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  • Marks & Spencer posts second straight fall in year profit Reuters
    Marks & Spencer posts second straight fall in year profit

    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. ...

  • Vodafone posts biggest fall in service revenue Reuters
    Vodafone posts biggest fall in service revenue

    LONDON (Reuters) - Vodafone posted its largest ever quarterly fall in key organic service revenue on Tuesday, prompting it to keep hold of a 2.1 billion pound dividend from its U.S. arm rather than return it to shareholders. The world's second largest mobile operator, at the centre of intense speculation as to whether it will sell its U.S. arm in one of the world's largest deals, posted a 4.2 percent fall in organic service revenue, broadly in line with forecasts. It is the largest quarterly drop since the company started using the measurement in 2003. ...

  • iGate sacks Murthy after sexual harassment probe Reuters
    iGate sacks Murthy after sexual harassment probe

    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. ...

  • European shares near five-year highs Reuters
    European shares near five-year highs

    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. ...

  • Nikkei hits new 5-1/2-year high but pace of gains slow, Bernanke cues eyed Reuters
    Nikkei hits new 5-1/2-year high but pace of gains slow, Bernanke cues eyed

    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. ...

  • Many children among 91 feared dead in tornado-hit Oklahoma Reuters
    Many children among 91 feared dead in tornado-hit Oklahoma

    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. ...

  • FACTBOX - Yahoo's acquisitions: from Geocities to Tumblr Reuters
    FACTBOX - Yahoo's acquisitions: from Geocities to Tumblr

    SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc announced on Monday it would shell out $1.1 billion to buy blogging service Tumblr, in a bid to revitalize its brand and attract a younger generation of users. Yahoo has been criticized for making big acquisitions that have not always reaped lasting returns. Under CEO Marissa Mayer, the Internet search company has snapped up numerous small startups in recent months, hoping to gain an edge in mobile, bring new talent on board and improve existing services. ...

  • Aramco awards Midyan gas project to L&T Reuters

    KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - State-run Saudi Aramco has awarded Larsen & Toubro (L&T) a contract to build facilities including a gas processing plant for its Midyan gas field, state news agency SPA reported. The world's top oil exporter is boosting its output of the natural gas needed to meet rapidly rising domestic power demand and supply raw materials to its strategically important petrochemical industry. ...

  • BarCap expects bigger rate cuts in India in 2013 Reuters
    BarCap expects bigger rate cuts in India in 2013

    Reuters Market Eye - Barclays Capital now expects another 75 bps of rate cuts over the rest of 2013 versus its previous call of 25 bps in easing due to slowing inflation and weakening economic growth. BarCap says in a note it sticks to its call the RBI will cut interest rates by 25 bps in June, but expects 50 bps in additional cuts over the rest of 2013. The investment bank also marginally lowers its current fiscal year GDP forecast to 6 percent from 6.2 percent to reflect recent disappointment in economic activity. ...

  • Keyboardist Ray Manzarek of The Doors dies at age 74 Reuters
    Keyboardist Ray Manzarek of The Doors dies at age 74

    By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Ray Manzarek, a founding member and keyboardist of 1960s rock group The Doors, died on Monday at a medical clinic in Germany at age 74 following a battle with cancer, the group's manager Tom Vitorino said. Manzarek, who lived in Northern California's Napa Valley wine country for the past decade, had been seeking treatment in Germany for bile duct cancer, Vitorino said. He died in Rosenheim, Germany, surrounded by his wife and brothers. ...

  • Sensex edges down; Maruti, Divi's Lab fall Reuters
    Sensex edges down; Maruti, Divi's Lab fall

    Reuters Market Eye - The BSE Sensex falls 0.06 percent while the broader Nifty is down 0.2 percent, heading for a second day of decline. Analysts said some consolidation was due for domestic markets after the BSE Sensex rallied about 11 percent since mid-April due to strong foreign inflows. Shares are tracking mild falls in Asian shares ahead of the minutes of the U.S. Federal Reserve's last meeting. Maruti Suzuki India Ltd falls 1.3 percent on profit-booking after hitting its all-time high of 1,774.40 rupees on Monday. Divi's Laboratories Ltd slumps 6. ...

  • Amazon wins key cloud security clearance from U.S. government Reuters
    Amazon wins key cloud security clearance from U.S. government

    By Alistair Barr SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc has been given a security clearance by the U.S. government that will make it easier for federal agencies to use its cloud computing services. Amazon Web Services, known as AWS, was certified to operate as a cloud service provider for three years under the government's new FedRAMP program. The accreditation covers all AWS data centers in the United States, the company said on Tuesday. "This will cut the cost and time for agencies to deploy our systems," said Teresa Carlson, vice president of Worldwide Public Sector at AWS. ...

  • Goldman exits China's ICBC, seven years and billions later Reuters
    Goldman exits China's ICBC, seven years and billions later

    By Fiona Lau and Elzio Barreto HONG KONG (Reuters) - Goldman Sachs Group Inc raised $1.1 billion by selling its remaining shares in Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, ending a seven-year old investment and handing the Wall Street firm a return of nearly four times its original stake. Goldman's relationship with ICBC was similar to that of other big global financial institutions that purchased stakes in Chinese banks and insurers. ...

  • Yahoo's rise in Asia offsets risk from Tumblr bet Reuters
    Yahoo's rise in Asia offsets risk from Tumblr bet

    By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc Chief Executive Marissa Mayer's $1.1 billion acquisition of blogging service Tumblr will be a test of her ability to revive the aging Web portal. Luckily for her, her performance may be graded generously. Mayer faces plenty of challenges in her efforts to turn six-year-old Tumblr into a money-spinner, not least among them retaining users while devising new types of non-intrusive online ads outside of Yahoo's traditional area of expertise. And then there is Tumblr's hefty price tag: a sum that equates to a fifth of Yahoo's cash. ...

  • Rupee inches up; dollar selling watched Reuters
    Rupee inches up; dollar selling watched

    Reuters Market Eye - The rupee opens higher. The pair is at 54.97/98 versus its last close at 55.10/11. The pair may trade in a 54.80-55.10 band for the session, says a senior dealer with a state-run bank. Selling from exporters to continue keeping the rupee biased towards gains, adds the dealer. Asian currencies trading firmer compared with the dollar. Month-end dollar demand will be watched, with the pair to take direction from stock moves. ...

  • Nawazuddin celebrates 39th birthday at Cannes IANS

    Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) It was what Nawazuddin Siddiqui calls the most memorable birthday of his life. He celebrated his 39th birthday with friends like Anurag Kashyap, Madhu Mantena, Vikas Behl and Tannishta Chatterjee at Cannes. But he had nothing special to wear.

  • New fabric developed to drain away sweat IANS

    Los Angeles, May 21 (IANS) Bioengineers have developed a waterproof fabric that could drain away sweat, a study says.

  • Sensex trades nearly 0.30 percent down; auto stocks down IANS

    Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) A benchmark index of the Indian equities markets was trading nearly 0.30 percent down in the pre-afternoon trade Tuesday owing to negative foreign cues and continued profit-booking.

  • Pappu Yadav released from jail IANS

    Patna, May 21 (IANS) Four days after the court acquitted former RJD MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav on charges of killing CPI-M leader Ajit Sarkar, he was formally released from jail here Tuesday, police officials said.

  • Indian sand artist wins Danish 'grand prize' IANS

    New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik has won the Danish 'grand prize' at the 2nd Copenhagen International Sand sculpture festival 2013 for his 15-foot coloured sand sculpture created on the "Go green, Save Earth" theme.

  • President, vice president, PM pay tribute to Rajiv Gandhi IANS

    New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi Tuesday paid homage to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 22nd death anniversary.

  • I thought I'm too ugly to be an actress: Shruti Haasan IANS

    Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) Actress Shruti Haasan, daughter of legendary actor Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika, always wanted to be in showbiz, but was skeptical about facing the camera because she didn't find herself attractive enough to be a heroine.

  • Dhaka's rickshaw army - commuters' 'best option' IANS

    Dhaka, May 21 (IANS) With a hoot and a honk, meandering through Dhaka's famed traffic snarls, the legion of psychedelic rickshaws that are an essential part of Bangladesh's capital have a new claim to fame - they ferried protestors for free from parts of the city to the site of the revolutionary Shahbag movement during its peak in February and March.

  • The Doors band member Ray Manzarek dead IANS

    Berlin, May 21 (IANS) Veteran singer-songwriter Ray Manzarek died Monday night at his home in Rosenheim, Germany. He was suffering from cancer. He was 74.

  • Lindsay Lohan struggles in rehab IANS

    Los Angeles, May 21 (IANS) It seems actress Lindsay Lohan is struggling in rehab after the doctors cut her off from Addreall.

  • Chris Bown getting close to Chloe Green IANS

    Los Angeles, May 21 (IANS) Singer Chris Brown is reportedly "growing close" to retail heiress Chloe Green. The two have been spending time together.

  • CAG dates back more than 150 years (To go with: Vinod Rai made audit office a potent … IANS

    The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) is a 153-year-old institution, dating back to 1860. Vinod Rai, who demits office Wednesday, is independent India's 11th CAG.

  • US shouldn't be jealous with China, India ties: Daily IANS

    Beijing, May 21 (IANS) The visit of Premier Li Keqiang to India will promote a strategic partnership, but the US should not become jealous since Beijing and New Delhi do not want to be its enemy, a state-run daily said Tuesday.

  • Producer C.V. Kumar to turn two shorts into feature films IANS

    Chennai, May 21 (IANS) Producer C.V. Kumar, who has already introduced two short filmmakers into the industry with projects like "Pizza" and "Soodhu Kavvum", is set to turn two more shorts into feature films in Tamil soon.

  • Working birthday for Mohanlal IANS

    Chennai, May 21 (IANS) Malayalam superstar Mohanlal, who turns 53 Tuesday, will be busy shooting for upcoming Tamil action-drama "Jilla".