PARIS, June 9 (Reuters) - Having achieved the glittering distinction of becoming the only man to win eight singles titles at the same grand slam tournament, French Open champion Rafa Nadal was soon dreaming of another priceless thing on Sunday - to be left alone.

A 6-3 6-2 6-3 victory over fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the final extended his record at Roland Garros but the softly spoken Nadal was hoping to avoid any fuss on his return to his homeland.

"The best present they give me is to leave me alone, to give me peace, to let me get back to my real, normal life," he told a news conference.

"Because when you leave a big event like this one, a big tournament like this one, you have no real life, like all players. I can't be a guy of my age. So being left alone, this is priceless."

Sitting on his chair as he watched Ferrer collect the runner-up's silver platter, Nadal looked like an emperor but he is not expecting too much of a fanfare when he lands at the airport in Mallorca, where he lives.

"No, honestly, I don't think so. Maybe some of my friends, some of your friends from the press, but people down there are not doing that. I mean, they wouldn't meet me at the airport," the 27-year-old said.

"It's true I like feeling that people love me. It's a very special feeling. But I don't need them to come to the airport to know that they like me.

"I am fortunate. Many people demonstrate their friendship to me each day, and this is the most important."

FULL PASSION

His wish to avoid the limelight is unlikely to be heard after he took another step towards greatness in an authoritative performance against fourth seed Ferrer that showed that behind the unassuming personality lies a fierce competitor.

"I love the game. I love the sport. I understand the sport only one way. The sport without a goal is stupid," he said with a smile.

"That's my feeling. If I go and play in any sport and I don't try my best, I don't like to do it. Better I do another thing.

"The only way to understand the sport for me is try to do as good as possible, try to improve in every moment, play with the full passion that you have."

Nadal now heads to Wimbledon, where he will be going for a third title after triumphs in 2008 and 2010.

The Spaniard, who has won 12 grand slam titles, could also hope to chase the world number one spot by the end of the year although he said it was too soon to be aiming for Roger Federer's record of 17 majors.

"Winning 17 grand slam titles, that's miles away from me. I'm not even thinking about it," the world number four said.

"Of course everyone prefers to be number one than three or four. But in the morning I didn't get up any happier when I was number one than when I was number two." (Editing by Sonia Oxley)

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif.This weekend's meeting between President Barack Obama and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, at the Sunnylands estate outside Palm Springs, Calif., stems from what White House and Chinese officials have described as the presidents' mutual desire to develop a personal relationship.

But it is the absence of one important relationship that defines both leaders: each is a son of an absent father.

As boys, both spent their childhoods without a father present. Obamas parents separated almost immediately after he was born, and he met his father just once, when he was 10. In 1963, When Xi was 10, his father, then an opposition government figure, was "purged" and , according to "China's Management Revolution" by Charles-Edouard Boue, though Xi saw him occasionally after that.

Both fathers dedicated their lives to government work, Obama Sr. as an economic development technocrat and Xi Zhongxun as a leading member of the Community Party, one who helped usher in Chinas political and economic revolutions.

Obama Sr., while he never attained the inner-party status of the elder Xi, was a dedicated civil servant. Boue also writes that after Kenya won independence from British colonialism in 1963, he returned to the country from his American and European economics studies and became an influential economic and planning figure.

At his professional peak, Obama Sr. was the acting No. 2 at the Industry, Commerce, Tourism and Infrastructure Section in the Kenyan government, where he oversaw road construction, building, postal office plans, telecommunication development, harbors and airways. This promotion was redemption after Obamas heavy drinking and arrogance fueled his dismissal from another economic and tourism job, according to sources in "."

Like Obama Sr., Xi Zhongxun had an ability to restore and rise above professional setbacks. After he was "purged" again for allegedly supporting a controversial Chinese biography, he was fully "rehabilitated" by 1978 when he realigned himself with the economically liberal Communists who would vote to open the Chinese economy to the world.

Its that second act in the early '80s that puts him in a more unique sect of Chinese revolutionaries, said Clayton Dube, the executive director of the U.S.-China Institute at the University of Southern California.

In some ways, he has a much longer tutelage than his predecessors, Dube said. When the party leaders said, 'This is the fellow we are going to groom for the top job,' they had seen something in him.

Of course there are some major differences between Obama and his father, and Xi and his. Xi Zhongzun's party status is why many Western observers have considered Xi a princeling, a presidential moniker that is virtually unmentioned in Chinese media, Dube said.

Obama Sr.s role never helped grease opportunity for his American son, according to the Pulitzer Prize winning biographer David Maraniss.

"[Obama the son] knew nothing about ... his father, or about the nature of his lifes struggle since he had returned to Nairobihis drinking, his womanizing, his abusive temper, his serious car crashes, his job dismissals, Maraniss wrote in "" Barry could not know that perhaps the luckiest thing that happened to him in his young life was that his father had left, sparing his mother and him years of unpredictability and potential domestic violence.

While the two presidents may not acknowledge their fathers legacies in meetings, they could bond over another fundamental similarity: their daughters. Sasha and Malia Obama are a few years younger than the 20-year-old Xi Mingze.

Related slideshow: A desert oasis of presidential power

Click image to see more photos. (Ned Redway)

The shooting in Paktika province was the latest in a string of so-called "insider attacks" in which Afghan forces open fire on their own comrades or international troops. The incidents threaten to shake the confidence and trust of the two sides as the 2014 withdrawal of most of the international forces approaches.

An argument between the Afghan soldier and his trainers appeared to have led to Saturday's shooting on an Afghan National Army base in Paktika's Kher Qot district, according to a statement from the provincial governor's office. The international military coalition in Afghanistan said two American service members and one U.S. civilian died. It had initially identified them as three U.S. military personnel.

The angry Afghan soldier opened fire during the argument, killing the three foreign trainers and wounding three others, according to the governor's statement. The foreigners returned fire and killed the Afghan soldier, who had no known connection to the insurgency.

A second Afghan man was arrested after the shooting, and an investigation has been launched, the coalition said later Saturday.

So far this year, there have been five insider attacks on foreign forces, with a total of eight troops and one U.S. contractor killed. However, the number of such attacks has eased after soaring last year in 2012, there were at least 29 insider attacks, killing 62 international troops.

Afghan security forces also are targets of such attacks. Last month, two recently rehired Afghan police opened fire on their commander at a checkpoint in a remote district in the country's south, killing him and six of his men.

The Taliban insurgents claim most of the insider attacks, saying they have infiltrated Afghan security forces or persuaded soldiers and police to join their side. However, the international coalition has said many of them are sparked by personal disputes.

In the western province of Farah, meanwhile, an Italian soldier was killed and three others wounded in a grenade attack on their armored vehicle in western Afghanistan.

The Italian Defense Ministry said the attack in Farah province came as the Italian soldiers were returning to their base from training Afghan security forces.

The Italian convoy of three armored vehicle apparently had been slowed by traffic near an intersection when an attacker ran up and threw an explosive device into the lead vehicle, the ministry said. It added that the three wounded soldiers' injuries were not life-threatening.

The Taliban quickly took responsibility for the attack, with spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi claiming that the attacker was an 11-year-old boy.

But Farah province provincial government spokesman Abdul Rahman Zhawandai says an adult man was seen throwing a grenade, then escaping by blending into the crowd at a nearby vegetable market.

Saturday's deaths brought to 15 the number of international troops killed in Afghanistan this month. On Thursday, seven Georgian soldiers died in a truck bombing at their base in the south.

Taliban insurgents have launched intense attacks across the country as Afghan forces take over most security responsibility ahead of most foreign troops' withdrawal next year, more than a decade after the American-led invasion to oust the Taliban regime for sheltering al-Qaida's leadership after the Islamic extremist group launched the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the U.S.

Countries in the NATO alliance met in Brussels this week to lay out a new plan for shifting into a training and assistance role, but they did not agree on how many noncombat troops it will maintain in Afghanistan after 2014.

There are now about 100,000 international troops in Afghanistan, including 66,000 from the United States. Most of the pullout is set for this winter.

The remaining smaller force is expected to be mostly American advisers. However, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said Saturday during a surprise visit to Kabul that the German government is thinking about leaving behind 600-800 troops after 2014.

"The departure of our troops from Afghanistan will happen as planned but at the same time we will not forget about Afghanistan in the years after 2014," Westerwelle said, adding, "We will engage with them in a different way."

___

Rahim Faiez in Kabul and Frances D'Emilio in Rome contributed to this report

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Kemp, who has a .251 batting average with two home runs and 17 runs batted in after 51 games this season, was injured while chasing a ball during the Dodgers' 4-3 loss to the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday. (Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)

Schwartzel bounced back from a double bogey on the par-3 eighth hole with one last birdie for a 7-under 65. That gave him a one-shot lead over Scott Piercy among the early starters on a muggy day.

"The birdie on the last definitely will make my evening a lot better," Schwartzel said.

Tiger Woods, the defending champion and a five-time winner, was among those playing in the afternoon.

Piercy is one of the longer hitters on tour, so it would seem his game would be a good fit for the Memorial. He hasn't had much luck, so he decided to scale back off the tee and 3-wood where he typically would hit driver to take it over the bunkers. Piercy had a 66, his best score in 10 rounds at Muirfield Village.

Rory McIlroy, meanwhile, might be headed for another short week at the tournament Jack Nicklaus built.

McIlroy opened with a birdie and that was as good as it got for the world's No. 2 player. He four-putted the par-3 12th for a double bogey, had a three-putt on No. 7 and ended his round by missing a 4-foot birdie. McIlroy had a 78.

"I don't really have many explanations for this," McIlroy said.

Only eight players broke 70 in the morning on a well-conditioned course with fast greens, and it figured to get even tougher in the afternoon with hot weather, and greens not quite as smooth after all that morning traffic.

Schwartzel took advantage with two stretches of four straight birdies. He was at 8-under with two holes to play when he missed the green on No. 8 with an 8-iron and wound up on the downward slope of the sand. He tried to get extra spin on a difficult shot and sent it over the green, and then failed to get up and down.

The double bogey didn't stay with him for long. The former Masters champion holed a 12-foot birdie putt and was back in the lead when Piercy, who finished up his round on the 18th hole, made bogey.

The birdie was important, not just for the early lead, but to get as much out of such a great round of golf. That's not to suggest that if he had made par on the last hole he would have been ready to retire from the game.

"It would still be OK," Schwartzel said. "It's really when you've played that well and you're thinking you get these few rounds a year where you really strike it well and you're making lots of birdies and you walk off with your 8-, 9-under. And today was one of those where I really did flush it. And you're think maybe another birdie, and then get knocked back with a little 8-iron making double."

Josh Teater, Russell Henley and Kyle Stanley were at 67, while Charlie Wi, Matt Jones and Michael Thompson had 69.

Piercy hit one of the longest drives on the 18th hole last year, leaving him a flip wedge to the green. Muirfield Village is a big golf course, with some of the widest fairways on tour and thick rough it should be thick for fairways that generous. But hitting driver never really worked for Piercy, so he decided to go with 3-wood, and he stuck with his plan. He still had relatively short irons into the green, and he knew he was onto something when he ran off five straight birdies on the front nine.

"I thought I'd hit a lot of 3-woods today and open up the fairways and allow me to get at some pins and knock them on the greens and make some putts," he said. "Maybe I'm getting older."

His 3-wood still goes plenty far. Piercy cut off a quarter-inch from the shaft, and found he was hitting it about 290 yards.

BRUSSELS/PARIS (Reuters) - Growing concern in European capitals about aggressive tax avoidance by high-profile corporations such as Amazon, Google and Apple looks set to steal the agenda of a European Union summit in Brussels on Wednesday.

The summit was originally called to discuss energy policy and tax coordination, but press reports in Britain, France and the United States exposing how little tax major international companies have been paying by carefully structuring their European operations has forced the issue up the agenda.

France and Britain in particular have grown concerned by the sheer scale of the legal tax schemes, with a U.S. investigation revealing on Monday that Apple Inchad paid just 2 percent tax on $74 billion in overseas income, largely by exploiting a loophole in Ireland's tax code.

That followed reports that the British unit of Amazonpaid just $3.7 million tax on 2012 sales of $6.5 billion, and similar revelations concerning Google'sand Starbucks'sUK operations.

In all, officials have said that tax avoidance and evasion costs the EU around 1 trillion euros a year.

"A lot of these revenues (from the digital economy) are not getting taxed," said a French diplomat briefing reporters in Paris ahead of the EU summit. "We need to find a way of bringing home the tax on these activities."

Officials said French President Francois Hollande could raise the issue with the EU's 27 leaders, although it was unclear what agreement could be reached with little advanced preparation and just four hours of talks scheduled.

A draft of the summit's declaration, which is agreed in advance but can be changed, set out nine specific proposals for strengthening tax policy and coordination, including fighting tax avoidance schemes and the process of routing profits abroad.

"Work will be carried forward as regards the Commission's recommendations on aggressive tax planning and profit shifting," a draft seen by Reuters read.

"The Commission intends to present a proposal before the end of the year for the revision of the 'parent/subsidiary' directive, and is reviewing the anti-abuse provisions in relevant EU legislation."

NAME NO NAMES

But officials played down the possibility of immediate steps to close tax loopholes or any 'naming and shaming' of companies in the final summit declaration, saying it was primarily up to EU member states to craft the necessary legislation.

"We agree that companies shouldn't be able to avoid tax by pursuing aggressive tax avoidance schemes," said an EU official involved in handling preparations for the summit.

"But while companies may be using loopholes to pay as little tax as possible, the truth is it's a national issue. It's up to the relevant member states to change their tax codes and tighten the net."

The official said the most likely outcome from the talks was tougher language on strengthening bilateral tax treaties and bolstering so-called "anti-abuse" rules in national legislation.

"I can see the issue hijacking this summit, but the fact is there are recommendations out there already and it's up to countries to explore them," he said, referring to recommendations the Commission made last December on tackling aggressive tax planning and the erosion of the tax base.

France has already shown its willingness to take on major U.S. companies. In 2011, French authorities raided Google in an investigation of whether its Paris office does sales work. The company was asked to pay 1.7 billion euros in back taxes.

A similar issue has arisen with how Google operates in Britain, with questions raised about whether its sales staff are based abroad or actually in the country.

Google has said it follows tax rules everywhere it operates and that references to selling in job ads reflect the fact Google likes to hire people with a sales background.

In a briefing ahead of the Wednesday's gathering, a senior EU diplomat sidestepped suggestions that EU leaders were looking to take on specific companies, but said the issue was serious.

(Writing by Luke Baker; additional reporting by Adrian Croft in Brussels and Mark John in Paris)

PARIS (Reuters) - After fickle Parisian weather and the exploits of a French heroine kept Novak Djokovic waiting to make his bow at Roland Garros on Tuesday, the world number one began his quest to complete his grand slam collection in style with victory over David Goffin. Home favorite Marian Bartoli saved two match points in a rain-interrupted three-hour triumph against Olga Govortsova, rewarding the patience of the fans who sat huddled under grey November-like skies for much of the day.

Hawks name Spurs assistant Budenholzer as new head coach

(Reuters) - Mike Budenholzer paid his dues during a long apprenticeship with one of the NBA's most successful franchises and the hard work paid off as he was named head coach of the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday. Budenholzer, 43, spent the last 17 seasons with the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach, serving the last six years as the top assistant to coach Gregg Popovich, who has taken the Spurs to four National Basketball Association (NBA) titles.

Beckham to visit Miami in quest for MLS team ownership

MIAMI (Reuters) - Former England captain David Beckham will visit Miami this week as he steps up his interest in owning a new Major League Soccer (MLS) team. Beckham, who played for L.A. Galaxy in the MLS, has an option to create a new franchise in the North American league.

NBA board approves sale of Kings basketball team to local investors

(Reuters) - The National Basketball Association's Board of Governors on Tuesday unanimously approved the sale of the Sacramento Kings to a California investor group, effectively ending a tug-of-war with competing potential bidders, one of whom had hoped to move the team to Seattle, a league official said. The deal to sell a majority stake in the team to investors led by tech developer and philanthropist Vivek Ranadive followed months of wrangling between Seattle-based investors who wanted the team to replace its beloved Seattle SuperSonics franchise lost in 2008, and California investors who wanted it to stay put.

Nike drops partnership with Lance Armstrong-founded charity

(Reuters) - Nike Inc is dropping its partnership with Livestrong Foundation, the cancer charity founded by disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong, the latest repercussion from the doping scandal that last year stripped him of his titles. Nike said on Tuesday it would end production of its Livestrong gear and apparel after the holiday 2013 line, concluding a long-standing licensing agreement for footwear and apparel between the two that helped Livestrong raise a total of $100 million over the course of the partnership.

Djokovic too strong for young shot-maker Goffin

PARIS (Reuters) - Novak Djokovic showed glimpses of frailty along with his usual ruthless streak as he eased past French Open opponent David Goffin on Tuesday by moving through the gears whenever the first-round tie looked like getting tricky. Djokovic wrapped up a 7-6(5) 6-4 7-5 win in a little over two hours, but was frequently under pressure against an opponent who played without fear and showcased an attacking armory that belied his lowly ranking.

2014 Draft set for May 8-10, future dates uncertain

(Reuters) - The National Football League's (NFL) 2014 Draft will be held May 8-10 at Radio City Music Hall, two weeks later than its usual slot due to a scheduling conflict with the landmark New York City theater. No decision has been made regarding dates of the NFL Draft in 2015 and beyond, the NFL said in a statement on Tuesday.

Tomic stands by father and coach after French Open defeat

PARIS (Reuters) - Bernard Tomic's father accompanied his son to Paris despite being barred from attending any events sanctioned by the governing bodies of tennis, the Australian said on Tuesday. After losing in the first round of the French Open, Tomic stood by his dad John who faces a court case for assaulting his son's former practice partner Frenchman Thomas Drouet earlier this month in Madrid.

Three arrested after death of Dutch volleyball player

MADRID (Reuters) - Three men have been arrested on suspicion of murdering former Dutch Olympic volleyball player Ingrid Visser and her partner in what Spanish police believe may be a business-related incident. Visser, 35, and her partner Lodewijk Severein, 57, were reported missing on May 17, the Spanish police said in a statement. Two bodies fitting the descriptions of the couple were found in a shallow grave in a lemon grove outside Murcia on Sunday.

American young gun aiming to sock it to Haas

PARIS (Reuters) - While evergreen Tommy Haas was striking another blow for the over-30s on Tuesday, a few courts away at the French Open American Jack Sock, 15 years his junior, was crushing a seasoned Spanish professional with a display of pure youthful exuberance. When they meet in round two it will truly be a clash of the generations.

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CANBERRA (Reuters) - Chinese hackers have stolen the blueprints of a new multi-million-dollar Australian spy headquarters as part of a growing wave of cyber attacks against business and military targets in the close U.S. ally, a Australian news report said.

The hackers also stole confidential information from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which houses the overseas spy agency the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, Australia's ABC Television said late on Monday.

The ABC report, which did not name sources, said Chinese hackers had targeted Australia-based companies more aggressively than previously thought, including steel-manufacturer Bluescope Steel, and military and civilian communications manufacturer Codan Ltd.

The influential Greens party on Tuesday said the reported hacking was a "security blunder of epic proportions" and called for an inquiry, but the government refused to confirm the security breach.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr said the report would not damage Canberra's ties with its biggest trade partner China.

"We have enormous areas of cooperation with China. I won't comment on whether the Chinese have done what is being alleged or not," Carr told reporters on Tuesday.

Hackers using a computer server traced to China had stolen floorplans of a new A$630 million headquarters for the Australia Security Intelligence Organisation, the country's domestic spy agency, said the ABC report.

The attack through the computers of a construction contractor exposed not only building layouts, but also the location of communication and computer networks, said the ABC.

Australia security analyst Des Ball told the ABC in the report that such information made the yet to be completed spy headquarters vulnerable to future cyber attacks.

"You can start constructing your own wiring diagrams, where the linkages are through telephone connections, through wi-fi connections, which rooms are likely to be the ones that are used for sensitive conversations, how to surreptitiously put devices into the walls of those rooms," said Ball.

The ASIO building, being built near the location of Australia's top secret Defence Signals Directorate, is supposed to have some of the most sophisticated hacking defenses in the country, which is part of a global electronic intelligence gathering network including the United States and the UK.

But its construction had been plagued by delays and cost blowouts, with some builders blaming late changes made to the internal design in response to cyber attacks.

Australian officials, like those in the United States and other Western nations, have made cyber attacks a security priority following a growing number of attacks of the resource rich country, mostly blamed on China.

Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei was last year barred from bidding for construction contracts on a new Australian high-speed broadband network amid fears of cyber espionage.

The Reserve Bank of Australia said in March that it had been targeted by cyber attacks, but no data had been lost or systems compromised amid reports the hackers had tried to access intelligence on Group of 20 wealthy nations negotiations.

In the United States, the Pentagon's latest annual report on Chinese military developments accused Beijing for the first time of trying to break into U.S. defense networks, calling it "a serious concern".

China has dismissed as groundless both the Pentagon report and a February report by the U.S. computer security company Mandiant, which said a secretive Chinese military unit was probably behind a series of hacking attacks targeting the United States that had stolen data from 100 companies.

(Reporting by Rob Taylor; Editing by Michael Perry)