day after winning Wimbledon for the first time, beating Nadal in the final.

- Brief dip and swift return -

Only a six-month injury absence in 2017 saw his ranking plunge, all the way to 22 the following summer.

It was just a blip -- Djokovic was back at number one again by November and with the exception of November 2019 until January last year, when Nadal reclaimed pole position, he has been rock solid.

Few would bet against Djokovic, who in 2016 was the first man to break the $100 million prize money barrier, ending his career with more Slams than Federer and Nadal.

In head-to-heads, he leads Federer 27-23 and has won all six of their last meetings at the majors, including 2019's epic Wimbledon final where he saved two match points.

Federer hasn't beaten Djokovic at the Slams since Wimbledon in 2012.

Against Nadal, he has a 29-27 lead and is still one of only two men to have beaten the Spaniard at Roland Garros since 2005.

At least Nadal, however, can boast comfortably seeing off Djokovic in the 2020 Roland Garros final, denying the Serb the opportunity to become the first man in half a century to win all four Slams more than once.

Djokovic, whose lone French Open title came in 2016, has comfortably more Australian Opens than Federer (six) and Nadal (one).

His Wimbledon total stands at five to Federer's eight and Nadal's two.

At the US Open, he has three to Federer's five and Nadal's four.

"Obviously I have in my mind to win more Grand Slam titles and to break records.

"Until I retire from the tour, I will be devoting most of my attention and energy to winning the other major titles," Djokovic said.

Agence France-Presse

K-pop stars BTS named IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year

LONDON – K-pop sensation BTS, whose catchy, upbeat songs have won legions of fans around the world, have scooped the 2020 Global Recording Artist of the Year Award from IFPI, the recorded music industry representative body said on Thursday.

The seven-member group had a hugely successful 2020, becoming the first Korean pop act to reach no.1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, with English-language single “Dynamite”, and securing its first major Grammy nomination.

The band, who debuted in 2013 and have fronted the K-Pop drive in the United States in recent years, were also named entertainer of the year by Time magazine.

“BTS are a global phenomenon. They have had another outstanding year, releasing three albums, and continually finding creative and engaging ways to share their story with the world,” IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore said in a statement.

“They truly show the power that music has to bring joy and happiness to people the world over.”

IFPI said the award takes account of an act’s worldwide performance in digital and physical music formats during the year.

American songstress Taylor Swift came in second in the IFPI Global Artist Chart while Canadian rapper Drake was third.

-reuters

Mariah Carey’s brother sues her for defamation over memoir

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Mariah Carey’s older brother on Wednesday sued the singer over her recent best-selling memoir “The Meaning of Mariah Carey,” accusing her of defamation and inflicting emotional distress.

Morgan Carey is seeking unspecified damages in a complaint filed in a New York state court in Manhattan, including over book passages that he said falsely suggested he was violent.

The lawsuit was filed one month after Mariah Carey’s older sister Alison sued her for $1.25 million for alleged emotional distress over the memoir, which was published in September and topped The New York Times‘ nonfiction best-seller list in October.

Spokespeople for the singer did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Her brother’s lawyer declined additional comment.

Mariah Carey, 51, is known for songs including “Vision of Love,” “One Sweet Day” and “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Her memoir described a dysfunctional poverty-stricken childhood, and her early career struggles.

Morgan Carey, born in 1960, said Mariah Carey damaged his reputation by writing about an alleged “vicious fight” with his father that occurred when she was a little girl, and where “it took twelve cops to pull my brother and father apart.”

He said actual fights with his father never occurred during Mariah Carey’s childhood, and the alleged incident’s being “fictional” was shown by the likelihood only one or two police officers would have responded to a domestic violence report.

Morgan Carey also sued over passages that he said implied he tried to extort money from Mariah Carey, is associated with “sketchy” and “questionable” people in the music industry, and has “‘been-in-the-system’ (i.e., a criminal).”

Other defendants include the book’s co-author, its publisher Macmillan, and the imprint Andy Cohen Books, named for the TV producer and host of Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen.” None of their representatives immediately responded to requests for comment.

-reuters-