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LONDON (Reuters) - Spaniard Sergio Garcia has apologised after a "fried chicken" jibe aimed at world number one Tiger Woods during a European Tour awards dinner on Tuesday. Garcia, who has a frosty relationship with Woods, was on stage with his Ryder Cup team mates when he was asked in jest whether he would be inviting Woods for dinner during next month's U.S. Open in Merion. "We will have him round every night. We will serve fried chicken." Garcia was heard to say. ...

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Larsen and Toubro Ltd (L&T) posted a worse-than-expected 6.9 percent fall in quarterly profit as interest costs jumped for India's biggest engineering and construction company. Net profit fell to 17.88 billion rupees for its fiscal fourth quarter ending March, from 19.2 billion rupees it reported a year earlier, said the company, whose interests span shipbuilding to railways to real estate. Analysts expected the company to report a net profit of 18.56 billion rupees, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. ...

REUTERS - Real estate developer Puravankara Projects has set a price band of 80 rupees to 85 rupees for its up to 1.84 billion rupees share sale, it said in a statement late on Tuesday. The company aims to sell 21.57 million shares to qualified institutional investors on Thursday. Axis Capital, JP Morgan and Kotak Mahindra Capital Co are the book-running lead managers to the issue. Shares of Puravankara, valued by the market at about $371 million, ended at 95.65 rupees on Tuesday. ...

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 Ayai Tomisawa TOKYO (Reuters) - The Nikkei average climbed 1.6 percent to a fresh 5-1/2-year high on Wednesday, spurred on by the Bank of Japan's optimism about the economic outlook, while Sony Corp surged on reports it may consider a proposal to spin off its entertainment assets. As widely expected, the Bank of Japan kept policy steady earlier in the day, and maintained its pledge to increase base money, or cash and deposits at the central bank, at an annual pace of 60 trillion to 70 trillion yen. ...

Reuters Market Eye - The rupee extends falls beyond 55.50, on way to stretching falls for a fourth session. The unit is at 55.50/51 after falling to 55.56 versus Tuesday's close of 55.41/42. Dealers say a large private refiner, which was seen in late session on Tuesday, seen buying dollars again. A state-run dealer says the USD/INR may see 55.70 during the session, though 55.60 may provide some immediate resistance. (Reporting by Subhadip Sircar)

By Tim Kelly TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp cut its sales targets for digital cameras, smartphones and tablets by 13-17 percent for the year to end-March 2015, but said there were "encouraging" signs of a revival in its electronics business. CEO Kazuo Hirai told a press briefing on Wednesday that Sony would assess a proposal from its biggest shareholder, billionaire Daniel Loeb's Third Point LLC hedge fund, that the group should sell up to a fifth of its music and movies business, which includes artists such as Adele and hit franchises like "Spider-Man". ...

By Amlan Chakraborty NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Cricketer Shanthakumaran Sreesanth has insisted he is innocent of any wrongdoing in the ongoing spot-fixing scandal and is confident of emerging from the "tough period" with his dignity intact. The 30-year-old bowler was one of three players, along with 11 bookmakers, arrested last week on suspicion of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 competition, the allegations also earning him an immediate suspension from the cricket board. "I am innocent and have done no wrong. ...

By A. Ananthalakshmi SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Gold rose on Wednesday on strong Chinese demand and after Federal Reserve officials allayed investor concerns that the U.S. central bank will soon exit its bullion-friendly bond purchases. Gold has been pressured in recent weeks by fears the Fed could scale back or halt its monthly $85 billion bond purchases that have buoyed bullion's appeal as a hedge against inflation. Spot gold rose 0.2 percent to $1,378.29 an ounce by 0628 GMT, but remains not far off a two-year low of $1,321.35 reached during a sell-off last month. ...

By Krishna N Das NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India's cable makers face a severe shortage of copper and potential manufacturing delays after the closure of the country's two biggest copper smelters, which has pushed up prices and led to a spike in imports. India's biggest smelter, owned by Sterlite Industries , was shut on March 30 after local residents complained of emissions that led to breathing difficulties, forcing top copper users to rely on rival Hindalco Industries for almost all their copper needs. ...

By Masayuki Kitano and Vidya Ranganathan SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Some Asian stock markets rose on Wednesday following a positive lead from Wall Street, with Japan's Nikkei reaching a 5-1/2 year high and staying firm as the Bank of Japan stood pat after unleashing massive stimulus last month. European stocks are expected to inch lower with markets taking a breather from a month-long rally before U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's testimony to Congress. Financial spreadbetters expect Britain's FTSE 100 to open down 0.16 percent, Germany's DAX to open 0. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - British soft drinks maker Britvic will close two factories and a warehouse in the UK and roll out the Fruit Shoot brand in India as part of a new strategy announced with its interim results. Proposals to deliver annual savings of 30 million pounds include closing two factories in Britain and a warehouse in Northern Ireland, as well as creating a combined British and Irish business unit under a single leadership team. The company also reached an agreement with Narang Group for the national sales and distribution of Fruit Shoot in India, commencing mid-2014. ...

By Ian Simpson and Alice Mannette MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Rescue efforts in the tornado-ravaged Oklahoma City suburb of Moore continued through the night into Wednesday morning, with officials increasingly confident that everyone caught in the disaster had been accounted for. The massive tornado that tore through the area on Monday wiped out blocks of houses, killed at least 24 people and injured about 240. ...

Hyderabad, May 22 (IANS) Local body elections in Andhra Pradesh are likely to be held within a month, state Panchayati Raj Minister K. Jana Reddy said Wednesday.

New York, May 22 (IANS) Pop star Rihanna and actress Cara Delevingne spent a fun night together getting some tattoos done and drinking champagne in a hotel room here.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Thanks to actress Karishma Tanna's towering look, she was banned from wearing high heels while shooting for upcoming movie "Grand Masti" as she looked taller than her co-star Vivek Oberoi.

Los Angeles, May 22 (IANS) Actress Jennifer Aniston reportedly cried after reading about her former husband Brad Pitt's current partner Angelina Jolie's double mastectomy.

Sydney, May 22 (IANS) A frantic search is on for a 25-year-old Indo-Canadian man who went missing in a national park in Australia.

Hyderabad, May 22 (IANS) The Telugu film industry wants to highlight its contribution to Indian cinema and will kickstart the centenary celebrations here soon amongst the presence of the entire fraternity.

Agartala, May 22 (IANS) A consumer court in Tripura has ordered Cadbury India Ltd to pay a compensation of Rs.30,000 to a complainant who found an iron pin inside a chocolate bar made by the company, an official said here Wednesday.

Los Angeles, May 22 (IANS) Socialite Kim Kardashian has congratulated her ex-boyfriend Reggie Bush on the birth of his daughter.

London, May 22 (IANS) A foundation set up by late singer Amy Winehouse's father Mitch reportedly raised nearly 1.9 million pounds (over $2,000,000) in a year.

London, May 22 (IANS) Singer-songwriter Kimberley Walsh loves her toned up body and credits her participation in dance reality show "Strictly Come Dancing" for it.

Chennai, May 22 (IANS) Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon, who is making a comeback to the Telugu industry after a decade, is enjoying being busy on the sets of an untitled multi-starrer.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) A benchmark index of the Indian equities markets was trading 0.29 percent up in the pre-afternoon trade Wednesday.

Mumbai, May 22 (IANS) Unlike most TV actors who look at the big screen for acting projects, Neil Bhatt is keen on directing a Bollywood film.