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By Chikako Mogi TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares tumbled to nine-month lows on Thursday as slowing Chinese manufacturing activity exacerbated sentiment already unnerved by the U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke confirming the Fed would begin reducing its stimulus spending later this year. The "flash" HSBC China Purchasing Managers' Index contracted further to 48.3 in June from May's final reading of 49.2, hitting its weakest level since September as new orders faltered, reinforcing signs of tepid economic growth in the second quarter. ...

By Jeremy Wagstaff REUTERS - Lazada, the Southeast Asian online retail company founded by Germany's Rocket Internet Gmbh, has secured another $100 million from investors in its bid to lift the region from its status as an e-commerce backwater. While online shopping is big in Europe, the United States and even in China, where it is likely to account for 6 percent of all retail business this year, Southeast Asians still prefer to do 99 percent of their shopping offline, the company estimates. ...

By By, Andrew and Downie RECIFE, Brazil (Reuters) - Italy coach Cesare Prandelli lamented the physical toll the Confederations Cup schedule and hot Brazilian climate were taking on his players on Wednesday. Prandelli watched his side overcome Japan 4-3 in the best game of the competition so far but complained that his players were exhausted and needed more recovery time between matches. "This is an interesting tournament but perhaps there should be more rest days," Prandelli said. "This is a very hot country and the players need more time to get their strength back. ...

By Julian Linden MIAMI (Reuters) - After 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), San Antonio Spurs evergreen power forward Tim Duncan has already seen it all. The 37-year has scaled the heights of the NBA, winning four titles and two league Most Valuable Player awards, and nothing fazes him, not even the prospect of facing the top-seeded Miami Heat in a decisive seventh game of the championship series. ...

By Richard Valdmanis BOSTON (Reuters) - A Connecticut man has sued New England Patriots football player Aaron Hernandez for allegedly shooting him in the face after the two left a strip club in Miami in February, the plaintiff's lawyer said on Wednesday. Hernandez, who plays tight end for the National Football League team, is also being questioned by police in Massachusetts in a separate case after a body was discovered near his home in North Attleborough, according to local media. Attorney David Jaroslawicz said he filed a complaint on behalf of his client, Alexander S. ...

By Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) - China's factory activity weakened to a nine-month low in June as demand faltered, a preliminary survey showed, heightening risks that a second quarter slowdown could be sharper than expected and raising the heat on the central bank to loosen policy. The flash HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 48.3 in June from May's final reading of 49.2, drifting further away from the 50-point level demarcating expansion from contraction. It was the weakest level since September. ...

By Piya Sinha-Roy and Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - James Gandolfini, the burly actor best known for his Emmy-winning portrayal of a conflicted New Jersey mob boss in the groundbreaking TV series "The Sopranos," died on Wednesday while vacationing in Rome, HBO said. Gandolfini, 51, died of a possible heart attack, HBO spokeswoman Mara Mikialian told Reuters. ...

FORTALEZA, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil forward Neymar has voiced his support for the protesters who have taken to the streets of Brazil in the last few days to demand less corruption and more spending on health, safety and transport. "I'm Brazilian and I love my country. I have a family and friends who live in Brazil. For that reason, I want a Brazil which is more just, safer, healthier and more honest," he said on Facebook. "The only way I can represent and defend Brazil is on the pitch, playing football. From now on, I will enter the field inspired by this movement. ...

By Andrew Downie RECIFE, Brazil (Reuters) - Substitute Sebastian Giovinco tapped in a late goal to secure Italy a thrilling 4-3 win over Japan on Wednesday and a semi-final berth in the Confederations Cup. Giovinco slotted home the winner in the 86th minute after latching onto a cross in the area, capping a pulsating contest that saw the Azzurri edge ahead with three consecutive goals after trailing 2-0 before halftime. ...

By Jim Finkle BOSTON (Reuters) - Eccentric software pioneer John McAfee is back in the spotlight - lashing out at the anti-virus software that bears his name in a profanity-laced video. McAfee, an American who helped create the anti-virus software industry, generated a media frenzy at the end of last year when he fled his home on a tropical island in Belize, claiming that police in the Central American nation wanted to frame him for murder. ...

By Roberta Rampton and Stephen Brown BERLIN (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama used a speech in Berlin on Wednesday to call on Russia to revive the push for a world without nuclear weapons, offering to cut deployed nuclear arsenals by a third, but Moscow immediately poured scorn on his proposal. Speaking in Berlin where U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan gave rousing Cold-War speeches, Obama urged Russia to help build on the "New START" treaty that requires Moscow and Washington to cut stockpiles of deployed nuclear weapons to 1,550 each by 2018. ...

By Alina Selyukh WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of a newly revived federal privacy oversight board pledged on Wednesday to be "as transparent and public as possible" as the board reviews recently exposed U.S. government secret surveillance programs. The Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board, which has been largely dormant since 2008, held its first full-fledged meeting on Wednesday after the Senate confirmed David Medine as its chairman last month. The meeting was behind closed doors to review classified information about the vast and controversial Internet and phone monitoring ...

By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Yahoo Inc on Wednesday downplayed concerns that its plans to recycle inactive user IDs could leave users exposed to hackers, saying only 7 percent of those IDs are tied to actual Yahoo email accounts. The Internet company, which announced last week it would release user IDs that have been inactive for more than 12 months so that other people can claim them, was pressed to defend the plan after critics warned that hackers who take control of inactive accounts could also assume the identities of the accounts' previous owners. ...

Washington, June 20 (IANS) White House Wednesday strongly condemned the "despicable" attack on the UN office in Somalia.

still believes in love. She also hopes that she finds a man who will love her "in the right way" in the future.

Washington, June 20 (IANS) The US, Japan and South Korea Wednesday called for "meaningful" steps on denuclearisation by Pyongyang in exchange for better ties with them, Xinhua reported.

London, June 20 (IANS) Designer label MaxMara has named a coat after the Duchess of Cambridge after the royal wore one of their designs during an official visit in 2012.

Abu Dhabi, June 20 (IANS/WAM) Environment related authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have not been resting on their laurels since receiving an acknowledgment from the World Wildlife Fund in 2010, a UAE daily has reported.

Harare, June 20 (IANS) Zimbabwean president and his main political rivals in the coalition government have agreed to file an application at the Constitutional Court, seeking extention of the general elections' date beyond July 31, 2013.

Lima, June 20 (IANS) At least 30 people were killed Wednesday when a passenger bus fell off 100 metres into a ravine in Peru's Chanchamayo province, Xinhua reported.

Baghdad, June 20 (IANS) At least four people were killed and 21 wounded in separate incidents of shooting and bomb attacks in Iraq Wednesday, the police said.

Kabul, June 20 (IANS) US Secretary of State John Kerry called up Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a bid to defuse tensions over opening of a Taliban office in Qatar, an Afghan spokesperson said Wednesday.

Kathmandu, June 20 (IANS) Twelve poachers of the one-horned rhinos have been sentenced to a jail term, ranging between 10 -15 years, and fined in Nepal.

Los Angeles, June 20 (IANS) Actress Liv Tyler will be seen on the small screen with Justin Theroux in an adaptation of the 2011 novel "The Leftovers".

Beijing, June 20 (IANS) The first summit between President Xi Jingping and his US counterpart Barack Obama held earlier this month proved very successful, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Wednesday.

London, June 20 (IANS) Pop star Rihanna left her fans upset after she reportedly turned up late by two hours for a gig in Birmingham. Her fans are said to have accused her of drugs.