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By Subhadip Sircar MUMBAI (Reuters) - The rupee rose on Wednesday, yet remained within close of its record low hit last week, as outflows from equity markets added to concerns about the funding of the current account deficit ahead of the U.S. Federal Reserve's decision on its stimulus programme. Such concerns have compounded because of the likelihood of the Fed tapering its bond purchases, which could trigger an outflow from emerging markets. Foreign fund selling in Indian equities have picked up pace to add to the huge sell-off in debt markets. ...

By Paul Ingrassia and Mike Peacock LONDON (Reuters) - The World Bank is concerned about the spillover effects on developing countries of a slowing of U.S. money creation and will move to provide affordable capital when borrowing costs rise, its president said on Wednesday. The U.S. Federal Reserve has sparked a bout of financial market turmoil since its chief, Ben Bernanke, announced on May 22 that the Fed could, before the year is out, begin slowing the pace at which it creates dollars. ...

By Belinda Goldsmith LONDON (Reuters) - British actor Daniel Radcliffe won plaudits on Tuesday for a new stage role as a bullied Irish cripple that takes him a critical step further away from his days as boy wizard Harry Potter. In his third foray onto the stage in six years, Radcliffe adopts an Irish accent to play Billy, the bullied 17-year-old title character in "The Cripple of Inishmaan", a politically incorrect black comedy by Martin McDonagh. ...

By Iain Rogers MADRID (Reuters) - Barcelona face a delicate balancing act to convince sought-after Spain Under-21 playmaker Thiago Alcantara that his long-term future lies with the club and he can play a leading role with the La Liga champions next season. The 22-year-old Barca academy graduate, whose contract runs until June 2015, is being groomed as the successor to Xavi in central midfield but is said to be frustrated at a lack of playing time and has attracted the attention of some of Europe's wealthiest clubs. Valued at 22 million euros on website transfermarkt. ...

By Abhishek Vishnoi MUMBAI (Reuters) - The BSE Sensex edged up on Wednesday amid volatility as investors awaited the outcome of the U.S. Federal Reserve meeting, with telecom stocks such as Idea Cellular gaining on new roaming regulations. Major markets, including Asia, were stuck within recent ranges as investors keenly awaited comments from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke whether the U.S. central bank will scale back its bond-buying programme. Traders worry an end to U.S. ...

By Emilio Parodi BUSTO ARSIZIO, Italy (Reuters) - The trial of the former head of Italian defence group Finmeccanica began on Wednesday, with Giuseppe Orsi facing corruption charges over a deal to sell 12 helicopters to the Indian government. Bruno Spagnolini, the former chief executive of AgustaWestland - the division of Finmeccanica that sold the helicopters - is being tried alongside Orsi on the same charges. The scandal has raised the prospect that Finmeccanica could be blacklisted in India, the world's largest arms importer and an important growth market for the state-controlled company. ...

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel told U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday that government monitoring of Internet communications needed to remain within proper limits. "I made clear that although we do see the need for gathering information, the topic of proportionality is always an important one and the free democratic order is based on people feeling safe," Merkel said at a joint news conference with Obama. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Rafa Nadal could face world number one Novak Djokovic, defending champion Roger Federer or home favourite Andy Murray as early as the Wimbledon quarter-finals after being announced as fifth seed for the tournament on Wednesday. Djokovic was named number one, with Murray second and Federer third in seedings that followed the world rankings. Spaniard Nadal, twice a winner at the All England Club and a 12-times grand slam champion, is working his way back up after a seven-month layoff due to a knee injury. ...

By Mayank Bhardwaj NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India could add another 2 million tonnes of wheat for export in a successful tender scheme as private traders shun more expensive direct sales, bringing the total offered to 6.5 million tonnes. The decision, which could dampen global prices further and help the world's second-biggest wheat producer cut swollen stocks, may come at a cabinet meeting on Friday, Food Minister K.V. Thomas told Reuters on Wednesday. ...

By Aradhana Aravindan PUNE (Reuters) - Tata Motors on Wednesday launched eight upgrades of existing models, including a CNG-fuelled version of its low-cost Nano, but said little about plans for completely new vehicles to help reverse sliding car sales in India. In recent quarters, strong performance at its luxury Jaguar Land Rover unit has helped compensate for weak passenger car sales at home, where Tata is losing market share to rivals Hyundai Motor Co and Maruti Suzuki, which last year launched its successful Ertiga multi-purpose vehicle. ...

BEIJING (Reuters) - China has completed a monitoring scheme in restive Tibet that requires all telephone and internet users to register under their real names, state media said on Wednesday, as part of a campaign to crack down on what officials describe as rumours. Tibetans are already closely watched, due to decades of often violent unrest in protest at Chinese rule, which Beijing blames on exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama. By the end of last year, all 2.76 million fixed line and mobile telephone users and 1. ...

By Abdi Sheikh MOGADISHU (Reuters) - A suicide bomber and several gunmen attacked a United Nations compound in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, police and witnesses said, in a strike that bore the hallmarks of al Qaeda-linked militants. The bomber set off his explosives outside the gate of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) base before attackers ran inside and opened fire on security guards, a senior police official told Reuters. Gunfire could still be heard more than 30 minutes after the initial explosion. It was not immediately clear whether any U.N. ...

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Syrian rebel unit has claimed responsibility in a video for killing four Shi'ite men in Lebanon this week as Syria's civil war spills into its smaller, religiously divided neighbour. In the video, posted on Tuesday by a group calling itself the "Syrian Mujahideen Unit", a fighter says his brigade killed the four men as they were trying to enter Syria. He said they were members of Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shi'ite militant group that has actively helped Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in his fight against a mostly Sunni Muslim revolt. ...

Mumbai, June 19 (IANS) Pakistani actor Ali Zafar doesn't believe in being overworked as he loves to spend quality time with family.

Hyderabad, June 19 (IANS) Andhra Pradesh ministers from Telangana have rejected the proposed package for the region, saying only a separate state of Telangna would be acceptable to them.

Pretoria, June 19 (IANS) Anti-apartheid icon and South Africa's first black president Nelson Mandela Wednesday spent his 12th day in hospital -- with no official update about his condition.

Shillong, June 19 (IANS) Two units of the 275 MW Kopili Hydel Project in Assam, owned by the North Eastern Electric Corp (NEEPCO), has been temporarily shutdown due to "acidification" of the reservoir water, a senior official said Wednesday.

Wellington, June 19 (IANS) Two men accused of murdering an Indian-origin man in New Zealand in January have pleaded not guilty and are now headed for trial.

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Wednesday registered its 13th case against a Delhi-based private steel firm for alleged irregularities in coal blocks allocations and carried out searches in the National Capital Region (NCR) and Odisha.

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) Indian golfer Sharmila Nicollet has been forced to withdraw from Allianz Ladies Slovak Open owing to an injured foot.

Seoul, June 19 (IANS) South Korean President Park Geun-hye Wednesday toured the Indian pavilion at an international book fair here in which India is participating as the guest of honour for the first time.

Los Angeles, June 19 (IANS) Singer Miley Cyrus defends her decision to smoke weed saying it is far less dangerous than alcohol.

Kabul, June 19 (IANS) The Afghan government Wednesday said it has suspended talks with the US on the proposed security agreement, saying America has a contradictory stance over the peace process in the country.

Pune, June 19 (IANS) Tata Motors Wednesday unveiled eight new variants across its five passenger car brands under a new marketing strategy to arrest falling sales.

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) The water level in the Yamuna river here will reach 207.7 metres by Wednesday evening, the highest ever recorded in 35 years, a government official said.

Colombo, June 19 (IANS) At least 80 Sri Lankans were detained by the navy Wednesday for attempting to illegally migrate to Australia, the navy said.