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By Todd Benson SAO PAULO (Reuters) - President Dilma Rousseff on Tuesday sought to defuse a massive protest movement sweeping Brazil, acknowledging the need for better public services and more responsive governance as demonstrations continued in some cities around the country. Speaking the morning after more than 200,000 Brazilians marched in over a half-dozen cities, Rousseff said her government remains committed to social change and is listening attentively to the many grievances expressed at the demonstrations. "Brazil woke up stronger today," Rousseff said in a televised speech in ...

By Rachelle Younglai WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday passed legislation severely restricting abortions, a move that could alienate women from the conservative party. The bill would ban abortions 20 weeks after fertilization occurs, a time when a fetus begins to feel pain, Republicans said. The legislation makes exceptions for victims of rape and incest as long as they first report the crime to authorities. The bill has no chance of becoming law with Democrats controlling the Senate and the White House threatening to veto it. ...

By Jennifer Saba REUTERS (Reuters) - Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it now has 1 million active advertisers globally who used the platform in the last 28 days, a milestone for the company that is seeking to revive its revenue growth. A vast majority of those advertisers are small business owners who have flocked to the world's No. 1 social network. Facebook executives are hoping to net even more small advertisers since 16 million local businesses, ranging from jewelry sellers to clothing stores, set up free pages on the network. ...

By Ian Chua SYDNEY (Reuters) - Japanese stocks started trade on Wednesday with a spring in their step thanks to a positive lead from Wall Street and a softer yen, but the rest of Asia was restrained as investors waited for clarity on the Federal Reserve's next policy step. Major currencies were subdued as well ahead of the outcome of the Fed's policy meeting due at 1800 GMT and Chairman Ben Bernanke's media briefing half an hour later. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was a touch softer, while Tokyo's Nikkei average rallied 2.0 percent to a one-week high. ...

By Deborah Zabarenko WASHINGTON (Reuters) - NASA called on backyard astronomers and other citizen-scientists on Tuesday to help track asteroids that could create havoc on Earth. The U.S. space agency has already identified 95 percent of the potentially planet-killing NEOs - near Earth objects - with a diameter of .62 miles (1 km) or more, a size comparable to the space rock many scientists believe wiped out the dinosaurs some 65 million years ago. ...

By Chris Francescani NEW YORK (Reuters) - The New York Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the New York Police Department over its surveillance of Muslim communities, accusing the police of trampling on religious freedoms and constitutional guarantees of equality. The surveillance by the NYPD's intelligence division has extended beyond New York City's five boroughs into neighboring New Jersey and other nearby states. The police department says that surveillance of Muslims is legal under an earlier federal court order. ...

By Kayon Raynor KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) - Jamaica's twice Olympic 200 metres champion Veronica Campbell-Brown was suspended by her national federation on Tuesday following a positive test for a banned diuretic at a meeting last month. "The Jamaican Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA) can now confirm that a case concerning Mrs Veronica Campbell-Brown is currently ongoing," the Jamaican governing body said in a statement. "She has been provisionally suspended from competition awaiting the outcome of a disciplinary panel that will be empanelled to hear this case. ...

By Mark Felsenthal, Warren Strobel and Hamid Shalizi WASHINGTON/KABUL (Reuters) - The United States and the Taliban raised hopes on Tuesday for a negotiated peace in Afghanistan with commitments to meet this week after 12 years of bloody and costly war between American-led forces and the insurgents. The Taliban opened an office in Doha, the Qatari capital, on Tuesday to help restart talks and said it wanted a political solution that would bring about a just government and end foreign occupation of Afghanistan. U.S. ...

By Alison Wildey LONDON (Reuters) - Jamaica, sunlit home of the world's finest sprinters, was cast into shadow on Tuesday after confirmation that the Caribbean island's most successful female sprinter has failed a drugs test. Twice Olympic 200 metres champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, the first Jamaican to win a global 100 metres title, was provisionally suspended by the national federation after a positive test for a possible masking agent. ...

RECIFE (Reuters) - Italy midfielder Daniele De Rossi picked out Japan's Shinji Kagawa as the dangerman for his side ahead of their Confederations Cup match on Wednesday. "I only know three or four Japanese players and the most talked about is the one that plays for Manchester United, Kagawa, he is the star," De Rossi told reporters on Tuesday. "I think they are well organised and I think that means they will be dangerous." The Italians made a winning start on Sunday when goals from Andrea Pirlo and Mario Balotelli secured a 2-1 win over Mexico in Rio de Janeiro. ...

By Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp said that an assault it led earlier this month on one of the world's biggest cyber crime rings has freed at least 2 million PCs infected with a virus believed to have been used to steal more than $500 million from bank accounts worldwide. "We definitely have liberated at least 2 million PCs globally. That is a conservative estimate," Richard Domingues Boscovich, assistant general counsel with Microsoft's Digital Crimes Unit, said in an interview on Tuesday. ...

REUTERS - Billionaire investor Carl Icahn promised Dell Inc shareholders that the company would buy back up to $16 billion of stock if they join his campaign to stop the computer maker from going private. Time is running out for Icahn. Next month, the company's shareholders will vote on whether to accept a $24.4 billion bid from the company's founder, Michael Dell, and private equity firm Silver Lake, and so far shareholders' reaction to two of Icahn's proposals has been mixed. Icahn has said repeatedly that Michael Dell's bid undervalues the company. ...

By Patricia Zengerle and Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of the National Security Agency said U.S. surveillance programs had helped disrupt more than 50 possible attacks since September 11, 2001, as sympathetic members of Congress also defended the use of the top-secret spying operations. In the first public hearing dedicated to the programs since former NSA contractor Edward Snowden exposed them this month, members of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee showed little will on Tuesday to pursue significant reforms. Instead, both U.S. ...

Abu Dhabi, June 19 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Australia have held talks over a number of issues of mutual interest and explored ways to develop bilateral relations in all sectors.

Abuja, June 19 (IANS) At least 60 people were killed in Nigeria Tuesday when some gunmen stormed four villages of Zamfara state early morning, residents and security sources said.

Washington, June 19 (IANS) Two phone and Internet surveillance programmes run by the US National Security Agency (NSA) helped disrupt over 50 potential terrorist attacks against the US and its allies, the agency's chief said Tuesday.

Los Angeles, June 19 (IANS) Singer Katy Perry says she has not communicated with her ex-husband Russell Brand post receiving a text from him asking for divorce.

Beijing, June 19 (IANS) US General Motors Co. is set to recall about 231,000 older SUVs over fire risks and has urged owners to park them outside garages until they are repaired, a media report said.

Washington, June 19 (IANS) The US has decided to hold direct peace talks with the Taliban, senior White House officials have announced. The first meet is due to take place in the coming days in Qatar's capital, where the Taliban have opened their first official overseas office, BBC reported.

Los Angeles, June 19 (IANS) Singer Will.i.am doesn't have a home despite purchasing properties for several close family members and paying off their mortgages.

New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) A sex racket was busted here after two Uzbek women who were held hostage for five months in a house and were repeatedly sexually abused by customers, escaped, police Tuesday said. A woman pimp has been arrested.

New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday met L.K. Advani to get the BJP patriarch's backing for his new role as head of the BJP's campaign committee, an elevation that has split the NDA.

London, June 18 (IANS) G8 leaders Tuesday condemned any use of chemical weapons in Syria, and that they were deeply concerned by the growing threat from terrorism and extremism in the Middle East country.

Mumbai, June 18 (IANS) Bollywood actor Prateik Babbar, who will be seen in "Issaq" soon, said that he is lucky to have landed his role in the film as it had everything in it.

New Delhi, June 18 (IANS) A 21-year-old class 12 student, who had been missing for five days, was found dead in the Yamuna river here, police said Tuesday. Victim's family alleged murder while police contended it was suicide.

Islamabad, June 18 (IANS) A member of the provincial assembly of Pakistan's northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was among 29 people killed in a suicide bombing Tuesday, media reports said. Over 50 people were injured.