Yehudi Menuhin was one of the century's greatest violinists

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One of the 20th century's finest musicians Yehudi Menuhin has died, aged 82.

Lord Menuhin was in Berlin, Germany, to conduct a concert when he fell ill withbronchitis. He died in hospital after a brief illness.

His musical career spanned more than seven decades. He made his debut in San Francisco as a child prodigy aged seven and by the age of 13, had performed in London, Paris and Berlin.

He went on to develop his talents as a violinist, conductor and teacher, founding the Yehudi Menuhin School, in Surrey, for gifted young musicians in 1963.

Menuhin was born in New York of Russian Jewish parents. But he came to settle in Britain in 1985 - drawn, he said, by his love for the music of the English composer Sir Edward Elgar.

Human Rights campaigner

At the age of 16 the young violinist was conducted by Sir Edward in a now famous recording of the composer's violin concerto, made in 1932.

His performances of classical works, like Beethoven's violin concerto were rapturously received. Albert Einstein famously said after hearing him play: "Now I know there is a God in heaven."

But he was also keen to experiment and played duets with the renowned jazz violinist, Stephane Grappelli, as well as the sitar star Ravi Shankar.

Menuhin became a campaigner for human rights. His biographer, Humphrey Burton, said: "He was never just a musician, from very early on he wanted to do other things, to make his music work for humanity."

The violinist went to Germany after World War II to play for the survivors of the Belsen concentration camp and he was also the first Jew to perform with the Berlin Philharmonic after the war.

He married his second wife ballerina Diana Gould in 1947 and she is credited as being a guiding force in his work.

A minute's silence was held at the Yehudi Menuhin school today. One of the school's most famous pupils, violinist Nigel Kennedy, paid tribute to Sir Yehudi as an "inspiration".

The virtuoso told the BBC in 1997: "I really think music is a birthright that belongs to every child, I put it on the same level as breathing air."

He was knighted in 1987 and became a life peer in 1993.

President of the American Teamsters Union James Hoffa

James Hoffa has also been fined $10,000 (?,570) for trying to bribe a Federal Court jury which was hearing a conspiracy charge against him in 1962.

He was accused of attempting to secure an acquittal on a charge of "shaking down" a local haulage company owner for a million-dollar contribution to the union funds in return for 18 months of workforce co-operation.

This was Hoffa's first conviction - although he has now stood trial on four previous occasions. Past charges include trying to bribe a lawyer to spy on a Senate Committee and tapping the telephones of his subordinates in the Detroit office of his union.

Hoffa will remain free on bail pending an appeal.

If the sentence is upheld, it could mean the loss of his job as head of the 1.7 million strong American Teamsters union - the nation's largest.

US District Judge Frank Wilson told Hoffa: "You stand here convicted of corrupting the administration of justice, of having struck at the foundation of this nation. Without fair, lawful administration of justice, there would be no civilisation in this country.

Hoffa replied: "I am not guilty. I believe this will be substantiated when the evidence is ultimately considered coolly and calmly."

Hoffa and three others were found guilty on 4 March of trying to fix a jury which could not agree on a verdict in his 1962 trial on a conspiracy charge.

The other three have been sentenced to three years each. They have not received fines. They include Ewing King, former president of the Nashville Teamsters local; Larry Campbell, a Detroit Teamsters official and Thomas Ewing Parks, a handyman from Nashville.

Grounds for appeal include allegations that US marshals plied the jury with alcohol. Staff of the hotel where several jurors were confined during the trial have supported these claims.

As head of the Teamsters union, Hoffa commands a salary of $75,000, has an unlimited expense account and presides over an empire with pension and welfare funds worth $1bn.

Hoffa and Attorney General Robert Kennedy have had a running feud for years.

Mr Kennedy later issued a statement congratulating the prosecutors who won the conviction.

bronchitis: Chronic or acute inflammation of the mucous membrane of the bronchial tubes.（支氣管炎）