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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A planned initial public offering of Vodafone Group Plc's Indian unit is unlikely this year, the unit's Chief Executive Marten Pieters said in New Delhi on Tuesday. Pieters said the company will wait for clarity on rules around airwaves and cellular permits before going ahead with the IPO. (Reporting by Devidutta Tripathy; editing by Matthias Williams and Gopakumar Warrier)

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Foreign investors will be eligible to benefit from lower withholding taxes for interest income accrued between June 1, 2013 and May 31, 2015 regardless of when the debt was bought, the Finance Ministry said in a notice on Tuesday. Last month the government had cut tax rates for foreign investors on interest income from government and corporate debt in the above period, but some investors had raised doubts about whether the benefits would apply only to debt bought during that timeframe. ...

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syria said on Tuesday its armed forces destroyed an Israeli vehicle after it crossed a ceasefire line into Syrian territory from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. The statement by Syrian military leadership, broadcast on state television, came after Israel said one of its military vehicles in the Golan Heights was hit by gunfire from Syria. Israel said the vehicle was damaged but none of its troops were wounded, and Israeli soldiers returned fire. (Editing by Janet Lawrence)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping will hold their first meeting since Xi became president in March when they sit down for a June 7-8 summit in Rancho Mirage, California, the White House announced on Monday. The two leaders are likely to discuss ways to apply pressure on North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program after a period of bellicose rhetoric and threats from Pyongyang. The United States also has concerns about cyber attacks it says are emanating from China. ...

Reuters Market Eye - Shares in Coal India Ltd gain 2 percent after its board recommended on Monday a higher-than-expected dividend of 4.3 rupees per share for financial year 2012-13. Nomura says the final dividend compared with 0.5 rupee per share in the previous fiscal year and is above consensus forecast. (Reporting by Abhishek Vishnoi)

By Swati Bhat and Shamik Paul MUMBAI (Reuters) - Investors in India's rocketing bond market are betting heavily on the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) shedding some of its habitual caution by both cutting interest rates and injecting liquidity, but some analysts reckon hopes for further easing are becoming overblown. Following a suprisingly benign inflation reading for April and what investors interpreted as unexpectedly dovish comments from RBI Governor Duvvuri Subbarao last week, benchmark bond yields have plunged to their lowest since December 2009. ...

By Marc Jones LONDON (Reuters) - The dollar edged up, gold steadied and European shares held near five-year highs on Tuesday as investors look out for U.S. Federal Reserve signals on the future of its stimulus programme. Upbeat comments from Chicago policymaker Charles Evans have made Wednesday's release of minutes of the U.S. central bank's last meeting and Fed chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony in Congress the same day the main focus for markets. The usually dovish Evans said on Monday that as long as the recent pickup in the U.S. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Indian gold futures edged higher from their lowest level in a month, helped by global leads and a weaker rupee at home, while banks, the primary dealers of bullion, awaited policy direction after the government restricted imports on a consignment basis. At 2 p.m., the actively traded gold for June delivery on the Multi Commodity Exchange (MCX) was 0.57 percent higher at 26,238 rupees per 10 grams, after hitting a low of 25,373 rupees in the previous session, a level last seen on April 18. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - England named an unchanged squad for the second test against New Zealand starting on Friday after batsman Ian Bell was declared fit following a bout of tonsillitis. Bell climbed out of his sick bed to take his place at the crease in the first test won in stunning fashion by England on Sunday but had been a doubt for Headingley. Yorkshiremen Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root will get the chance to play at their home ground after solid performances at Lord's, while bowler Tim Bresnan is again included in the 12-man squad having undergone elbow surgery in February. ...

DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar National Bank (QNB), one of the most acquisitive Gulf Arab lenders, will start operations in India in the third quarter of this year, the bank said on Tuesday, expanding its reach to Asia's third-largest economy. The state-owned bank, which has a presence in nearly 25 countries, said it had received all regulatory approvals to establish a fully-owned subsidiary under the name of "QNB India Private Limited," which is expected to begin operations in the third quarter. ...

Reuters Market Eye - The rupee is still down, trading around 55 pivot. The pair is at 55.04/05 versus its last close at 55.10/11. A private bank dealer tips a tight 54.95-55.10 range for the rest of the session. Oilers are picking up dollars to meet import requirements, while foreign banks have sold on porfolio inflows, dealers said. The dollar rose against the yen on Tuesday after a Japanese minister clarified remarks about the yen's drop, but many awaited the Federal Reserve chief's testimony before adding to bets on a stronger U.S. currency. (Reporting by Subhadip Sircar)

BEIJING (Reuters) - North Korea released a Chinese fishing boat on Tuesday more than two weeks after it was detained in waters between the countries, as China demanded an explanation for the incident that has been a new irritant in ties between the often uneasy allies. Chinese counsellor to North Korea Jiang Yaxian had told state media earlier that North Korea had "grabbed" the private vessel from off the northern Chinese city of Dalian in waters between China and the Korean peninsula. ...

By Nishant Kumar HONG KONG (Reuters) - The Asian prime brokerage unit of Credit Suisse has replaced Morgan Stanley as the second largest firm servicing the region's $148 billion hedge funds industry, a survey showed. The annual survey by industry tracker AsiaHedge, released this week, found that Goldman Sachs remains Asia's top prime broker with 179 clients and total assets under management of $24.6 billion. Credit Suisse overtook Morgan Stanley by adding 14 new clients and $2.4 billion in assets over the last year, a first for any prime broker in Asia, the survey showed. ...

Kabul, May 21 (IANS) The Afghan government should take urgent steps to halt an alarming increase in women and girls imprisoned for "moral crimes," Human Rights Watch said Tuesday.

Kolkata, May 21 (IANS) The city-based Jain Group is planning to build affordable housing projects across four east Indian cities, covering five million square feet of space at an investment of about Rs.2,000 crore by 2014-end.

Washington, May 21 (IANS) Scientists have found a compound in foods associated with Mediterranean diet that deprives cancer cells of their immortal nature, says a study.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Under attack from the opposition over corruption and lack of governance, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will present the fourth and last report card of the UPA-II government May 22, sources said Tuesday.

Chennai, May 21 (IANS) Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah administered an anti-terrorism pledge to employees at Raj Bhavan here while paying floral tributes to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi on his 22nd death anniversary Tuesday.

Agartala, May 21 (IANS) A dawn-to-dusk strike called by the opposition Congress Tuesday to protest the killing of three newspaper employees paralysed this capital of Left-ruled Tripura.

Rio de Janeiro, May 21 (IANS) Andres Iniesta says Spain cannot yet claim to be on the same pedestal as Brazil in football's international hierarchy.

Lucknow, May 21 (IANS) At least 24 people were killed and over 50 injured in three separate accidents in Uttar Pradesh Tuesday, police said.

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) Actor Manoj Bajpayee, currently shooting for his upcoming movie "Saat Uchakkey" in the capital, was really impressed sharing thoughts with "talented actor" Kay Kay Menon.

Rio de Janeiro, May 21 (IANS) Brazil's former Olympic long jump champion Maurren Maggi has conceded that her dream of competing at the Rio 2016 Games could be over after she failed to qualify for this year's World Championships in Moscow.

St. Petersburg, May 21 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The completion date for Zenit St. Petersburg's $1.1 billion stadium has been put back again and it may not open until 2017, a decade after construction work began, the head of the government agency auditing the project said.

Cannes, May 21 (IANS) Riding on its extensive cinema industry, which produces one of the largest number of films in India, the government of the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is keen to use the latest technological innovations in the industry to create skill development and employment opportunities for its youth.

Kolkata, May 21 (IANS) US Ambassador Nancy Powell Tuesday called for greater economic opening and more foreign investments for India's higher economic growth.