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SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon is once again shaking up traditional publishing models. This time, it's giving fans a chance to add their own personal touches to their favorite fiction - and get paid in the process. This week, Amazon.com Inc announced "Kindle Worlds," which offers aspiring writers an opportunity to pen their own takes on franchises in books, TV, movies, even games and comics. The world's largest Internet retailer plans to license content, then accept submissions online that may then be sold through its Kindle ebook store. ...

SARAJEVO (Reuters) - The president of Bosnia's autonomous Muslim-Croat federation was freed from jail on Friday after the Constitutional Court ordered his release following his arrest last month on corruption charges. President Zivko Budimir was arrested along with 19 other officials in late April in the most high-profile anti-corruption drive in Bosnia since independence more than two decades ago. A court ordered Budimir and his four co-accused aides to be kept in detention because some of them held Croatian passports and there was a risk they might try to flee. ...

By Noémie Olive PARIS (Reuters) - French magistrates decided on Friday not to place IMF chief Christine Lagarde under formal investigation over her role in a 285-million-euro arbitration payment made to a supporter of former president Nicolas Sarkozy. Lagarde instead was given the status of a "supervised witness" after two full days of questioning on her 2008 decision as Sarkozy's finance minister to use arbitration to settle a legal battle between the state and businessman Bernard Tapie. ...

REUTERS - Billionaire investor Paul Tudor Jones, who riled both Wall Street and Main Street when he said that women will never quite rival men in investing or trading, apologized on Friday, noting that he has encouraged his daughters to pursue careers on Wall Street. "Much of my adult life has been spent fighting for equal opportunity, and the idea that I would support limiting opportunity for any segment of society, particularly women, is antithetical to who I am and what I have done," Jones, who runs the $13 billion Tudor Investment Corp, said in a statement. ...

REUTERS - President Barack Obama has accepted an invitation to be honorary chairman of this year's Presidents Cup, the second time he will fulfill the role at the biennial team competition, the PGA Tour said on Friday. Obama, an avid basketball player who often escapes the pressures of the Oval Office by taking to the golf course, served as honorary chairman when the event was last played in the United States, at San Francisco's Harding Park in 2009. ...

By Tony Jimenez VIRGINIA WATER (Reuters) - Francesco Molinari flourished while five of his European Ryder Cup team mates fell flat on their faces as the Italian grabbed the lead after the PGA Championship second round on Friday. Luke Donald, the 2011 and 2012 winner, Rory McIlroy, Ian Poulter, Graeme McDowell and Paul Lawrie all missed the halfway cut after struggling in cold, dank conditions at the European Tour's flagship event. ...

REUTERS - Canadian Graham DeLaet succumbed to the infamous 'Horrible Horseshoe' but rebounded with two closing birdies to move into an early one-shot lead in Friday's second round of the Crowne Plaza Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas. In pursuit of his first PGA Tour victory, the 31-year-old from Saskatchewan put a welcome smile back on his face as he carded a three-under-par 67 in overcast conditions at Colonial Country Club to post a nine-under total of 131. ...

By Tony Jimenez VIRGINIA WATER (Reuters) - Luke Donald, the PGA Championship winner in 2011 and 2012, missed the cut after returning a level-par 72 for a six-over total of 150 at Wentworth on Friday. The real damage was done in Thursday's opening round when the world number six collapsed to a six-over 78 in cold, damp conditions at the European Tour's flagship event. The weather was no better for the second round and Donald suffered an early blow when he took a double-bogey five at the second. ...

By Steve Keating INDIANAPOLIS (Reuters) - Four-time Indianapolis 500 winners A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Rick Mears grace the cover of the souvenir program for the 'Greatest Spectacle in Racing' like a trio of senior GQ models. The race's only four-time winners form an exclusive but aging club that has not welcomed a new member since Mears claimed his fourth Indy 500 win in 1991. The fraternity, however, could welcome some young blood on Sunday if 40-year-old defending champion Dario Franchitti of Britain or Brazilian Helio Castroneves, 38, can steer their way to Victory Lane. ...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Oklahoma country singer Blake Shelton said on Friday that he will headline a concert to benefit the victims of the Oklahoma tornado that swept through the city of Moore earlier this week, leaving 24 dead and thousands homeless. Shelton, a native of Ada, Oklahoma, which is 75 miles (120 km) northwest of Moore, said the "Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert" will be held on May 29 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, and will be televised live at 9 p.m. EDT on NBC. ...

By Richard Valdmanis BOSTON (Reuters) - A judge denied bail on Friday to a Massachusetts teenager who was arrested on terrorism charges after posting lyrics on his Facebook page suggesting he could do worse than the Boston Marathon bombers. Cameron D'Ambrosio, an 18-year-old aspiring rapper from Methuen, about 30 miles (50 km) north of Boston, was arrested on May 1 after he posted a note on his Facebook page that included the words "a boston bombinb wait till u see the shit I do. ...

By Jessica Dye NEW YORK (Reuters) - Visa Inc and MasterCard Inc , opening another front in an eight-year battle over credit card fees paid by retailers, on Friday asked a federal judge to declare that the fees do not violate antitrust law. The lawsuit seeks to give the card companies legal ammunition against some retailers who are trying to opt out a proposed settlement under which they would receive a share of $7.2 billion in cash and fee discounts from the card companies. ...

By Herbert Lash NEW YORK (Reuters) - Global equity markets slipped on Friday over worries the U.S. Federal Reserve may curb a stimulus program that has lifted stocks, while the dollar recovered against the euro after better-than-expected U.S. durable goods data for April. Wall Street pared earlier losses to end near break-even, with the Dow edging into positive territory at the close, reflecting a willingness to keep the equity rally alive. "This has been happening all week. ...

Los Angeles, May 25 (IANS) Hollywood star Brad Pitt follows his former fiancee Gwyneth Paltrow's father advice on remaining grounded.

Los Angeles, May 25 (IANS) Pop star Lady Gaga, who underwent a hip operation earlier this year, is likely to perform on stage at a Beyonce Knowles' show in New York in August.

Kiev, May 25 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A court in the Ukrainian capital has banned the holding of any non-official public events, including a gay pride (LGBT) parade, Saturday.

Baku, May 25 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Azerbaijan will join neither NATO nor the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), but is prepared to cooperate with both, a presidential aide said.

Abu Dhabi, May 25 (IANS/WAM) The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) have strongly condemned the killing of a British soldier in Woolwich, London.

Sharjah, May 25 (IANS/WAM) Air Arabia, the largest low-cost carrier in the Middle East, has launched a flight to Abha in Saudi Arabia from the airlines' main hub in Sharjah.

Los Angeles, May 25 (IANS) Singer Beyonce Knowles has created her own fashion range named Beyonce Boutique for a fashion rental website.

Los Angeles, May 25 (IANS) Actor David Hasselhoff, 60, has bought himself a new mansion for as much as $1.95 million.

Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) Despite having gone down to the Mumbai Indians in a nerve-wracking IPL playoff, Rajasthan Royals skipper Rahul Dravid lauded his teammates for splendidly rising up to challenges both on and off the field, and said it has been a "pleasure to lead this team".

Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) Notwithstanding a blistering Dwayne Smith knock, Mumbai Indians stuttered to a four-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals in a nail-biting Indian Premier League (IPL) playoff to enter the finals.

Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) Mumbai Indians overcame middle over hiccups to carve out a thrilling four-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals off the penultimate ball to move into the Indian Premier League final here Friday.

Mumbai, May 25 (IANS) Mumbai police late Friday night arrested Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of Indian cricket board chief N. Srinivasan, in the IPL spot fixing scam after three hours of intense interrogation, an official said.

Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) Scoreboard of the Indian Premier League (IPL) match between Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens here Friday.