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RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's Neymar is on the verge of choosing one of two offers from un-named clubs, reported to be Spanish suitors Barcelona and Real Madrid, after Santos agreed on Friday to transfer him. Santos said they had ended a three-year fight to keep the 21-year-old, Brazil's big hope for next year's World Cup finals, and agreed to a transfer, giving him the right to choose which offer to accept, though a decision was not imminent. ...

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Seventeen Pakistani children burnt to death on Saturday when a gas cylinder on the bus taking them to school exploded, media said. Ten children were injured in the blaze on the outskirts of Gujrat, 100 miles (170 km) southeast of Islamabad, DawnNews said. Many vehicles in energy-starved Pakistan are powered by relatively cheap compressed natural gas and cylinder blasts are common. (Reporting by Nick Macfie; Editing by Ron Popeski)

By Natsuko Waki LONDON (Reuters) - The world's biggest investors may be rethinking 20 years of boosting overseas holdings and are instead seeking more stable cash income at home, as aging societies and tighter regulation dull risk appetite. This heralds a structural shift toward investments that produce long-term income in advanced economies, home to two thirds of the money held by insurers and pension funds - some $55 trillion. ...

By Alan Baldwin MONACO (Reuters) - AirAsia, which smashed order records for Airbus jets to become Asia's largest budget carrier, could buy another 50 planes as it targets aggressive expansion in India, Chief Executive Tony Fernandes said. Discussion of an order for another 50 A320-family jets, worth $5 billion at list prices, comes weeks ahead of the Paris air show and five months after the Malaysian carrier added 100 jets to its order book to lift total purchases to 475 planes. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - If your idea of a nature hike involves driving an elusive ball over acres of meticulously manicured greens, then bookmark this list of premier putting destinations created with golf enthusiasts in mind, hand-picked by the boutique hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith (www.mrandmrssmith.com). Fore! Reuters has not endorsed this list: 1. Primland; Virginia, USA Pristine Primland hotel in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains is an elegant estate surrounded by 12,000 verdant acres. ...

By Tim Gaynor and David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio violated the constitutional rights of Latino drivers in his crackdown on illegal immigration, a federal judge found on Friday, and ordered him to stop using race as a factor in law enforcement decisions. The ruling against the Maricopa County sheriff came in response to a class-action lawsuit brought by Hispanic drivers that tested whether police can target illegal immigrants without racially profiling U.S. citizens and legal residents of Hispanic origin. U.S. ...

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang criticised the European Union over its plans to investigate alleged anti-competitive behaviour by Chinese mobile telecom equipment makers and to impose punitive import duties on solar panels from China, state media reported. The official Xinhua news agency reported late on Friday that Li had told business leaders in Switzerland such measures would "harm others without benefiting oneself". Li is the most senior Chinese official to comment on the troublesome issue so far. ...

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syrian opposition talks aimed at presenting a coherent front at an international peace conference to end the civil war faced the prospect of collapse after President Bashar al-Assad's foes failed to cut an internal deal, opposition sources said on Friday. ...

By Barbara Liston ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - SeaWorld Orlando opened its "Antarctica: Empire of the Penguins" on Friday, a new attraction that will be coated with 10 tons of fresh snow each day. To recreate a cold, dry climate suitable for penguins in hot, humid Florida, designers used airtight doors, humidifiers and air purifiers, SeaWorld said. Icicles and glittering ice crystals were created out of hand-blown Pyrex and glass. ...

REUTERS - Canadian oil and natural gas producer Niko Resources Ltd said on Friday it made a significant gas discovery, along with its partners, in the KG-D6 block off India's east coast, sending its shares up 26 percent. Niko, which partners India's Reliance Industries Ltd and BP Plc , said the discovery is expected to add to the gas resources in the block, without revealing potential reserves. "It is a significant discovery in the sense that out of a half-inch choke you have got 2,000 barrels a day and over 30 million cubic feet a day of gas flowing ... ...

By Abdoulaye Massalatchi NIAMEY (Reuters) - French special forces and Niger troops shot dead on Friday the last two Islamists involved in a twin attack on a military base and a French uranium mine in Niger claimed by the mastermind of January's mass hostage-taking in Algeria. Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a one-eyed veteran of al Qaeda's North African operations, said in a statement that his Mulathameen brigade organised Thursday's raids with the MUJWA militant group in retaliation for Niger's role in a French-led war on Islamists in Mali. ...

Reuters Market Eye - The National Stock Exchange will reduce the securities transaction tax (STT) on equity futures to 0.01 percent from 0.017 percent from June 1, NSE said in a statement. Purchases of a unit in an equity-oriented fund will not attract any STT compared to 0.1 percent earlier, while sale of such units would have STT of 0.001 percent versus 0.1 percent previously, the NSE said. These changes in the STT were included in the budget unveiled for 2012/13 that has subsequently been passed by parliament. (Reporting by Abhishek Vishnoi)

LONDON (Reuters) - England Under-21 winger Andros Townsend has withdrawn from the squad for June's European Championship in Israel after being charged by the FA with alleged betting offences. "The FA has announced it has charged Andros Townsend in relation to alleged breaches of its rules governing misconduct and betting," an FA statement said on Friday. "The Tottenham Hotspur player has been charged with breaches of Rule E8 (b) in relation to a number of betting offences." Players in England are not allowed to bet on competitions they take part in or have an influence over. ...

Chennai, May 25 (IANS) A film editor is no longer part of just the post-production team. In fact, the work begins from a movie's pre-production phase itself, says southern editor T.S Suresh.

Bhubaneswar, May 25 (IANS) Pointing out several irregularities in the implementation of rural jobs scheme in Odisha, Union Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh has asked Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to address them urgently.

Shimla, May 25 (IANS) Ahead of the Mandi parliamentary by-election in Himachal Pradesh, a political crisis sparked by the purported resignation of a Congress minister who was miffed with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh withered away in less than 24 hours.

Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid has indicated that he will retire from the Indian Premier League, after the Champions League T20 later this year.

New York, May 25 (IANS/EFE) New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art has reopened its European paintings galleries after a two-year renovation, giving a privileged space to Spanish masters Velazquez, El Greco and Goya.

Islamabad, May 25 (IANS) At least 15 children were killed in a school van gas cylinder blast that took place Saturday in Pakistan's Punjab province, a media report said.

Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid hopes that investigators "get to the bottom of the mess and reveal the truth" about spot fixing.

Panaji, May 25 (IANS) Goa has received a pat on the back from Russian Ambassador Alexander M. Kadakin for banning consumption of hard liquor on the state's beaches. He said it will "help save" Russian lives.

Mumbai, May 25 (IANS) After spending a night in the crime branch lock-up, Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of BCCI chief N. Srinivasan is likely to be produced before a magistrate for remand here Saturday afternoon, police sources said.

Washington, May 25 (IANS) India's strategy of eradicating poverty by "growing the pie rather than slicing it", and fuelling the country's growth with market-based policies holds lessons for other developing countries, suggest two leading Indian-American economists.

Washington, May 25 (IANS) Nearly six in ten adults in the South Asian region and Indonesia sent or received a payment or remittance in 2012 with a majority doing so informally, according to a new Gallup study.

Lucknow, May 25 (IANS) A mother and her three-year-old daughter were killed in Uttar Pradesh late Friday after they jumped off a speeding truck while resisting a sexual assault by the driver, police said Saturday.

Moscow, May 25 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia's Energia Rocket and Space Corporation will make four launches next year from the Pacific Ocean-based Odyssey platform under the Sea Launch programme, an official said.