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By Amie Ferris-Rotman KABUL (Reuters) - About 600 Afghan women and girls are behind bars for so-called moral crimes, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday, the highest number since the Taliban were toppled almost twelve years ago. Running away from home, usually from abuse and forced marriage, and alleged adultery, which often involves rape, have landed most of the 600 women in prison. That figure is an increase of 50 percent over the last 18 months. ...

By Yeganeh Torbati DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranians are struggling with slower Internet speeds and limited access ahead of an unpredictable presidential election that has put hardline Islamist authorities on alert for possible unrest. Experts and web users say they believe the Internet obstacles are related to the June 14 presidential vote, the first since 2009 polls in which accusations of fraud - denied by the government - kindled months of protests organised in part via social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. ...

By Conor Humphries DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland said on Tuesday it was not to blame for Apple Inc's low global tax payments after the U.S. Senate said the company paid little or nothing on tens of billions of dollars in profits stashed in Irish subsidiaries. The Irish government, which has seen the luring of U.S. multinationals with low taxes as a key part of its economic policy since the 1960s, said its system was transparent and other countries were responsible if the tax rate paid by Apple was too low. ...

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Supreme Court dismissed a petition on Tuesday seeking to scrap the remaining matches of the lucrative Twenty20 cricket competition amid growing concerns about corruption in the sport. Former test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two other players were arrested along with 11 bookmakers on Thursday on suspicion of spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The case has prompted the government to look at the possibility of introducing a law to combat matchfixing and spot-fixing. ...

PARIS (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has put forward names of five officials from his administration for internationally-sponsored peace talks with the Syrian opposition, European Union diplomatic sources said on Tuesday. The list includes Prime Minister Wael al-Halki and more junior officials. According to a second EU diplomat, Syria's opposition has already rejected some of the officials on the list because of their lack of influence. ...

By Serajul Quadir DHAKA (Reuters) - A committee investigating a deadly collapse of a building housing garment factories in Bangladesh will recommend that nine people detained in connection with the disaster be sentenced to life in prison, the panel's chief said on Tuesday. The six-member committee, due to submit its conclusions to the government on Thursday, has singled out shoddy construction and the improper issue of building permits as the main reasons for the accident which killed more than 1,100 people. ...

REUTERS - Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti dropped a hint on Tuesday that he might backtrack on his promise to keep Andrea Stramaccioni as coach, saying he was "reflecting" on what was best for the club. "I don't like to say that it's the end of an era but we are having another look at the recent events," Moratti told reporters outside his office in Milan. "Have I changed my mind over the coach? It's not that I've changed my mind but we are reflecting so that we can understand what is best for Inter. "I haven't spoken to Stramaccioni or anyone else. ...

By Tony Jimenez VIRGINIA WATER, England (Reuters) - Golf's governing bodies will ban the anchoring of putters from January 2016, the Royal and Ancient (R&A) and the United States Golf Association (USGA) said in a joint statement on Tuesday. The ban was first proposed in November. Players and the golfing community were then given 90 days in which to discuss the proposal. The European Tour expressed its support for the idea while both the U.S. PGA Tour and PGA of America voiced opposition. ...

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Chinese businessman has paid a world record 310,000 euros for a Belgian pigeon, highlighting Asia's huge and growing interest in racing birds. The one-year-old award-winning pigeon named Bolt was bred by Belgian pigeon fancier Leo Heremans, a well-known name to pigeon enthusiasts, who sold his entire collection of 530 birds for 4.3 million euros at an auction over the weekend. "You can compare it to artwork. A painting made by Picasso is worth more than one made by an unknown artist. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The rupee weakened to a near six-month low on Tuesday, largely driven by weakness in the euro and import-related dollar demand that traders attributed to a private refining company. At 04:45 pm IST, the rupee was at 55.37/38 versus its Monday close of 55.10/11. It fell to 55.41 during the session, a level last seen on November 29, 2012. (Reporting by Subhadip Sircar; Editing by Rafael Nam)

LONDON (Reuters) - Soccer champions Manchester United topped the table for English Premier League television income in 2012-13, raking in almost 61 million pounds in the final year of the current three-year contract, the League said on Tuesday. Relegated Queens Park Rangers, owned by Malaysian airline boss Tony Fernandes, received almost 40 million pounds, the lowest figure among the 20 clubs. Television income will climb further next season after telecoms company BT entered the British market, taking a share of live rights alongside pay TV operator BSkyB . BT has replaced U.S. ...

By Tony Jimenez VIRGINIA WATER, England (Reuters) - Europe's Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley has announced he will have three wildcard selections for next year's match against the United States in Scotland. It is an increase from the two picks his predecessor Jose Maria Olazabal had in 2012. McGinley told a news conference on Tuesday he had made the change in order to "give myself a little bit of extra flexibility". The nine automatic selections for the 12-man team will come from the top four players in the European order of merit points list and the leading five in the world rankings. ...

By Iain Rogers MADRID (Reuters) - Florentino Perez's record as Real Madrid president was under scrutiny on Tuesday after the construction magnate's latest coaching project ended in disarray with the premature departure of Jose Mourinho. Perez, who is up for reelection next month, announced on Monday Mourinho would be leaving at the end of the season, three years before his contract expires. ...

Washington/Bangalore, May 21 (IANS) Indian tech honcho Phaneesh Murthy was Tuesday sacked as chief executive of US-based software services company iGate Corporation "for not disclosing a relationship with a subordinate", over a decade after he was forced to quit Indian IT bellwether Infosys on similar charges of sexual misconduct.

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) Actor Ranbir Kapoor, who has wowed everyone with his scintillating performances on the big screen in films like "Rockstar" and "Barfi!", is eager to show his acting skills on the small screen as well.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Popular TV actors Mona Singh and Mouli Ganguly, who play souten (co-wife) became emotional on the last day of shooting for their show "Kya Huaa Tera Vaada", which is coming to an end. Mona says she will miss the show.

Chandigarh, May 21 (IANS) Israeli cultivation technology and know-how of fruit plants will be shared with Indian farmers and horticulturists at the centre of excellence for fruits which was inaugurated Tuesday in Haryana's Sirsa district.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Adhering to requests from new bidders, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) Tuesday released a fresh tender notice inviting 'Bids for new Clubs to be a part of the I-League'.

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) A benchmark index of Indian equities markets closed Tuesday's trade more than half a percent down owing to continued profit-booking.

Kolkata, May 21 (IANS) West Bengal's Left Front Tuesday charged the Trinamool Congress government with destroying the process of development and participatory democracy in the state over the past two years it has been in power.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Qatar National Bank (QNB), one of the Gulf region's largest lender, Tuesday said it will set up a fully-owned subsidiary in India and start operations in the third quarter of 2013.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) French director Louis Leterrier's heist thriller "Now You See Me" will be released in India June 7.

St. Petersburg, May 21 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia is struggling to beef up its hospitality infrastructure ahead of the 2018 World Cup, with seven of the 11 host cities lagging behind in the number of hotel rooms on offer.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Young racing driver Jehan Daruvala began his 2013 season in style winning the opening race of the KFJ British Karting Championship at Rowrah in Cumbria, England.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Afghan president Hamid Karzai Tuesday called for Indian investment in critical sectors such as healthcare, telecom, agri-business and capacity building.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Vodafone India, the second largest mobile operator in the country clocked Rs.35,600 crore revenue for financial year 2012-13, a 10.6 percent rise, a top company official said here Tuesday.