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DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar National Bank (QNB), one of the most acquisitive Gulf Arab lenders, will start operations in India in the third quarter of this year, the bank said on Tuesday, expanding its reach to Asia's third-largest economy. The state-owned bank, which has a presence in nearly 25 countries, said it had received all regulatory approvals to establish a fully-owned subsidiary under the name of "QNB India Private Limited," which is expected to begin operations in the third quarter. ...

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Supreme Court will hear a petition on Tuesday seeking to scrap the remaining matches of the country's lucrative Twenty20 cricket competition amid growing concerns about corruption in sport. Former test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two other players were arrested along with 11 bookmakers on Thursday on suspicion of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The case has prompted the government to look at the possibility of introducing a law to combat matchfixing and spot-fixing. ...

Reuters Market Eye - The rupee is still down, trading around 55 pivot. The pair is at 55.04/05 versus its last close at 55.10/11. A private bank dealer tips a tight 54.95-55.10 range for the rest of the session. Oilers are picking up dollars to meet import requirements, while foreign banks have sold on porfolio inflows, dealers said. The dollar rose against the yen on Tuesday after a Japanese minister clarified remarks about the yen's drop, but many awaited the Federal Reserve chief's testimony before adding to bets on a stronger U.S. currency. (Reporting by Subhadip Sircar)

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea released a Chinese fishing boat on Tuesday more than two weeks after it was detained in waters between the countries, as China demanded an explanation for the incident that has been a new irritant in ties between the often uneasy allies. Chinese counsellor to North Korea Jiang Yaxian had told state media earlier that North Korea had "grabbed" the private vessel from off the northern Chinese city of Dalian in waters between China and the Korean peninsula. ...

By Nishant Kumar HONG KONG (Reuters) - The Asian prime brokerage unit of Credit Suisse has replaced Morgan Stanley as the second largest firm servicing the region's $148 billion hedge funds industry, a survey showed. The annual survey by industry tracker AsiaHedge, released this week, found that Goldman Sachs remains Asia's top prime broker with 179 clients and total assets under management of $24.6 billion. Credit Suisse overtook Morgan Stanley by adding 14 new clients and $2.4 billion in assets over the last year, a first for any prime broker in Asia, the survey showed. ...

By Beth Pinsker EAST HAMPTON, New York (Reuters) - Judging by early demand for everything from doggie daycare to Ferrari rentals and fine art, rich Americans are going to make this a strong summer in one of their favorite playgrounds - the beach towns on the eastern end of Long Island collectively known as the Hamptons. With stock prices surging, home prices recovering, and borrowing costs low, there is a renewed sense of confidence among the wealthy and the merely well off. ...

By Kate Holton and Paul Sandle LONDON (Reuters) - Vodafone posted the largest ever fall in its main revenue measure on Tuesday, forcing it to keep a dividend from its healthy U.S. arm to compensate for a slump in southern Europe. The world's second largest mobile operator, at the centre of intense speculation as to whether it will sell its stake in U.S. business Verizon Wireless in one of the world's largest deals, said it had also been hit hard by regulatory cuts and the timing of last year's leap year. ...

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Rail passengers searching for love in the Czech capital need look no further than the daily commute as the city makes plans to designate carriages on its underground trains for singles. Prague transport company Ropid wants to set aside carriages on some or all of its trains for singles seeking a soul mate, a service that could launch by the end of this year. The city-owned company will start polling passengers to determine whether they would be interested. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - British retailer Marks & Spencer posted its lowest annual profit since 2009 on Tuesday as a struggling clothing and homewares division dragged on growth in food sales. The 129-year-old firm, which serves 21 million shoppers a week from over 700 UK stores, said it made a profit before tax and one-off items of 665.2 million pounds in the year to March 30, a second straight fall. The outcome compares with analyst forecasts of 640-670 million pounds, with a consensus of 658 million pounds, according to a poll published on the company's website, and is a decline on the 687. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Outsourcing company iGate Corp said it had sacked its Chief Executive Phaneesh Murthy for not disclosing a relationship with a subordinate after investigating one of India's best-known IT executives for sexual harassment. Murthy was replaced with immediate effect by interim CEO Gerhard Watzinger, iGate said. Murthy was forced to quit India's second biggest software exporter Infosys Ltd in 2002 following a sexual harassment lawsuit, which was settled out of court. Murthy did not respond to repeated telephone calls by Reuters seeking comment. ...

By Marc Jones LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar edged higher, gold steadied and European shares remained near five-year highs on Tuesday as investors wait to see if the U.S. Federal Reserve will give any signal on the future of its stimulus programme. The dollar was up 0.2 percent against major currencies as European trading gathered pace. Upbeat comments from Chicago policymaker Charles Evans have made Wednesday's release of minutes of the U.S. central bank's last meeting the main focus for markets, with Fed chairman Ben Bernanke due to testify to Congress on the same day. ...

By Ayai Tomisawa TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average edged up to a fresh 5-1/2-year high on Tuesday, reversing earlier losses, as retail investors scooped up underperforming stocks such as Sharp Corp and Tokyo Electric Power Co Inc . Trading was choppy, with the Nikkei moving in and out of negative territory before ending up 0.1 percent to 15,381.02 -- the highest closing level since December 2007. During the day, it rose as high as 15,388.37, its best mark since the same time. Investors remained cautious ahead of U.S. ...

By Alice Mannette and Ian Simpson MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - At least 91 people, including 20 children, were feared killed when a 2 mile wide tornado tore through an Oklahoma City suburb, trapping victims beneath the rubble as one elementary school took a direct hit and another was destroyed. President Barack Obama declared a major disaster area in Oklahoma, ordering federal aid to supplement state and local efforts in Moore after the deadliest U.S. tornado since one killed 161 people in Joplin, Missouri, two years ago. ...

St. Petersburg, May 21 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The completion date for Zenit St. Petersburg's $1.1 billion stadium has been put back again and it may not open until 2017, a decade after construction work began, the head of the government agency auditing the project said.

Cannes, May 21 (IANS) Riding on its extensive cinema industry, which produces one of the largest number of films in India, the government of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is keen to use the latest technological innovations in the industry to create skill development and employment opportunities for its youth.

Kolkata, May 21 (IANS) US Ambassador Nancy Powell Tuesday called for greater economic opening and more foreign investments for India's higher economic growth.

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) "Ghayal Returns" will begin from where the 1990 hit-film "Ghayal" left, says actor Sunny Deol.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh completes nine years in office Wednesday, the longest tenure of any prime minister outside the Nehru-Gandhi family. But his last year in office as head of the UPA-II government is likely to see him come under pressure over a spate of governance scandals as he fights to save his personal reputation and ensure a bankable record of achievements for the 2014 election.

London, May 21 (IANS) Music reality TV show "Britain's Got Talent" contestant Maarty Broekman says he wants to make music with judge Alesha Dixon.

Moscow, May 21 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia's federal government will pay out roughly $5,400 to Russian gold medallists at this summer's University Games in the Russian city of Kazan, according to a decree signed Tuesday by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Los Angeles, May 21 (IANS) Singer Kesha attended the Billboard Music Awards 2013 in a little black dress, but without an underwear. She says it was a conscious decision.

Los Angeles, May 21 (IANS) Actress Heather Graham loves how singer Gwen Stefani experiments with style.

Los Angeles, May 21 (IANS) Hollywood actor Michael Douglas says it is tough filming love scenes for any movie because everybody judges them.

London, May 21 (IANS) Singer Peter Andre is hunting for two houses - one for his work and the other for his children.

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) Rishi Kapoor and his actor son Ranbir are getting ready to step into the former's grandfather Prithiviraj Kapoor and father Raj Kapoor's roles in an "Awara" remake.

Chennai, May 21 (IANS) Telugu actor-comedian Ali, who will be conferred with a doctorate by the Academy of Universal Peace, is thrilled about the honour and dedicates it to his father.