CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Rapper DMX, whose real name is Earl Simmons, was arrested on Tuesday in South Carolina and charged with possession of marijuana, two days before he was due in court on a drunk driving charge.

Police stopped a truck in which Simmons was a passenger for making an improper lane change shortly before midnight, according to a police report. On inspecting the car, police found three bags of marijuana, the report said.

Simmons complained of a medical condition and was aggressive, police said. Emergency medical services were called to check his condition and cleared him, the report said.

Simmons was booked into Greer City Jail on charges of possession of marijuana and failure to appear on a previous warrant, police said.

Officers "claimed that they found bags of marijuana in the floorboard," said Domenick Nati of Nati Celebrity Services, Inc, which represents DMX. "No drugs were found on DMX or the other passengers and the alleged bags of marijuana were never shown to DMX or the other passengers," Nati added.

Simmons, 42, is due to appear in court on Thursday in Greenville on separate charges stemming from a July 26 arrest for drunk driving, and failing to have a valid drivers license, Bob Beres of the South Carolina Highway Patrol said on Wednesday.

After his July arrest, the rapper paid $1,235 in bail and left Greenville County Detention Center after being booked on the charges, jail officials said.

But a representative for the New York-born rapper, who lives in South Carolina, said the DUI charge was never officially filed because Simmons passed a breathalyzer test in the jail.

The rapper, whose albums include "It's Dark and Hell is Hot" and "Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood," also starred in the movies "Romeo Must Die" and "Cradle 2 The Grave."

Simmons' arrest record includes charges of: animal cruelty, reckless driving, drug possession, weapons charges and probation violations.

He has had several felony convictions and has served prison time in Arizona.

(Editing by Leslie Gevirtz)

New announcement "Fable Legends" brings four player multiplayer to Microsoft's Old Albion fantasy adventure series, while "Ryse: Son of Rome" also benefited from some multiplayer news, with the Coliseum combat of Gladiator mode offering a dynamic arena that challenges players to survive each other and the changing environment.

A special pack of collectible players for the "FIFA 14" mix'n'match Ultimate Team mode is to be Microsoft's exclusive offering for those who plump for the Xbox One or Xbox 360 versions of the game, and "Call of Duty: Ghosts" multiplayer is to utilize Microsoft's dedicated servers on Xbox One, which should improve the online experience.cp/kc

(Reuters) - A skydiving instructor died and his student was seriously injured after crash landing in woods in southern Mississippi during a tandem jump, officials said on Sunday.

The instructor, James Horak Jr., 56, was among a group that jumped together after taking off from the Lumberton, Mississippi, airport Saturday morning, said Lamar County Sheriff Danny Rigel.

Other divers accompanying Horak told authorities that the cords Horak used to control the parachute appeared to be tangled, Rigel said.

"Something didn't look right on his main chute," Rigel said, adding the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate.

The name of Horak's student and the extent of his injuries were not immediately known, though he appeared to have suffered broken bones and a head injury, Rigel said.

Horak, of Pensacola, Florida, was an instructor at the Emerald Coast Skydiving Center in Elberta, Alabama. His biography on the company's website identified him as its most experienced instructor, with more than 4,000 jumps to his credit.

Phone messages left with the company Sunday evening were not immediately returned.

(Editing by Dina Kyriakidou, Jane Sutton, Doina Chiacu)

The rebuilding Celtics, who also agreed to part ways with Jason Terry and D.J. White, will receive Gerald Wallace, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, Kris Joseph, Keith Bogans and first-round draft picks in 2014, 2016 and 2018.

Boston were additionally given the right to swap first-round picks in 2017 as part of a trade that was agreed to in principle at last month's NBA Draft but could not be made official until a moratorium on transactions was lifted.

"Today, the basketball gods smiled on the Nets," team owner Mikhail Prokhorov said in a statement. "With the arrival of Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, we have achieved a great balance on our roster between veteran stars and young talents. This team will be dazzling to watch, and tough to compete against."

Garnett, a 15-time All Star, has averaged 19.1 points and 10.5 rebounds a game over his 18-year career.

Ten-time All-Star Pierce, a 15-year veteran, ranks fifth all-time in career three-pointers made (1,823), while averaging 18.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.

Terry, a 14-year NBA veteran, has averaged 15.7 points and 4.5 assists per game, and was a member of the 2011 NBA champion Dallas Mavericks.

"We are excited to welcome Kevin, Paul and Jason to Brooklyn," said Nets General Manager Billy King. "All three players have championship pedigree and possess the veteran qualities that will make us a stronger team."

Pierce and Garnett teamed up to help the Celtics win their NBA-record 17th league championship in 2008.

"We would like to thank Paul, Kevin, and Jason for everything that they have done for this franchise," Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge said in a statement.

"We would not have won Banner 17 without Paul and Kevin and they will go down amongst the all-time great players to have ever worn a Celtics uniform."

The Nets were also expected soon to announce the signing of Russian forward Andrei Kirilenko to a two-year contract, according to local media reports.

The acquisition of Kirilenko, who opted out of the final year of his contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves, would push the Nets' current payroll to about $100 million, a total that would cost Russian billionaire Prokhorov more than $80 million in NBA luxury tax. (Reporting by Larry Fine in New York,; Editing by Frank Pingue)

CINCINNATI (Reuters) - The world's two top-ranked players, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, cruised into the quarter-finals of the Western and Southern Open on Thursday as five-time champion Roger Federer sputtered into the last eight.

Looking to end a run of four runner-up finishes on the Cincinnati hardcourt, world number one Djokovic needed just 50 minutes to hand Belgian qualifier David Goffin a 6-2 6-0 tennis lesson before handing over centre court to Federer, 32, and Tommy Haas, 35, the two oldest players remaining in the draw.

It was an entertaining but far from vintage performance from the two veterans as a sluggish Federer, the five-time defending champion in Cincinnati, dropped the opening set to the German before fighting back for a 1-6 7-5 6-3 win.

World number two Murray, a two-time Cincinnati champion, looked right at home again on the Ohio hardcourts as the Scot steamrolled Frenchman Julien Benneteau 6-2 6-2 in 69 minutes.

It was a day of sharp contrasting fortunes on centre court as the world's top three players all saw action.

While Federer pulled off a great escape, world number four David Ferrer of Spain was not so fortunate, falling 6-2 6-4 to Russian qualifier Dmitry Tursunov.

"I just held on hoping for Tommy's level to go down a bit or mine to go up a bit," said Federer, battling to find some form ahead of the U.S. Open after struggling with back problems. "I was just hanging on, and I'm happy I did because it paid off."

While Cincinnati has been a happy hunting ground for Federer, it has been a frustrating tournament of near misses for Djokovic.

'CAREER GOLDEN MASTERS'

But if the big Serb is the last man standing on Sunday he would become the first player to complete what the ATP Tour has dubbed the 'Career Golden Masters', winning all nine World Tour Masters events.

"I played four times (in the) finals, so it's been one of the tournaments where I've performed well actually in the last five, six years," said Djokovic. "Never managed to take final step and hopefully this year I can do so.

"I have an extra motivation and an opportunity to make history in this tournament, so I'm very inspired to play well day after day."

Federer and Haas, once among the sport's young guns, are now closer to becoming tennis senior citizens but they can still deliver the occasional bit of magic.

The 13th-ranked Haas, looking to return to the top 10 for the first time in six years, completely dominated Federer in the opening set, twice breaking the Swiss on way to 1-0 lead.

The evergreen German kept up the pressure in the second, breaking the 17-times grand slam winner at the first opportunity, but Federer would not go down without a fight, breaking Haas at 7-5 to level the match.

Federer again delivered in the third set when he needed to, ending the two-hour struggle with a forehand winner, a fist-pump and a look of relief.

In other action, Canadian Milos Raonic, who moved into the top 10 of the world rankings this week, lost the battle of the big-servers, falling 7-6 (5) 6-4 to American John Isner.

Seventh seed Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina, the 2009 U.S. Open champion, battled into the quarter-finals with a 6-4 1-6 6-4 win over Spain's Feliciano Lopez. (Editing by Mark Lamport-Stokes)

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A new span of the San Francisco-area's busiest bay bridge will open as planned in September, after a temporary fix was found to repair a system designed to withstand earthquakes, officials said on Thursday.

Structural problems with the new span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, which carries 270,000 vehicles daily from San Francisco to the earthquake-prone area's eastern region, were found in March.

A bridge oversight committee voted unanimously on Thursday to allow a temporary structural fix to keep the original September 3 unveiling date of the span.

"This is an intra-measure that will not only meet, but exceed, the threshold for seismic safety while repairs are made," Bay Area Toll Authority spokesman John Goodwin said.

The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake brought down a part of the bridge, killing one person. The new section, which connects Yerba Buena Island to Oakland, has been under construction since 2002.

A survey in March discovered 32 of more than 2,300 steel rods used to help the 2.2-mile (3.5-km) eastern span of the bridge withstand earthquakes, were broken. The rods are part of a system designed to limit the horizontal movement of the bridge's decks in the case of an earthquake.

Following the discovery, officials ordered a retrofitting, estimated to cost between $5 million and $10 million, to replace the rods.

The bridge oversight committee said last month it would delay the opening of the bridge until December 10 to give construction crews more time to resolve the rods issue.

Thursday's vote allowed for placeholder steel plate stabilizers to be used while the rods are permanently replaced, Goodwin said.

(Editing by Tim Gaynor and Lisa Shumaker)

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal bankruptcy judge rejected a bid by Eastman Kodak Co shareholders to set up a committee to represent their interests, and the company won the backing of creditors for its reorganization plan as it prepares to seek court approval next Tuesday to emerge from Chapter 11.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Allan Gropper in Manhattan on Thursday said there was no evidence that Kodak or its creditors were "hiding value" from shareholders, who under the proposed reorganization would lose their investments.

He also said the costs of setting up an official shareholder committee, which like Kodak's committee of unsecured creditors would have negotiating powers, are "unreasonable" in light of the possible benefits.

Appointing a committee "would delay the possibility of any distribution and possibly result in the loss of the debtors' exit and reorganization financing, to the detriment of Kodak's thousands of creditors," Gropper wrote.

The Rochester, New York-based company filed for protection from creditors in January 2012 amid high pension costs, and after being too slow to embrace digital technology.

In a court filing late Thursday afternoon, Kodak said all classes of eligible creditors voted in favor of its Chapter 11 plan. This included support from creditors holding 77.9 percent of the general unsecured claims that were counted.

Kodak has said it hopes to leave bankruptcy by the end of September. "Our creditors have clearly told us we have the right strategy," Chief Executive Antonio Perez said in a statement.

Wayne Greenwald, a lawyer for the objecting shareholders, said in a phone interview: "I have no doubt that the members of the ad hoc committee are disappointed." He said no decision about an appeal has been made.

The U.S. Trustee opposed creating a shareholder committee, but has also made objections to Kodak's proposed reorganization plan. Gropper will hold an August 20 hearing to consider approving the plan.

'HEARTFELT' LETTERS

Upon emerging from Chapter 11, Kodak plans to focus on commercial imaging, after having sold its digital imaging patent portfolio for $527 million and its personalized imaging and document imaging businesses for $650 million.

Its bankruptcy capped a protracted plunge for the company founded in 1880 by high school dropout George Eastman, who invented the hand-held camera and rolled photographic film. Kodak's market value had topped $31 billion in the mid-1990s.

At a June 25 hearing, Gropper expressed sympathy for Kodak shareholders, and said he had received "heartfelt" letters from some of them.

But he noted that even unsecured creditors, who under bankruptcy law are entitled to recover before shareholders, may receive only 4 to 5 cents on the dollar.

Some shareholders "are apparently convinced that it cannot be possible that the company in which they invested has fallen so far," he wrote.

"However, (Kodak's) creditors, who include employees who may have lost their jobs, retirees who worked for Kodak for their entire careers, and small suppliers who may have been dependent on Kodak for their business, will also suffer great losses," he wrote. "These creditors did not take an investment risk when they contracted with Kodak, and under the bankruptcy code they are entitled to recover before the shareholders."

The case is In re: Eastman Kodak Co et al, U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Southern District of New York, No. 12-10202.

(Editing by Leslie Gevirtz and Matthew Lewis)

The drug cut prostate cancer risk by 30 percent without raising the risk of dying of an aggressive form of the disease as earlier results hinted it might.

The new work could prompt a fresh look at using the drug for cancer prevention. Experts say it could prevent tens of thousands of cases each year, saving many men from treatments with seriously unpleasant side effects.

The drug is sold as Proscar by Merck & Co. and in generic form as finasteride to treat urinary problems from enlarged prostates. It's also sold in a lower dose as Propecia to treat hair loss.

A decade ago, the drug was found to cut the risk of prostate cancer. But there was a small rise in aggressive tumors among its users. Some researchers said that by shrinking the prostate, the drug was just making these tumors easier to find in a biopsy sample not causing them.

But the concern led the Food and Drug Administration to turn down the drug for cancer prevention and warnings were added to its label.

Now, with 18 years of follow-up from that earlier study, researchers report that men on the drug were no more likely to die than those not taking it.

That's reassuring because if the drug were truly spurring lethal tumors, there would have been more deaths among its users as time went on, said Dr. Michael LeFevre, a family physician at the University of Missouri.

LeFevre wrote an editorial that appears with the study in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine. He is one of the leaders of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, an independent panel of doctors who advise the federal government. The group has not taken a stance on finasteride for prevention but has advised against screening with PSA blood tests.

Screening does more harm than good, the panel has said, because although 240,000 new prostate cancers are diagnosed each year in the United States, only about 30,000 prove fatal. That means many men are treated for cancers that grow too slowly to be life-threatening, and often suffer sexual and urinary problems as a result.

The study, led by Dr. Ian Thompson at the Cancer Therapy and Research Center in San Antonio, was done to see whether finasteride could lower the risk of prostate cancer in men who were getting screened with annual PSA blood tests, as many still choose to do.

Researchers assigned 18,882 men 55 or older with no sign of prostate cancer on blood tests or a physical exam to take finasteride or dummy pills for seven years. When the study ended, those who had not been diagnosed with prostate cancer were offered biopsies to check for hidden signs of the disease.

For the new analysis, researchers tracked the study participants for a longer time 18 years in all since enrollment began. Only about 10 percent of men on finasteride developed prostate cancer versus 15 percent of those on dummy pills. Aggressive tumors were found in 3.5 percent of men on the drug versus 3 percent of the others. Yet 78 percent of both groups were alive after 15 years.

That means the drug cannot be recommended to prolong life, just to ease suffering by preventing disease, LeFevre said.

"You may be preventing cancers that don't need to be prevented" because so few are life-threatening, but screening is finding these tumors anyway and leading to unnecessary treatments, he said. Reducing that number is a valid reason to use a prevention drug, he said.

Finasteride's other impact is financial. Proscar and a similar drug, GlaxoSmithKline PLC's Avodart, cost about $4 a pill. Generic finasteride is available for less. Insurers cover it when prescribed to treat urinary problems but may not pay if it's used solely for cancer prevention.

The drug also can cause hot flashes, fatigue, weakness, low sex drive and trouble having sex.

"A man certainly needs to know what he's getting into if he decides to take this," LeFevre said.

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Online:

Prostate cancer info: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/prostate

http://tinyurl.com/ASCOanswers

Study: http://www.cancer.gov/newscenter/qa/2008/PCPTQandA

Risk calculator: http://tinyurl.com/riskcalculator

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Follow Marilynn Marchione on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MMarchioneAP

Alameda County prosecutors charged 43-year-old Dinalynn Andrews-Potter of Barstow with felony counts of assault and elder abuse in the July 13 attack at the Hayward Russell City Blues Festival, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Chambers is a member of the Chambers Brothers, best known for their 1968 hit "Time Has Come Today."

He was performing the Curtis Mayfield song "People Get Ready" for Florida teen Martin just after George Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder when Andrews-Potter shouted something and shoved the singer into an amplifier, authorities said. Chambers fell to the ground.

Andrews-Potter was arrested, cited and released after the incident. Hayward police told KGO-TV a warrant for her arrest would be issued Wednesday.

Chambers said in an interview this week with the TV station that Andrews-Potter shouted slurs and obscenities at him and screamed "You started this!" before the attack. He said the incident still has him in pain and struggling to perform.

"My nerves are shot. I shake. I can't sleep," said Chambers, who has hired his own attorney. "I have a great big lump over here on my left rib cage."

Chambers and his family had asked that Andrews-Potter be charged with a hate crime, but authorities said Andrews-Potter's motives were unclear and she might not even have been in a position to hear Chambers' dedication of the song.

Andrews-Potter told police she had a stress disorder and that a repetitive part of the song caused her to snap. It wasn't clear if she had hired an attorney.

"It is a hate crime. There's no other reason for it," Chambers said. "She had hate in her face like a demon. Oh, God, it was ugly."

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Information from: San Francisco Chronicle, http://www.sfgate.com