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LONDON (Reuters) - One of the attackers who hacked a soldier to death in London was British-born and of Nigerian descent, a source with knowledge of the investigation said. The other man may also be British with a Nigerian background, the source told Reuters. British media identified one of the men as Michael Adebolajo, citing police sources. (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge)

By Rajesh Kumar Singh NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said fears the Federal Reserve would start reversing its U.S. monetary stimulus programme were unfounded but his remarks failed to prevent steep falls in domestic markets on Thursday. The Nifty slumped more than 2 percent, while the rupee fell to a more than 8-1/2 month low. The falls, tracking weak Asian markets, came a day after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke suggested bond purchases could be scaled back if the U.S. economy improves. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Nifty posted its biggest percentage fall in a year on Thursday, as the prospect of an end to the U.S. stimulus programme and a weak China manufacturing survey sparked concerns foreign investors would end their recent buying spree. The broader Nifty fell 2.09 percent, marking its biggest daily percentage fall since May 8, 2012. The benchmark BSE Sensex fell 1.93 percent. State Bank of India slumped 7.85 percent after posting its first quarterly net profit drop in two years, missing market estimates. (Reporting by Himank Sharma; Editing by Rafael Nam)

By Sonia Oxley REUTERS - Two days after Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund fight it out for Europe's most prestigious club prize at Wembley, Watford and Crystal Palace will take to the same pitch chasing an even more financially lucrative reward. Monday's English Championship (second tier) playoff final will determine which team will be promoted to the Premier League, a feat analysts estimate to be worth 120 million pounds. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Shares of drugmaker Wockhardt Ltd fell 20 percent on Thursday to their lowest level in more than seven months after the U.S. drug regulator published an "import alert" on one of its manufacturing facilities. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration published the alert, dated May 22, on a Wockhardt facility in Aurangabad in Maharashtra, according to the regulator's website. An "import alert" results in detention without physical examination of drugs from firms that have not met so-called good manufacturing practices, according to the FDA site. ...

By Masayuki Kitano and Hideyuki Sano SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Hawkish comments by U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and weakness in China's factory activity rocked Asian markets on Thursday, took the dollar to three-year highs, sent share markets lower, and hit the Japanese government bond market as yields rose to their highest in a year. Stock and bond markets took their cue from the drop in U.S. equities and Treasuries after Bernanke's remarks at a Congressional hearing sparked worries of an earlier than expected reduction in U.S. monetary stimulus. ...

By Abdoulaye Massalatchi NIAMEY (Reuters) - Suicide bombers struck a military barracks and a mine run by French nuclear group Areva in Niger on Thursday, killing and wounding several people in separate attacks that showed the fight against Islamist militants was spreading across West Africa. Military sources said several soldiers were killed in a gun battle with Islamists following a car bomb attack at the barracks in Agadez, the largest town in northern Niger. ...

By Marcus George and Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - Former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has accused Iran's leadership of incompetence and ignorance just days after he was barred from standing in an election next month, the opposition Kaleme website reported on Thursday. Rafsanjani's comments appeared to add to the political conflict between those loyal to the leadership and opposition groups who have been marginalised since post-election unrest in 2009. ...

By Maria Golovnina and Guy Faulconbridge LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister David Cameron convened an emergency meeting of his intelligence chiefs on Thursday after two Islamists hacked a soldier to death with meat cleavers on a south London street. A dramatic clip filmed by an onlooker just minutes after Wednesday's killing showed a man with hands covered in blood shouting Islamic slogans and promising revenge on Britain for its participation in wars in the Muslim world. "We swear by almighty Allah we will never stop fighting you. ...

By Siva Sithraputhran KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - Malaysian police arrested several opposition politicians and activists on Thursday, launching a crackdown on dissent three weeks after an election exposed deep divisions in the country and sparked a series of opposition protest rallies. Police also raided the offices of opposition newspapers and seized thousands of copies of their publications, according to online media reports. ...

YAOUNDE (Reuters) - Cameroon have appointed Volker Finke as head coach of the national team, the German tasked with ensuring the Indomitable Lions qualify for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. Finke takes over from caretaker coach Jean-Paul Akono, who was brought in to replace Denis Lavagne last September after the Frenchman failed to take Cameroon to the African Nations Cup finals in 2012 and 2013. ...

REUTERS - Flying fullback Yuto Nagatomo was recalled to the Japan squad on Thursday for the crunch 2014 World Cup qualifier against Australia next month, where victory would secure a berth in Brazil and damage the Socceroos' hopes of joining them. A knee injury forced Nagatomo to miss Japan's last qualifier in Jordan where the Asian champions needed only a point to claim an early place at the finals but lost 2-1 to the West Asians. ...

By Fredrik Dahl VIENNA (Reuters) - Iran is trying to accelerate its uranium enrichment programme, a U.N. nuclear report showed, but experts said it was unclear when Tehran's new machines could start operating and how efficiently they would work. The Islamic state's progress in introducing next-generation centrifuges is closely watched in the West and Israel as it would enable Tehran to speed up accumulation of material that could be used to build atomic bombs. Iran denies any such aim. ...

Wellington, May 23 (IANS) Indian-origin actor Jacob Rajan has been made a member of New Zealand Order of Merit for his contributions to theatre.

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) Shashi Kant Sharma, a Bihar cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was Thursday sworn-in as the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the government's official auditor.

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) If popular international show "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" is remade in India, actress Preity Zinta is all for being a part of it.

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) The once confident Amar Singh was a pale shadow of his old self when the UPA celebrated nine years in power at the residence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Mumbai, May 23 (IANS) India's largest lender State Bank of India (SBI) Thursday said its net profit dropped by 18.54 percent to Rs.3,299.22 crore in the quarter ended March 31 owing to lower interest income and higher provisioning.

Mumbai, May 23 (IANS) A benchmark index of the Indian equities markets was trading 1.76 percent down around 2.30 p.m. trade Thursday, on the back of news emanating from the US that the stimulus programme could come to an end soon and weakness in other Asian bourses.

Chennai, May 23 (IANS) German automobile major Daimler AG will start exports of FUSO range of trucks - belonging to Japanese Mitsubishi FUSO Truck and Bus Corporation (MFTBC) - to Sri Lanka out of its plant near here from June, said a senior official near here Thursday.

Hyderabad, May 23 (IANS) Former Andhra Pradesh minister Nagam Janardhana Reddy Thursday announced that he would merge his Telangana Nagara Samithi with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) next month.

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) Shashi Kant Sharma, a Bihar cadre Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, was Thursday sworn-in the new Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), the government's official auditor.

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a den of gambling, BJP leader Yashwant Sinha said Thursday and pressed for a detailed inquiry into the spot fixing in the tournament.

Mumbai, May 23 (IANS) "ABCD" actor Punit Pathak will be seen dancing with international dancer Lauren Gottlieb in Colors' dance reality show "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 6". He is looking forward to choreograph her as he would be able to think "out of the box" and "try new things".

New Delhi, May 23 (IANS) Ranbir Kapoor-starrer "Barfi!", which amassed critical and commercial acclaim in 2012, continues its international journey with an invitation from the Shanghai International Film Festival and an impending release in Taiwan and Hong Kong. The actor is excited.

Kolkata, May 23 (IANS) A bookie and nine of his associates were arrested in Kolkata, police Thursday said, adding that they were investigating if the culprits had links with the ongoing IPL spot fixing controversy.