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By Ian Chua and Vidya Ranganathan SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian stocks rose on Wednesday following a positive lead from Wall Street with Japan's Nikkei reaching a 5-1/2 year high, while the yen took a defensive stance ahead of the outcome of the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) policy meeting. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan rose 0.1 percent, reversing some of Tuesday's 0.4 percent decline. The South Korean market climbed 0.4 percent. Tokyo's Nikkei gained 1.1 percent, breaking above 15,500 for the first time in over five years. ...

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea sent one of its top military officials to Beijing on Wednesday as a "special envoy" of its leader Kim Jong-un, state news agency KCNA reported. There were few details of Choe Ryong-hae's visit, which came amid strained relations between China and North Korea after Beijing backed U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang for its February nuclear test. Choe is the most senior North Korean official to visit Beijing since Kim's uncle Jang Song-thaek made the trip in August 2012. ...

JAKARTA (Reuters) - The death toll from a tunnel collapse at a mine run by the Indonesian unit of Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc has been raised to 28, the company said in a statement on Wednesday, after giving up hope of finding any more survivors. The Arizona-based company closed the world's second-largest copper mine on Wednesday last week, a day after a training tunnel away from its main operations fell in on 38 workers. Ten workers were rescued. (Reporting by Randy Fabi and Michael Taylor; Editing by Richard Pullin)

By Mary Wisniewski and David Bailey REUTERS - The people of central Oklahoma know all too well the destructive power of a tornado, but when a big one rolled toward the town of Moore again on Monday, residents had few basements and storm shelters to run to when the alarm sounded, officials said. Two elementary schools that were hit by the EF-5 tornado - the most powerful category - did not have "safe rooms" where students could shelter from the storm, and no applications for safe rooms had been made, Oklahoma Emergency Management Director Albert Ashwood told reporters. ...

REUTERS - A unique first edition of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" annotated by author J.K. Rowling has sold for a record 150,000 pounds at a London charity auction, Sotheby's said on Tuesday. The 1997 book, featuring handwritten notes, 22 original illustrations and a 43-page "second thoughts" commentary by the author, fetched the highest price to date for a printed book by Rowling, Sotheby's said in a statement. ...

By Rachelle Younglai and Caren Bohan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday approved legislation to give millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship, setting up a spirited debate next month in the full Senate over the biggest changes in immigration policy in a generation. President Barack Obama, who has made enactment of an immigration bill one of his top priorities for this year, praised the Senate Judiciary Committee's action, saying the bill was consistent with the goals he has expressed. ...

By Tom Bergin LONDON (Reuters) - Apple's ability to shelter billions of dollars of income from tax has depended on an unusual loophole in the Irish tax code that helps the country compete with other countries for investment and jobs. A U.S. Senate investigation revealed Tuesday that Apple, maker of iPhones, iPads and Mac computers, channelled profits into Irish-incorporated subsidiaries that had "no declared tax residency anywhere in the world. ...

By David Henry TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co took an unusual step to fight off investors seeking more oversight of his activities - he hinted he might quit. And it worked. At the bank's annual meeting on Tuesday, JPMorgan shareholders voted down a proposal to strip Dimon of his chairmanship, giving the measure even less support than last year. Investors showed some unhappiness with the bank's management by only barely re-electing three directors who oversaw a massive trading loss last year. ...

By Dominic Lau TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average climbed to a 5-1/2-year high on Wednesday, ahead of the outcome of the Bank of Japan meeting, with Sony Corp surging on reports it is considering evaluating a proposal to spin off entertainment assets. The Nikkei advanced 0.9 percent to 15,513.72 after trading as much as 15,527.35, its highest since December 2007. A senior trader at a foreign bank said buy orders outpaced sell orders by 1.5 to 1, with Japanese retail investors active in the market. ...

REUTERS - Sony Corp is considering evaluating a proposal from top shareholder Third Point LLC to spin off part of its movie and music business, Japanese daily Nikkei reported. Sony's U.S. listed shares rose 9 percent on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. Billionaire hedge fund investor Daniel Loeb last week called on the company to spin off its lucrative entertainment arm, setting the stage for a clash between his activist Wall Street fund and management at the Japanese electronics maker. Sony declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate panel voted on Tuesday to make it easier for U.S. companies to hire foreign workers as part of a broad immigration bill being debated in Congress. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted for the amendment, which would loosen requirements that employers recruit Americans ahead of foreigners for high-tech jobs. The compromise was brokered by Democratic Senator Charles Schumer to win over Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican whose support is seen as important to bring other conservatives on board with broader immigration reform. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday passed a sweeping immigration bill that would give millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-5 in favor of the legislation that, if enacted, would represent the most significant overhaul of the U.S. immigration system since 1986. The full Senate is expected to start working on the legislation in June. The House of Representatives has not yet begun advancing its version of the bill. (Reporting by Caren Bohan, Richard Cowan, Rachelle Younglai; editing by Christopher Wilson)

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The H7N9 virus appears to have been brought under control in China largely due to restrictions at bird markets, but caused some $6.5 billion in losses to the economy, U.N. experts said on Tuesday. Health authorities worldwide must be on the lookout to detect the virus, the experts said, which could still develop the ability to spread easily among humans and cause a deadly influenza pandemic. ...

Los Angeles, May 22 (IANS) For actress Kerry Washington, fashion is a "creative outlet" to express herself.

Abu Dhabi, May 22 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and China have held talks over their bilateral economic relations.

London, May 22 (IANS) Singer Tulisa Contostavlos and her beau Danny Simpson are reportedly facing a rough patch in their relationship.

Los Angeles, May 22 (IANS) Socialite Khloe Kardashian has broken her silence against those who have targeted her pregnant sister Kim Kardashian for gaining a lot of weight.

Moscow, May 22 (IANS/RIA Novosti) President Vladimir Putin has criticised the state-owned United Shipbuilding Corporation (USC) for delay in delivery of warships to the Russian Navy and demanded the shipbuilders to improve efficiency.

Riyadh, May 22 (IANS) Saudi Arabia has arrested 10 people on suspicion of espionage for Iran, the interior ministry announced Tuesday.

Los Angeles, May 22 (IANS) Actor Will Smith may have pulled off several stunts in Hollywood films, but he doesn't know how to swim!

Beijing, May 22 (IANS) China has appealed for communication with the US on cyber security, Xinhua reported Tuesday.

Paris, May 22 (IANS) Model Cara Delevingne reportedly ignored actor Leonardo DiCaprio's advances at the ongoing 66th Cannes International Film Festival.

Damascus, May 22 (IANS) They Syrian government has said that it holds the right to respond to any Israeli violation against its sovereignty.

Tehran, May 22 (IANS) Iranian legislative body has approved eligibility of eight presidential candidates for the June 14 poll in the country, Xinhua reported Tuesday.

Moscow, May 22 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia will decommission and scrap two of the world's largest submarines by 2018, a defence industry source has said.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Blistering unbeaten knocks by David Hussey and Suresh Raina took two-time champions Chennai Super Kings to their fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) final in six seasons with a comprehensive 48-run win over Mumbai Indians in the first qualifier at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Tuesday.