Yahoo! News India

By Andy Bruce LONDON (Reuters) - Asia will spearhead the rise in global stock markets from now until the end of the year, according to a worldwide Reuters poll that showed only modest gains ahead for North American and European shares. Respondents also showed they expected the U.S. Federal Reserve to stem its asset purchase programme rather than stop it completely, probably in the second half of this year. The world's top stock indexes have had a fairly mixed year so far. ...

By Clare Fallon EASTBOURNE, England (Reuters) - Who can a woman turn to when everything falls apart? Her mother, of course - even if, in Li Na's case, it necessitated a 12-hour flight from Paris to China after her early exit from the French Open. Wimbledon might not be her most successful tournament but Li says she is feeling "totally relaxed" ahead of next week's grasscourt grand slam, thanks to the flying visit home. "I had one week off, I was feeling in need of having time to myself to relax. ...

By Narae Kim SEOUL (Reuters) - Life as one of the 'Yuna Kids' demands sacrifices few 16-year-olds are willing to make, but for budding South Korean starlets Kim Jin-seo and Kim Hae-jin the chance to learn from the "mother of figure skating" is worth every second of a childhood spent on skates. The first lady of South Korean sport, Kim Yuna has single-handedly made figure skating popular in a country where 44 of its 45 medals at the Winter Olympics have come in short track and speed skating. ...

By Andrew Osborn LONDON (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange says he will not leave the sanctuary of the Ecuadorean Embassy in London even if Sweden stops pursuing sexual assault claims against him because he fears arrest on the order of the United States. In an interview with Reuters and others to mark the one-year anniversary of taking refuge in the cramped diplomatic building, Assange said he remained hopeful he might be able to leave but offered little evidence to suggest he would be finding new living quarters anytime soon. "I wouldn't say I wouldn't leave," he said. ...

REUTERS - Factbox on twice Olympic 200 metres champion Veronica Campbell-Brown, who was suspended from competition on Tuesday after testing positive for a banned diuretic. Born on May 15, 1982 in Trelawny, the same parish as triple Olympic champion Usain Bolt. Married to fellow-Jamaican sprinter Omar Brown and lives in Florida. Personal best over 100 metres of 10.76 set in 2011 makes her the joint eighth-fastest woman of all time with American Evelyn Ashford and she is ranked in the top 10 over 200 with a quickest time of 21.74 from the 2008 Olympics. ...

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. ...

United Nations, June 19 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Ban Ki- moon Tuesday welcomed the understanding reached on Syria by leaders of the Group of Eight (G-8) industrial nations.

Jerusalem, June 19 (IANS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that his country would not accept anything less than the total halt of Iranian uranium enrichment.

Los Angeles, June 19 (IANS) Singer Rihanna is reportedly seeking a medical programme in order to cure her heartache, post her break up with Chris Brown.

New Delhi, June 19 (IANS) The early and heavy monsoon rains in India have raised the hopes of a record plantation and sowing of kharif crops, a farmers' body representative said Tuesday.

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.