TEL AVIV, June 5 (Reuters) - England conceded their first goal in 889 minutes of play when they went down 1-0 to Italy on the opening day of the Euro Under-21 championships in Israel on Wednesday.

A goal in injury time for 10-man Norway dampened the festive atmosphere for the hosts who were forced to settle for a 2-2 draw in the other Group A game.

Israel began staging its most important international sporting event in 45 years amid tight security following a politically-charged build-up.

European soccer's governing body UEFA had held firm against calls from pro-Palestinian activists to move the tournament away from Israel, who are the weakest of the eight teams competing, because of restrictions on the movement of its athletes.

Italy displayed plenty of skill against England's powerful lineup and came away with the win thanks to Napoli's Lorenzo Insigne who scored with a curling free kick in the 79th minute to leave goalkeeper Jack Butland stranded.

England, who had won their previous nine matches, are bottom of the group, while Italy went top. Norway and Israel occupy the middle two places with one point each.

Israeli captain Nir Biton put the hosts ahead with a 16th-minute penalty after Norway had dominated the opening phase of play.

It was a first goal for Israel in a finals after they lost all three group fixtures in 2007, their only previous appearance, without scoring.

Norway levelled in the 24th minute following a defensive error when Marcus Pedersen rattled home a low drive in the area but the visitors were reduced to 10 men a minute before the break when Vegar Hedenstad was sent off for bringing down Israel's last man, Mohammed Kalibat, as he headed towards goal.

The Norwegians pressed forward despite their numerical disadvantage and hit the post twice and the crossbar once but were punished when Alon Turgeman gave Israel the lead in the 71st minute.

They looked tired towards the end but mounted a late assault on the Israeli goal and were rewarded with a draw when substitute Harmeet Singh scored in the first minute of injury time.

In the first Group B action on Thursday, Spain play Russia and Germany clash with the Netherlands. The two top finishers in each group play in the semi-finals next Saturday with the final in Jerusalem on June 18. (Editing by Alison Wildey)

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The British comedian announced Thursday that he's launching a world comedy tour focusing on Che Guevara, Gandhi, Malcolm X and Jesus Christ. Brand says the show examines "the importance of heroes in this age of atheistic disposability."

The 38-year-old says he plans to perform in theaters as well as "prisons, drug rehabs ... nationalist organizations, Mosques, foreclosed houses, protest sites, Synagogues and in people's private homes."

The "Messiah Complex" tour is set to begin Aug. 15 in Abu Dhabi and wrap up Dec. 9 in Iceland.

Brand's FX show, "Brand X," concluded last month.

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PARIS (Reuters) - Ask her to describe the way she plays and Serena Williams has a one-word response - fierce.

She is unlikely to hear a word of disagreement from Roberta Vinci after the Italian was beaten 6-1 6-3 in the fourth round of the French Open on Sunday, a result that keeps Williams on course to win a first Roland Garros title since 2002.

The match hammered home the inescapable truth that there is no substitute for raw power in the modern women's game as Williams, whose array of shots could blow holes in concrete, ably demonstrated by out-muscling the canny Vinci.

The Italian found out that as you head into the second week of a grand slam, you need at least one weapon in your armory that can put your opponent on the back foot.

As it happens, Williams has a whole arsenal at her disposal and wrapped up victory for the loss of only four games, to take the total she has conceded in the entire tournament to 10.

Asked for a word to describe Vinci, a doubles specialist who relies more on her wiles to stay afloat, Williams replied: "Tricky".

Her own epithet was more emphatic.

It was certainly a fearsome display that she put in to complete her 28th straight victory and underline her title potential.

She coped better with the blustery conditions on Philippe Chatrier Court and broke three times to take the first set.

Vinci, who has won three grand-slam doubles titles with last year's French Open singles finalist Sara Errani, tried to move her opponent around the court to compensate for her lack of firepower but it was ultimately a futile effort.

Although she put up a better fight in the second set, she came up short at crucial moments and lost the last 10 points in a row to succumb in one hour 10 minutes.

A sterner test for Williams is likely to come in the next round as her quarter-final opponent is 2009 champion Svetlana Kuznetsova, who is not seeded at Roland Garros for the first time since 2003 but beat the American when they last played at Roland Garros.

The Russian dropped to 85th in the world after a six-month injury layoff following last year's Wimbledon, but has climbed to 39 and is a walloping baseliner who can crunch winners off both flanks.

"The last time we played here she won, so that will probably get her pumped up and she's on a comeback," Williams said. "She has nothing to lose but everything to gain."

Kuznetsova booked her place in the quarter-finals by outplaying German eighth seed Angelique Kerber 6-4 4-6 6-3.

"She's the best in the world so far. She's been playing unbelievable tennis," Kuznetsova said of Williams. "But I believe that I have my game and my good days, as well. Let's cross fingers I will have a good day that one. She's just a fighter."

(Editing by Clare Fallon)

In an impromptu hearing, Shoffner acknowledged taking a series of $6,000 cash payments at times delivered in a pie box from a broker who is cooperating with federal investigators. She told U.S. District Judge Leon Holmes, however, that she didn't deliberately direct an increasing share of the state's bond business to the broker.

Shoffner, 68, faced charges of attempt and conspiracy to commit extortion under color of official right under the Hobbs Act, a federal law often used to prosecute public officials for accepting bribes. Those charges carry maximum penalties of 20 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine.

She was set to plead guilty Friday to a similar charge until Holmes asked her what she had done.

"There were just some questions asked that I had problems with. I'm just so sorry this is all happening," Shoffner told reporters after the hearing. "I want to tell the people of Arkansas that I apologize. But there were some questions asked that I wasn't comfortable with."

When Holmes asked Shoffner if she accepted payments from the broker, she responded: "Yes, but it was offered. I didn't demand it." Shoffner also told the judge the payments were not related to her decisions as treasurer.

Under plea bargains, defendants are required to admit key elements of crimes. Holmes cautioned Shoffner to be truthful.

"Before I would accept it, I would have to know you're admitting to all of the elements the government would have to prove in order to convict you," Holmes told Shoffner. "I believe one of those elements is that you intended to be influenced by this money, that it had something to do with the decisions you were making as treasurer. If you deny that, which you have now under oath, then I cannot accept your guilty plea."

Prosecutors had said after her May 18 arrest that Shoffner steered more business to the broker because of the payments the ex-treasurer received.

After the hearing, U.S. Attorney Chris Thyer said he was surprised the plea deal fell through. Thyer said he will seek an indictment against the former treasurer with additional charges.

"At one level I'm certainly disappointed the plea didn't go through because I certainly anticipated that it would," Thyer said. "On another level, I'm not disappointed. I truly believe that everyone is entitled to a trial. If that's what this case calls for, that's what we intend to do and that's have a trial."

Shoffner's attorney, Chuck Banks, also said he didn't expect the plea to fall apart.

"I know she's very embarrassed about all this, but this is an opportunity for her to continue to exercise her constitutional right to test the proof," Banks said.

An FBI affidavit filed in federal court alleges that a broker unidentified in court documents would roll up cash in $6,000 increments and have it delivered to Shoffner's office every six months. At least two of the payments were delivered in a pie box with a pie. The broker "recognized his/her bond business with the state grew because of the payments," the affidavit said.

The payments were made after Shoffner asked the broker for $1,000 a month to pay her rent in Little Rock, according to the affidavit. The document said the broker was granted immunity in exchange for his or her cooperation.

Legislative auditors last year questioned Shoffner's selling of bonds before they matured, a practice that they said cost the state more than $434,000 worth of earnings.

Shoffner was arrested at her home in Newport after the broker agreed to record the meeting and bring $6,000 in a pie box, according to the affidavit. FBI agents executed a search warrant and found the cash inside a cigarette package in Shoffner's kitchen. Shoffner admitted that she accepted the payments from the broker, the FBI said in its affidavit.

Shoffner, a Democrat, was first elected treasurer in 2006 and won a second term in 2010. Facing pressure from fellow Democrats as well as Republicans who threatened impeachment proceedings if she didn't resign, Shoffner stepped down last week.

Beebe on Wednesday appointed former Legislative Auditor Charles Robinson to serve the remainder of Shoffner's term, which ends in January 2015. Robinson is barred from running for the post next year since he was appointed to it.

The singer-songwriter, who is famed for changing his name to an unpronounceable symbol in a wrangle over musical rights, will release his own work as well as a slate of new music by other artists that he produces, Kobalt said.

The announcement came just hours after the 54-year-old Prince was given a Billboard Icon Award (lifetime achievement) and rocked the Billboard Music Awards ceremony with a version of his "Let's Go Crazy" dressed in electric green trousers and sporting an Afro hair style.

Kobalt, which is also a global independent music publishing company, launched an artist and label services division in 2012, allowing artists to maintain ownership of their work and control over when, how and where they will release their music.

Traditional labels often take ownership or part-ownership of the artist's material and often dictate how it is used, an increasingly important sticking point in an industry where digital music can be instantly available.

"This new venture gives Prince the flexibility and freedom he's always sought in a label partner," Kobalt President Richard Sanders said in a statement.

The Grammy award-winning singer will also provide artist development and recording services for newly signed artists that Kobalt will market and distribute.

Kobalt was set up in 2000 by Swedish businessman Willard Ahdritz and its publishing roster includes former Beatle Paul McCartney, Icelandic singer Bjork and Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder.

(Reporting by Paul Casciato; Editing by Michael Roddy)

Nor did the shots reduce the amount of the AIDS virus in the blood when people who'd been vaccinated later became infected, the National Institutes of Health said.

"It's disappointing," said Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. But, "there was important information gained from this" study that will help determine what to try next.

The study had enrolled 2,504 volunteers, mostly gay men, in 19 cities since 2009. Half received dummy shots, and half received a two-part experimental vaccine developed by the NIH. All were provided free condoms and given extensive counseling about the risks for HIV.

It's a strategy known as "prime-boost." A DNA-based vaccine made with genetically engineered HIV material is given to prime the immune system to attack the AIDS virus. Then a different vaccine, encasing the same material inside a shell made of a disabled cold virus, acts as a booster shot to strengthen that response. Neither vaccine could cause HIV.

The idea: Train immune cells known as T cells to spot and attack the very earliest HIV-infected cells in someone's body. The hope was that the vaccine could either prevent HIV infection, or help those infected anyway to fight it.

A safety review this week found that slightly more study participants who had received the vaccine later became infected with HIV. It's not clear why. But the difference wasn't statistically significant, meaning it may be due to chance. Overall, there were 41 HIV infections in the vaccinated group and 30 among placebo recipients. When researchers examined only participants diagnosed after being in the study for at least 28 weeks long enough for the shots to have done their job there were 27 HIV infections among the vaccinated and 21 among the placebo recipients.

The NIH said Thursday that it is stopping vaccinations in the study, known as HVTN 505, but that researchers will continue to study the volunteers' health.

Josh Robbins, 30, of Nashville, Tenn., is among the participants who became infected. He said he's glad he was in the study, because its close monitoring meant he was diagnosed and treated much sooner than most people and he's feeling great and because the findings help science.

"We've got to keep moving forward," Robbins said. The study "certainly can lead us down a new direction to hopefully find something that might work."

Multiple attempts at creating an AIDS vaccine have failed over the years. A 2009 study in Thailand is the only one ever to show a modest success, using a somewhat different prime-boost approach. Newer research suggests another approach to try creating powerful antibodies that could work a step earlier than the T-cell attack, before HIV gets inside the first cell.

Both approaches need continued research funding, said Mitchell Warren of the international AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition.

"Clearly an AIDS vaccine remains critical," he said.

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NIH Q&A: http://www.niaid.nih.gov/news/QA/Pages/HVTN505qa2013.aspx

Abdella Ahmad Tounisi's (too-NEE'-seez) attorney entered the plea Wednesday at a federal court in Chicago. The 18-year-old Tounisi stood by her side in orange jail garb, his legs shackled.

Authorities arrested Tounisi in April at O'Hare International Airport as he allegedly prepared for the first leg of a trip to join Jabhat al-Nusrah.

Tounisi pleaded not guilty to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization and lying to federal authorities.

If convicted, he faces a maximum 23-year prison term.

Concern over a shortage of a drug popular for treating Lyme disease has caused two U.S. senators to ask for federal intervention. The shortage is particularly of concern as most of the country moves into Lyme disease season.

According to the Bangor Daily News, senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) have contacted the .

The drug in low supply is , which the Mayo Clinic says is a staple of treatment for early-stage Lyme disease. It's the drug of choice for adults and children older than 8 years old and is administered either by mouth or by IV.

MedlinePlus reports thatlike treating bacterial infections, anthrax after inhalation, genital and urinary conditions, skin infections, and acne. Some travelers take it to prevent malaria.

According to the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, most of the drug companies that produce doxycyclineor predict how long it will last. The shortage began early in 2013 and has caused prices to soar. One manufacturer says it is providing the antibiotic only to current contracted customers.

In Maine, the shortage of doxycycline pills is more acute than the IV form of the drug. A hospital pharmacist found that 50 pills would cost the facility between $197 to $270 if available. As the nationwide supply dwindles, healthcare providers are forced to switch to other drugs, depending on the specific condition needing treatment.

For example, azithromycin treats certain types of pneumonia, while doctors sometimes use amoxicillin for Lyme disease. However, the drug of choice for Lyme patients is doxycycline.

The two senators have asked the FDA to use all resources available to alleviate the shortage. This could include finding other manufacturers or importing limited quantities of the drug from other countries.

My husband takes doxycycline on a long-term basis for a decades-long bone infection in his leg. More than a year ago, he also received a diagnosis of Lyme disease. Doxycycline was the drug of choice, since it could treat both conditions.

We have a choice of purchasing a prescription as a 30-day supply at the local pharmacy or ordering a 28- to 90-day supply of a generic like doxycycline for $10 to $15 from our mail-order pharmacy.

Until a few days ago, my husband had paid only a few dollars per month for doxycycline at the local pharmacy, which always had it in stock. However, his last refill cost around $30. The pharmacist would only say that the pharmacy had changed suppliers, resulting in a huge cost increase.

Fortunately, the doctor electronically sent a cheaper, 90-day prescription to the mail-order pharmacy. Whether there will be a delay in arrival due to the shortage of this Lyme disease drug is anybody's guess.

Vonda J. Sines has published thousands of print and online health and medical articles. She specializes in diseases and other conditions that affect the quality of life.