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By Rob Taylor CANBERRA (Reuters) - Afghan authorities will lay charges against officials at a prison run by the country's internal security service, Australia said on Wednesday, just weeks after Canberra blocked prisoner transfers over fears of detainee mistreatment. Afghan authorities were taking action after Australia stopped handing over insurgent suspects to an NDS-run detention facility at the coalition base in Tirin Kot, in southern Uruzgan province, Australia's Defence Minister Stephen Smith said. ...

By Mark Felsenthal, Warren Strobel and Hamid Shalizi WASHINGTON/KABUL (Reuters) - The United States and the Taliban raised hopes for a negotiated peace in Afghanistan with commitments to meet this week after 12 years of bloody and costly war between American-led forces and the insurgents. The Taliban opened an office in Doha, the Qatari capital, on Tuesday to help restart talks and said it wanted a political solution that would bring about a just government and end foreign occupation of Afghanistan. U.S. ...

By Kayon Raynor KINGSTON (Reuters) - Olympic double sprint silver medallist Yohan Blake will only run in the 100 metres at the World Athletics Championships in Moscow after he withdrew from this weekend's Jamaican national championships, his manager said on Tuesday. Blake suffered a hamstring injury in April and due to fitness issues was withdrawn from the Jamaican championships, his manager Cubie Seegobin said. "Yohan's coach is not satisfied with the progress of his injury and hence his level of fitness will not allow him to compete at (the nationals) this time," Seegobin told Reuters. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Optimism among Asia's top companies gathered momentum in the second quarter despite lingering concerns about the global economy and rising costs, the latest Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asia Business Sentiment Survey published on Wednesday showed. The Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asia Business Sentiment Index climbed six points to 71 in June, its highest level in five quarters and the third consecutive quarterly rise, suggesting the rebound from a drop in the three months ended last June and September may be here to stay. A reading above 50 indicates a generally positive outlook. ...

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Optimism among Asia's top companies gathered momentum in the second quarter despite lingering concerns about the global economy and rising costs, the latest Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asia Business Sentiment Survey published on Wednesday showed. The Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asia Business Sentiment Index climbed six points to 71 in June, its highest level in five quarters and the third consecutive quarterly rise, suggesting the rebound from a drop in the three months ended last June and September was here to stay. A reading above 50 indicates a generally positive outlook. ...

By Miyoung Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - Asia's top companies have become more optimistic about their business outlook with the retail and shipping industries rebounding sharply in the second quarter of 2013, the latest Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asia Business Sentiment Survey shows. The Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asia Business Sentiment Index climbed six points to 71 in June, its highest level in five quarters and the third consecutive quarterly rise. A reading above 50 indicates a generally positive outlook. ...

TOKYO (Reuters) - High levels of toxic strontium-90 have been found in groundwater at the devastated Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan, the utility that operates the facility said on Wednesday Strontium-90 is a by-product of the fission of uranium and plutonium in nuclear reactors as well as nuclear weapons, according to the website of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Six awarding-winning writers including India's Amitav Ghosh are among a group of 12 poets, authors and academics vying for the 2013 Warwick Prize for Writing with themes ranging from the Australian war effort in France to opium sellers in 19th century India. The prize, handed out every two years since 2009, was set up as an international, cross-disciplinary award to recognise excellence in the English language in any genre or form. Organisers said in a statement that this year's longlist of nominees, unveiled on Wednesday, demonstrated the uniqueness of the award. ...

By Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - Asia will spearhead the rise in global stock markets from now until the end of the year, according to a worldwide Reuters poll that showed only modest gains ahead for North American and European shares. Respondents also showed they expected the U.S. Federal Reserve to stem its asset purchase programme rather than stop it completely, probably in the second half of this year. The world's top stock indexes have had a fairly mixed year so far. ...

By Clare Fallon EASTBOURNE, England (Reuters) - Who can a woman turn to when everything falls apart? Her mother, of course - even if, in Li Na's case, it necessitated a 12-hour flight from Paris to China after her early exit from the French Open. Wimbledon might not be her most successful tournament but Li says she is feeling "totally relaxed" ahead of next week's grasscourt grand slam, thanks to the flying visit home. "I had one week off, I was feeling in need of having time to myself to relax. ...

By Narae Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - Life as one of the 'Yuna Kids' demands sacrifices few 16-year-olds are willing to make, but for budding South Korean starlets Kim Jin-seo and Kim Hae-jin the chance to learn from the "mother of figure skating" is worth every second of a childhood spent on skates. The first lady of South Korean sport, Kim Yuna has single-handedly made figure skating popular in a country where 44 of its 45 medals at the Winter Olympics have come in short track and speed skating. ...

By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he will not leave the sanctuary of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London even if Sweden stops pursuing sexual assault claims against him because he fears arrest on the order of the United States. In an interview with Reuters and others to mark the one-year anniversary of taking refuge in the cramped diplomatic building, Assange said he remained hopeful he might be able to leave but offered little evidence to suggest he would be finding new living quarters anytime soon. "I wouldn't say I wouldn't leave," he said. ...

REUTERS - Factbox on twice Olympic 200 metres champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, who was suspended from competition on Tuesday after testing positive for a banned diuretic. Born on May 15, 1982 in Trelawny, the same parish as triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt. Married to fellow-Jamaican sprinter Omar Brown and lives in Florida. Personal best over 100 metres of 10.76 set in 2011 makes her the joint eighth-fastest woman of all time with American Evelyn Ashford and she is ranked in the top 10 over 200 with a quickest time of 21.74 from the 2008 Olympics. ...

Los Angeles, June 19 (IANS) Socialite Kim Kardashian's sister Kourtney has reportedly asked the new mother to be more careful with her lifestyle now.

London, June 19 (IANS) Singer Robbie Williams says he is jealous of teen sensation Harry Styles' female fan following and link ups.

United Nations, June 19 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon Tuesday welcomed the understanding reached on Syria by leaders of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrial nations.

Jerusalem, June 19 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that his country would not accept anything less than the total halt of Iranian uranium enrichment.

Los Angeles, June 19 (IANS) Singer Rihanna is reportedly seeking a medical programme in order to cure her heartache, post her break up with Chris Brown.

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) The early and heavy monsoon rains in India have raised the hopes of a record plantation and sowing of kharif crops, a farmers' body representative said Tuesday.

Abu Dhabi, June 19 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia have held talks over a number of issues of mutual interest and explored ways to develop bilateral relations in all sectors.

Abuja, June 19 (IANS) At least 60 people were killed in Nigeria Tuesday when some gunmen stormed four villages of Zamfara state early morning, residents and security sources said.

Washington, June 19 (IANS) Two phone and Internet surveillance programmes run by the US National Security Agency (NSA) helped disrupt over 50 potential terrorist attacks against the US and its allies, the agency's chief said Tuesday.

Los Angeles, June 19 (IANS) Singer Katy Perry says she has not communicated with her ex-husband Russell Brand post receiving a text from him asking for divorce.

Beijing, June 19 (IANS) US General Motors Co. is set to recall about 231,000 older SUVs over fire risks and has urged owners to park them outside garages until they are repaired, a media report said.

Washington, June 19 (IANS) The US has decided to hold direct peace talks with the Taliban, senior White House officials have announced. The first meet is due to take place in the coming days in Qatar's capital, where the Taliban have opened their first official overseas office, BBC reported.

Los Angeles, June 19 (IANS) Singer Will.i.am doesn't have a home despite purchasing properties for several close family members and paying off their mortgages.