Microsoft forced to apologise over Amy Winehouse tweet

Microsoft is being criticized for sending a tweet that many saw as an attempt to cash in on Amy Winehouse's death this past weekend.

Three days after the singer was found dead in her London home, the official Xbox360 Twitter account (@tweetbox360) posted a message on Twitter people to pay tribute to the late singer, by purchasing her album in Microsoft's online Zune music store.

The tweet read, "remember Amy Winehouse by downloading the ground-breaking ‘Back to Black’ over at Zune.

The software giant have said sorry after they wrote on their UK PR Twitter page Twitter.com/tweetbox360, encouraging users to remember the singer by purchasing her music from their music download service Zune, according to The Metro.

The tweet read: "Remember Amy Winehouse by downloading the groundbreaking 'Back To Black' over at Zune."

After receiving critical responses, the company then issued another tweet, apologising to users who had found its previous message to be crass and inappropriate.

It read: Apologies to everyone if our earlier Amy Winehouse 'download' tweet seemed purely commercially motivated. Far from the case, we assure you. With Amy Winehouse's passing, the world has lost a huge talent. Our thoughts are with Amy's family and friends at this very sad time.

Amy Winehouse's funeral is set to take place today (July 26).

Amy Winehouse album sales surge following her death

In celebration of the life and musical legacy of Amy Winehouse, MTV will reach into its vaults and air an intimate performance from the singer, taped in 2007, when she stood on the verge of superstardom.

The rarely seen set — filmed in MTV's Times Square studios as part of the "45th at Night" live series — features Winehouse and her Back to Black backing band, the Dap-Kings, working their way through searing and soulful renditions of the songs that would soon become her biggest hits: "Rehab," "Back to Black," "Me & Mr. Jones" and "You Know I'm No Good." A collaboration between Winehouse and rapper Mos Def on the song "Love Is a Losing Game" will also be included in the broadcast.

Within hours of her death, Black climbed all the way to No. 1 on the iTunes charts in the U.S. and the U.K., and stayed there until Monday. (Today, on the U.S. side, Eric Church tops the chart, with Winehouse holding the No. 2 spot.)

Billboard also predicted that, due to sales from over the weekend, Black will re-enter the top 20 on its Billboard 200 albums chart—which comes out on Wednesday and reflects the sales tracking week that ended on Sunday night—with as many as 20,000 – 25,000 copies sold in the U.S. That’s a big jump from the week before Winehouse passed, when Black moved just a little over 1,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Though Black was a major breakthrough for Winehouse, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 in March of 2008, just after the singer performed on the Grammys via satellite from London and walked home with five statues, Winehouse never released another album.

Several reports noted that she’d been working on a follow-up, recording in the Bahamas and London, and London’s Daily Telegraph reported Monday that her unfinished third album could be released posthumously. While it is believed that Winehouse only recorded demos, sources told the newspaper that there was plenty of material available for another album.

Amy Winehouse Cremated After 'Moving Yet Humorous' Memorial Service

Details surrounding Amy Winehouse's final hours became clearer as her family and friends laid her to rest today.

Kelly Osbourne and Mark Ronson were among the famous friends that joined Winehouse's family and loved ones at London's Edgwarebury Cemetery earlier today. Winehouse will be cremated following the service.

Winehouse's U.K.-based representative, Chris Goodman, told Britain's Daily Mail that her father gave a touching eulogy at today's ceremony.

"Mitch's last words to Amy in his eulogy were 'Goodnight my angel,'" Goodman said. "Sleep tight. Mummy and Daddy love you ever so much."

Reg Traviss, Winehouse's most recent boyfriend, attended the funeral and spoke to Britain's Sun newspaper about the singer's death, saying "I have lost my darling who I loved very much." Blake Fielder-Civil, Winehouse's ex-husband, was not in attendence. He's currently serving a 32 month jail sentence.

Rabbi Frank Hellner officiated the Jewish service in which family and friends sang Winehouse's favorite song, Carole King's "So Far Away." Afterwards, Winehouse's body was taken to Golders Green Crematorium, where her grandmother was cremated. Her family will sit shiva for two days in mourning.

Winehouse was found dead at her London apartment on Saturday, and her funeral, held at Edgwarebury Cemetery, was attended by about 150 people, including close friend Kelly Osbourne, who wore her hair in Winehouse's signature beehive style; Mark Ronson, who produced her 2006 album Back to Black, the last of her music released before her death; and boyfriend Reg Traviss.

Her father's eulogy was "funny," a spokesperson for Winehouse tells PEOPLE. He was "telling stories about her childhood, people were laughing like a celebration – like they all remembered the stories themselves.

The hour-long memorial service, meant to celebrate the Grammy winner's life, was partially in Hebrew because of her Jewish heritage. "It was emotional, it was happy and it was sad," her rep said. "It was everything really."

One mourner told PEOPLE, "It was very moving yet quite very humorous at times. It was a wonderful tribute to Amy."

When the memorial closed at 1:15 p.m., Carole King's "So Far Away", one of Winehouse's favorite songs that she had once performed as a duet with her father, was played. "Mitch encouraged everyone to sing to it and they did," the rep told PEOPLE. "People sang.

Mourners then headed to the Golders Green crematorium, where the family is following custom by having Winehouse cremated. "I think because her grandmother was cremated at the same place, so it was a family tradition to be cremated," the rep told PEOPLE.

Shiva, a Jewish grief custom, starts at 5 p.m. Tuesday, and guests were seen holding postcard-sized invitations with a black-and-white picture of Winehouse on them.

Norwegian politics after Breivik

OSLO—The lawyer for Anders Behring Breivik, who has admitted being behind Friday's bombing and shootings in Norway that killed 76 people, said Tuesday that everything about the case indicated that his client is insane.

Speaking at a press conference, Geir Lippestad described Mr. Breivik as cold and without empathy, but didn't indicate whether he would enter a plea of insanity at his trial.

Asked about Mr. Breivik's motivation for the attacks, Mr. Lippestad said: "He's in a war and thinks that the whole western world doesn't understand his point of view, but that in 60 years' time we will all understand," adding that he hates anyone who believes in western democratic values.

According to his lawyer, Mr. Breivik was surprised that he managed to carry out the attacks and that he had expected to die.

Mr. Lippestad said his client has told him the attacks were directed against the ruling Labour party. But he defended acting on behalf of Mr. Breivik, despite the lawyer confirming that he himself was a member of the Labour party. He added that Mr. Breivik didn't know that he was a member.

It came as Mr. Breivik, who has admitted to carrying out Friday's attacks in Norway, could be charged with crimes against humanity, which carry a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison, Norwegian police prosecutor Sturla Henreiksboe said Tuesday.

Mr. Breivik is currently charged with terrorism-related crimes, which carry a prison term of up to 21 years in Norway, following Friday's bombing and shootings in Oslo and the Utoya island where 76 people were killed. That sentence can be extended if a prisoner is deemed a risk to the public.

Paul Austad, Oslo

I hope that the people of Norway will become more conscious of how important it is to accept that our culture is in fact changing as a result of increased immigration. The irony is that the ruling party has become more and more sceptical to immigration over the last 10 years, partly owing to losing votes to Fremskrittspartiet, a party strongly opposed to immigration.

Anders Rekve, Oslo

I cringe at the use of the word "multiculturalism". I've never heard it before this weekend and I don't want to hear about it again. I understand the concept and the general meaning of the word, but I disagree on the premise that society needs to be explained in terms of which culture you belong to.

You're either a member of society or not. Multiculturalism is a term used to section society into smaller pieces that illustrate belonging and identity. I don't find it a fruitful method of distinction. If you live in Norway, you are a part of that society it is that simple. And as a part of society, you need to obey the laws. Anders Behring Breivik did not obey these laws.

Jarle R Carlsen, Norway

I have always rejected the arguments of the extreme right on immigration, most immigrants to Western Europe are just searching for a better life. Because immigrants tend to stick together in their new countries you will, to some extent, get high concentrations of foreigners in some areas. This makes the uninformed and bigoted very scared. The terror attack in my country last Friday has made me even more determined to explain to the uninformed how important immigration is to our small country.

Frederik Wendel, Norway

The fact is, the majority of people are opposed to the multiculturalism the government is promoting. We have seen clearly the problems that immigration creates, and the worst thing is we are not allowed to express that opinion. So, I'm not surprised about what happened.

Cora in Skien, Telemark, Norway

These attacks have, if anything made me realise that I have been born and raised in one of the most open democracies in the world, and looking back I have enjoyed the benefits of this without really reflecting on them.

Things that I have always taken for granted, from being able to be a member of a political youth organization, to freedom of speech and democracy have suddenly become things that I am willing to fight for. Anders Behring Breivik has made me realise that there are people around me who have beliefs and ideas of what a healthy society is, ideas which are so distinctly different from my own.

Per Jonas Xia Mehus, Baerum

Norway has had a remarkable political consistency, even through changing governments. I do not think a person representing a marginalised fraction will change this. We are prepared to fight terrorism with democracy.

Regarding Anders Behring Breivik, he will be dealt with according to Norwegian law, and except from his own marginalised political fraction, I do not think anyone would like to see capital punishment introduced in Norway, not even among those closest to his victims.

Bjørnar Steine, Hedmark

I agree to a certain extent that this attack will mean more focus on the possibility that attacks of this nature can occur in Norway. On the other hand people need to realise that these kinds of attacks can be done by any extremist, regardless of political group.

There has been a rise in the number of right wing parties in Norway recently, I think this is a result of reforms and reorganisation of pensions, hospitals, taxes, fuel prices and so on. The left wing parties and their politics have resulted in more people living in poverty and social care.

Republican Leaders Voted for U.S. Debt Drivers

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) delivered a blunt message to the Republican Conference Tuesday morning: Quit the “grumbling” and “whining” and come together to rally behind Speaker John Boehner to pass his debt ceiling plan.

Cantor’s heavy rhetoric came out in a closed session at the Capitol Hill Club as the GOP majority tried to whip up support for Boehner’s latest deficit package. Cantor summed up what he knew many Republicans were thinking as they head into another critical vote.

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“The debt limit vote sucks,” he said, according to an attendee of the closed meeting. But Republicans have three options, Cantor said: risk default, pass Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s (D-Nev.) plan — which he thinks gives President Barack Obama a blank check — or “call the president’s bluff” by passing the Boehner plan, which not only cuts deeply into domestic spending but calls for a bipartisan commission to find more savings.

Cantor also announced that the House will hold a vote on a balanced budget amendment Thursday, a nod to vocal conservatives in the conference.

House Republican leaders will spend Tuesday and Wednesday cobbling together votes to pass Boehner’s plan to hike the debt ceiling by $1 trillion and cut federal spending by a greater amount. Treasury says that the nation will run out of the ability to borrow money on Aug. 2.

Boehner told reporters after the closed meeting that his proposal, which he says is the product of bipartisan negotiations, “is enough” to quell market concerns about the debt ceiling.

Cantor, who has split with Boehner during this debate, reiterated a message he delivered to colleagues Monday, saying he is behind the speaker “150 percent.

Yet the speaker, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell all voted for major drivers of the nation’s debt during the past decade: Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the 2001 and 2003 Bush tax cuts and Medicare prescription drug benefits. They also voted for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP, that rescued financial institutions and the auto industry.

Together, a Bloomberg News analysis shows, these initiatives added $3.4 trillion to the nation’s accumulated debt and to its current annual budget deficit of $1.5 trillion.

As Congress nears votes to raise the $14.3-trillion debt ceiling to avert a default on U.S. obligations when borrowing authority expires on Aug. 2, both parties are attempting to claim a mantle of fiscal responsibility. They both bear some of the blame: Many Democrats contributed to the expenses that are forcing lawmakers to boost the nation’s debt limit, as have Republican leaders at odds over how much borrowing authority to hand President Barack Obama and when.

Republicans say the long-term growth of entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, along with depressed tax revenues due to the worst recession since the Great Depression, drive the current debt level.

“Blaming Bush for the structural deficits we’ve known would come since the early 1990s is beyond irresponsible.” said Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for Cantor.

In his address yesterday, Boehner accused Obama of going on the “largest spending binge in American history.

2003 Medicare prescription program approved by President George W. Bush and a Republican-dominated Congress has cost $369 billion over a 10-year time frame, less than initially projected by Medicare actuaries.

Nine Senate Republicans, including Nebraska’s Chuck Hagel, along with 25 Republicans in the House, voted against the bill. Hagel argued that it failed to control costs and would add trillions in debt for future generations.

“Republicans used to believe in fiscal responsibility,” Hagel wrote in a 2003 editorial in the Omaha World Herald. “We have lost our way.”

TARP, the $700-billion bailout of banks, insurance and auto companies, has cost less than expected. McConnell, Boehner, Cantor and Ryan all voted in October 2008 for the program, which stoked the rise of the Tea Party movement.

Many institutions have repaid the government. The latest estimated lifetime cost of the program is $49.33 billion, according to a June 2011 report by the Treasury Department. That figure includes the $45.61 billion cost of a housing program which the administration never expected to recoup.

Rank-and-file Republicans are eager to pin the blame on Democrats, frequently pointing to the economic stimulus signed by Obama in 2009. The total cost of the stimulus will be $830 billion by 2019, according to a May 2011 Congressional Budget Office report.

That’s half the cost of the Bush tax cuts and less than two-thirds of what has been spent on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.