Beyonce, Jay-Z wedding confirmed

A licence confirming the marriage of Beyonce and Jay-Z has been filed with the authorities in New York, an official has said.

The couple held a lavish party in Manhattan earlier this month, but have refused to confirm that they were celebrating their nuptials.

Donna Conkling, a clerk in the suburb of Scarsdale, said the licence had been received by their offices.

The pair have not publicly acknowledged their liaison, dating back to 2002.

Ms Conkling also confirmed the licence had been signed by the official conducting the ceremony.

White tent

The celebration, which took place at Jay-Z's apartment on 4 April, was attended by actress Gwyneth Paltrow and Destiny's Child stars Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, according to US media reports.

White flowers and silver candelabras were delivered to the building in New York's Tribeca district, while a white tent was set up on the roof.

Knowles, 26, and 38-year-old Jay-Z - real name Shawn Carter - have collaborated musically on singles such as Deja Vu, '03 Bonnie and Clyde and Crazy In Love.

It was recently reported that Jay-Z was in talks with concert promoter Live Nation over a proposed $100m (£50.1m) deal which would cover recording, publishing, live shows and other rights.

He was president of hip-hop record label Def Jam until he stepped down in December, and will headline the Glastonbury festival this summer.

Protests over Ethiopia pop singer

Ethiopia's most popular pop singer, Teddy Afro, has pleaded not guilty to causing the death of a young man in a hit and run incident 18 months ago.

Thousands of young people mounted an impromptu protest after the High Court hearing, running through the streets, shouting, "Teddy is innocent".
Unauthorised demonstrations are almost unheard of in Ethiopia and there was a heavy paramilitary police presence.
At a previous hearing, the noise of his fans almost drowned out proceedings.

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Ethiopian pop star in custody over hit-and-run

ADDIS ABABA, April 21 (Reuters Life!) - Ethiopia's best known pop star, Teddy Afro, was remanded in custody on Monday on a murder charge connected to a hit-and-run incident.

The 31-year-old singer, real name Tewodros Kassahun, was charged last week in connection with the death of an 18-year-old homeless man, Degu Yibelte, hit and killed by a BMW registered to Afro in Addis Ababa late last year. He denied the charge in court on Monday, and his appeal for bail was deferred to Wednesday.

Afro, who is hugely popular among young Ethiopians, sings mainly in the local Amharic language.
His last album release, Yasteseryal (Redemption), coincided with Ethiopia's 2005 election that led to violent protests and the jailing of opposition leaders.
Some of his lyrics were construed as politically controversial at the time.