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LONDON (Reuters) - European shares extended losses on Thursday, with a key index down more than 2 percent and closing in on two month lows. The pan-European FTSEurofirst 300 index fell as much as 2.1 percent to an intraday low of 1,155.94 points - close to a low of 1,154.30 points reached in late April. The euro zone's blue-chip Euro STOXX 50 index also fell 2.4 percent to 2,619.43 points. The Euro STOXX 50 fell below its 200-day simple moving average level at around 2,633 points - a factor often taken by technical traders to herald more near-term weakness in an index. ...

(Corrects first paragraph of June 18 story to make clear orders are provisional not firm) PARIS (Reuters) - Boeing launched the 787-10 version of its flagship Dreamliner aircraft at the Paris Airshow on Tuesday with 102 provisional orders worth nearly $30 billion at list prices. The news came after rival Airbus clinched an $11.5 billion order from UK budget airline easyJet for 135 A320neos, including 35 current-generation planes and 100 next-generation versions, with options for a further 100 aircraft. ...

By Ilaina Jonas NEW YORK (Reuters) - Five of the six most expensive office areas in the world are in Asia, as demand by global companies to locate there outstripped the supply, according to a semiannual report released on Thursday by real estate services company CBRE Inc. For the third consecutive time, Hong Kong's Central business district had the highest overall occupancy cost, which includes local taxes and service charges. Hong Kong's Central averaged $235.23 per square foot annually at the end of March, leading London's West End at $222.58. Beijing's Finance Street followed at $195. ...

By Natalie Huet PARIS (Reuters) - France's data protection watchdog ordered Google on Thursday to change its privacy policy or face fines, leading a Europe-wide push to get the Internet giant to clarify its intentions and methods for collecting user data. The CNIL watchdog said Google Inc's privacy policy violated French laws and gave the U.S. company three months to make changes or risk a fine of up to 150,000 euros and a second of 300,000 euros if it still failed to act. The move is the result of a year-long tussle with the top search engine and email provider. ...

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese football ambassador David Beckham drew a line under the country's shady soccer history on Thursday, saying he hoped to inspire the local children back to the sport. Appointed in March, shortly before the start of the new Chinese Super League season, the former England captain faces a tough task with local soccer still in a quagmire following the latest in a long line of graft issues. ...

By Oliver Holmes and Alexander Dziadosz IDLIB PROVINCE, Syria (Reuters) - Away from the battlefield, some Syrian rebels are doing business with the same government they are trying to topple. Both sides want to keep providing basics like bread, fuel and water in the areas they control. When shifting front lines split up supply chains, they started to trade. In the northwestern Idlib province, rebels control most of the wheat fields but have no way to grind the grain into flour. The government has the flour mill, but can't get enough wheat to supply it. The two worked out a deal. ...

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - A haze blanketing Singapore from fires in Indonesia could persist for weeks or even longer, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on Thursday, warning of consequences if Singapore-linked companies were found responsible for the burning. The illegal burning of forests and other land on Indonesia's Sumatra island, to the west of Singapore, to clear space for palm oil plantations is a chronic problem, particularly during the June to September dry season. "We cannot tell how the haze problem will develop. ...

By Rajesh Kumar Singh and Rafael Nam NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - A top official said the government has options to stem a fall in the rupee but did not offer any specifics, turning the focus on the RBI to stem a rout that sent the rupee to record lows and bond yields surging on Thursday. The rupee, the worst Asian performer on Thursday in a global market sell-off, was instead supported by the Reserve Bank of India, which stepped in to sell dollars after it slumped to a record low of 59.9350 against the dollar, traders said. ...

By A. Ananthalakshmi SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Gold fell for a fourth straight session on Thursday to its lowest level since a 15 percent plunge in mid-April, after the U.S. Federal Reserve signalled it would slow the pace of bond purchases later this year. A scale-back of the $85 billion monthly asset purchases is likely to weaken support for gold prices, already down about 20 percent this year due to rapid outflows from exchange-traded funds and slowing demand in top consumers, India and China. Spot gold fell 1.6 percent to $1,328.75 an ounce by 0709 GMT, down more than 4 percent for the week. ...

By Tomo Uetake TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average fell on Thursday as weak China data further unsettled markets coming to grips with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's confirmation that the U.S. central bank could trim its bond-buying programme later this year. The benchmark Nikkei ended 1.7 percent lower at 13,014.58 points, retreating from a one-week high of 13,245.22 hit on Wednesday. It dipped below the 13,000 mark several times during the session. ...

By Chikako Mogi and Wayne Cole TOKYO/SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian markets buckled badly on Thursday after the Federal Reserve heralded an eventual end to free money and China turned the screw on credit even as factory activity in the world's second-largest economy hit a nine-month low. Shares, currencies and commodities all crumbled as spooked investors rushed to unwind crowded trades in emerging markets. Central banks across the region were busy intervening trying to put out spot fires, but with only limited success. ...

DOHA (Reuters) - Preliminary Afghan peace talks in Qatar between U.S. and Taliban officials are unlikely to take place on Thursday as had been expected, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Asked if the meeting would happen on Thursday, the source replied: "There is nothing scheduled that I am aware of." Asked if that meant they would not happen today, the source added: "Yes that's correct." A senior U.S. ...

By Paul Eckert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressman who has been blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng's main champion in Washington said people working for New York University have tried to keep him from meeting Chen, barging into a meeting on Capitol Hill and pulling Chen out on one occasion. U.S. Representative Chris Smith, an outspoken supporter of Chinese dissidents since the 1980s, described repeated instances of various people he says were from NYU interfering in his attempts to meet with Chen. ...

Los Angeles, June 20 (IANS) The sequel to 1994 film "Dumb and Dumber" is back on track and it will be filmed this summer.

New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) Members of Indie-pop band Indian Ocean have shot an advertisement to oppose abuse of animals in circuses.

London, June 20 (IANS/CMC) West Indies off spinner Sunil Narine has maintained his number one position in the ODI bowling rankings.

New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) Viacom18 Motion Pictures has joined hands with Sanjay Leela Bhansali Productions to co-produce Akshay Kumar-starrer "Gabbar" and the much-talked about biopic on Olympic bronze medalist Mary Kom, starring Priyanka Chopra.

Mumbai, June 20 (IANS) Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani's small-budget production "Fukrey" has been well-received at the box office. Ali Fazal, one of the actors in the film, says Farhan took the email route to compliment the whole team on the movie's success.

Kiev, June 20 (IANS) Ukrainian football club Dynamo Kiev has signed Dutch international striker Jeremain Lens from PSV Eindhoven.

Kathmandu, June 20 (IANS) At least 400 Nepalis, on pilgrimage to the Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines, are stranded in the Indian state of Uttarakhand due to torrential rains and landslides, Nepal's leading English daily the Kathmandu Post reported Thursday.

Milan, June 20 (IANS) Fashion designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana have been sentenced to 20 months jail after they were convicted of tax evasion.

Kingston (Jamaica), June 20 (IANS/CMC) Injury concerns have forced double Olympic silver medallist Yohan Blake to pull out of the Jamaica National Senior Championship scheduled to begin on Thursday.

Dehradun, June 20 (IANS) The ancient Kedarnath shrine has survived the devastating floods in Uttarakhand but virtually everything around it has been destroyed, an official of the temple committee said Thursday.

Mumbai/New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) The Indian rupee slumped to another record low of 59.93 against the dollar Thursday, after the US Federal Reserve signalled an end to its monetary stimulus that would help in further strengthening of the greenback.

Hyderabad, June 20 (IANS) Six pilgrims from Andhra Pradesh were among those killed in the floods in Uttarakhand while relatives of hundreds of others are anxiously waiting to hear from their near and dear ones.

Recife (Brazil), June 20 (IANS) Second-half substitute Sebastian Giovinco scored a dramatic 86th-minute winner here as Italy defeated Japan 4-3 in a pulsating FIFA Confederations Cup Group A match.