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By Conor Humphries DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland said on Tuesday it was not to blame for Apple Inc's low global tax payments and had no special rate deal with the company after the U.S. Senate said it paid little or no tax on tens of billions of dollars in profits stashed in Irish subsidiaries. The Irish government, which has seen the luring of U.S. multinationals with low taxes as a key part of its economic policy since the 1960s, said its system was transparent and other countries were responsible if the tax rate paid by Apple was too low. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama sent his top disaster relief official to Oklahoma on Tuesday to help manage recovery efforts after a devastating tornado, the White House said. The president was being briefed on the emergency response in Moore, Oklahoma, and planned to make a 10 a.m. (1400 GMT) statement, it said. Obama spoke Monday night with Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin and U.S. Representative Tom Cole to express sympathy and condolences, the White House said. He has approved federal disaster funding to help victims support recovery efforts. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister David Cameron is committed to governing as part of a two-party coalition until the next national election in 2015, his spokesman said on Tuesday, days after Cameron raised the prospect of the alliance breaking apart. Cameron has ruled with the Liberal Democrats, his junior coalition partner, since 2010, but the two have taken increasingly different positions on issues such as Britain's role in Europe and Cameron on Sunday for the first time raised the possibility that the coalition might not last until 2015. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - British singer George Michael remains in hospital under observation for head injuries, five days after a car accident, his publicist said on Tuesday. "I can confirm that George remains in hospital but purely as a standard precaution for observation because he suffered some bumps and cuts to his head. But he's making good progress, he's fine and he's really looking forward to getting home," the spokeswoman said. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Founders of real estate company Omaxe Ltd raised about 503 million rupees by selling a part of their stake in the company to meet the market regulator's requirement of having at least 25 percent public shareholding mandatory for Indian listed companies by end-June. By 3.30 p.m., the single-day sale to investors had received bids for 3.4 million shares at an average price of 148.77 rupees each, provisional data from the Bombay Stock Exchange showed. Omaxe founders, who own 89 percent of the company, were selling a 2.88 percent stake or 5 million shares at 148 rupees each. ...

CAIRO (Reuters) - The number of tourists visiting Egypt rose in the first four months of 2012, the cabinet said on Tuesday, but analysts say the sector is still suffering from the aftermath of the country's 2011 uprising. The revolt that ousted President Hosni Mubarak sparked more than two years of protests, riots and political instability, denting Egypt's tourism sector - a major employer and source of foreign currency. The number of travellers visiting Egypt in the first four months of 2013 rose 11.8 percent from a year earlier, after falling by a third in the year after the uprising. ...

BERLIN (Reuters) - A monkey which belonged to popstar Justin Bieber has become German national property after the singer failed to provide authorities with the documents needed to reclaim the pet seized by customs officials. Bieber had until Friday to hand in the necessary paperwork which included health and species protection certificates after "Mally" his capuchin monkey was confiscated at Munich airport in March while the singer was on tour. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Essar Energy Plc on Tuesday signed a $1 billion financial cooperation agreement with the China Development Bank and PetroChina International Co. Ltd., according to a document seen by Reuters. Detail of the deal - signed in Mumbai during a visit by the Chinese premier - were not immediately known. Sources on Monday told Reuters that the debt would be backed by a supply of refined fuels by Essar Oil , a subsidiary of Essar Energy, to PetroChina. (Reporting by Henry Foy; editing by Matthias Williams)

By Amie Ferris-Rotman KABUL (Reuters) - About 600 Afghan women and girls are behind bars for so-called moral crimes, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday, the highest number since the Taliban were toppled almost twelve years ago. Running away from home, usually from abuse and forced marriage, and alleged adultery, which often involves rape, have landed most of the 600 women in prison. That figure is an increase of 50 percent over the last 18 months. ...

By Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranians are struggling with slower Internet speeds and limited access ahead of an unpredictable presidential election that has put hardline Islamist authorities on alert for possible unrest. Experts and web users say they believe the Internet obstacles are related to the June 14 presidential vote, the first since 2009 polls in which accusations of fraud - denied by the government - kindled months of protests organised in part via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. ...

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Supreme Court dismissed a petition on Tuesday seeking to scrap the remaining matches of the lucrative Twenty20 cricket competition amid growing concerns about corruption in the 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. ...

PARIS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has put forward names of five officials from his administration for internationally-sponsored peace talks with the Syrian opposition, European Union diplomatic sources said on Tuesday. The list includes Prime Minister Wael al-Halki and more junior officials. According to a second EU diplomat, Syria's opposition has already rejected some of the officials on the list because of their lack of influence. ...

By Serajul Quadir DHAKA (Reuters) - A committee investigating a deadly collapse of a building housing garment factories in Bangladesh will recommend that nine people detained in connection with the disaster be sentenced to life in prison, the panel's chief said on Tuesday. The six-member committee, due to submit its conclusions to the government on Thursday, has singled out shoddy construction and the improper issue of building permits as the main reasons for the accident which killed more than 1,100 people. ...

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Pune Warriors India, owned by Sahara India Parivar, Tuesday announced they were pulling out of Indian Premier League (IPL).

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) If you are planning to go on a summer vacation, make sure you are well-equipped. If stylish hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen lotion are a must have, avoid overloading bags and over-exerting yourself.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) A Delhi court Tuesday sent cricketer S. Sreesanth, his Rajasthan Royals teammates Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila, and eight bookies, all arrested for alleged spot fixing in the IPL, to additional five days in police custody.

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) Inching ahead in the investigations into the IPL spot fixing scam, Mumbai police Tuesday arrested three more people, including Bollywood actor Vindu Dara Singh Randhawa, a bookie and a hawala operator, a top official said.

Washington, May 21 (IANS) At least 91 people were killed, 20 of them children, as a massive tornado ripped through parts of Oklahoma City and its suburbs in the US, flattening homes and businesses and severely damaging a hospital and two elementary schools.

Panaji, May 21 (IANS) The Goa government will complain to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about some Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers indulging in "politics", said Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar Tuesday while accusing a central officer of trying to intimidate state bureaucracy.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) With so many beauty brands (chemical and natural) offering blemish balm or BB cream, many are wondering whether to make this beauty must-have or not. A makeup artist will surely help in making the right decision.

New Dehi, May 21 (IANS) Designer Bal Chauhan will bring in style statement at the 'Escape' music festival by showcasing some of his creative designs under his label Bhootsavar.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Tainted cricketer S. Sreesanth went on a shopping spree with the money he earned from spot-fixing, buying apparel worth Rs.1.95 lakh for himself and a mobile phone costing over Rs.40,000 for his girlfriend, Delhi Police said Tuesday.

Melbourne, May 21 (IANS) Cricket Australia (CA) Tuesday announced a restructuring of the contracting system for women players which will result in the Australian female cricketers becoming some of the best paid female athletes in the country.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who is busy with the ongoing 66th Cannes International Film Festival, is extending her stay in the French riviera to attend a fashion show for amFar (The American Foundation for AIDS Research).

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Hollywood actor Will Smith, who features with his son Jaden Smith in "After Earth", has advised his boy to stay away from girlfriends.

Washington/Bangalore, May 21 (IANS) Indian tech honcho Phaneesh Murthy was Tuesday sacked as chief executive of US-based software services company iGate Corporation "for not disclosing a relationship with a subordinate", over a decade after he was forced to quit Indian IT bellwether Infosys on similar charges of sexual misconduct.