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By David Henry TAMPA, Florida (Reuters) - Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive of JPMorgan Chase & Co took an unusual step to fight off investors seeking more oversight of his activities - he hinted he might quit. And it worked. At the bank's annual meeting on Tuesday, JPMorgan shareholders voted down a proposal to strip Dimon of his chairmanship, giving the measure even less support than last year. Investors showed some unhappiness with the bank's management by only barely re-electing three directors who oversaw a massive trading loss last year. ...

By Dominic Lau TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei average climbed to a 5-1/2-year high on Wednesday, ahead of the outcome of the Bank of Japan meeting, with Sony Corp surging on reports it is considering evaluating a proposal to spin off entertainment assets. The Nikkei advanced 0.9 percent to 15,513.72 after trading as much as 15,527.35, its highest since December 2007. A senior trader at a foreign bank said buy orders outpaced sell orders by 1.5 to 1, with Japanese retail investors active in the market. ...

REUTERS - Sony Corp is considering evaluating a proposal from top shareholder Third Point LLC to spin off part of its movie and music business, Japanese daily Nikkei reported. Sony's U.S. listed shares rose 9 percent on Tuesday on the New York Stock Exchange. Billionaire hedge fund investor Daniel Loeb last week called on the company to spin off its lucrative entertainment arm, setting the stage for a clash between his activist Wall Street fund and management at the Japanese electronics maker. Sony declined to comment when contacted by Reuters. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Senate panel voted on Tuesday to make it easier for U.S. companies to hire foreign workers as part of a broad immigration bill being debated in Congress. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted for the amendment, which would loosen requirements that employers recruit Americans ahead of foreigners for high-tech jobs. The compromise was brokered by Democratic Senator Charles Schumer to win over Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican whose support is seen as important to bring other conservatives on board with broader immigration reform. ...

By Rachelle Younglai and Caren Bohan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved legislation that would bring about the biggest changes in U.S. immigration policy in a generation, setting up a spirited debate in the full Senate next month. By a vote of 13-5, the panel approved the nearly 900-page bill that would put 11 million illegal residents on a 13-year path to citizenship while further strengthening security along the southwestern border with Mexico, long a sieve for illegal crossings. ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Senate panel on Tuesday passed a sweeping immigration bill that would give millions of illegal immigrants a path to citizenship. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 13-5 in favor of the legislation that, if enacted, would represent the most significant overhaul of the U.S. immigration system since 1986. The full Senate is expected to start working on the legislation in June. The House of Representatives has not yet begun advancing its version of the bill. (Reporting by Caren Bohan, Richard Cowan, Rachelle Younglai; editing by Christopher Wilson)

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The H7N9 virus appears to have been brought under control in China largely due to restrictions at bird markets, but caused some $6.5 billion in losses to the economy, U.N. experts said on Tuesday. Health authorities worldwide must be on the lookout to detect the virus, the experts said, which could still develop the ability to spread easily among humans and cause a deadly influenza pandemic. ...

By Ben Berkowitz and Julie Steenhuysen REUTERS - Moore, Oklahoma, has had the bad luck of being hit by two highly destructive tornadoes, both in the month of May, 14 years apart. But the Moore that got struck on Monday is not the same as in 1999. Like a lot of towns across America and in the so-called "Tornado Alley," rapid growth has made it a bigger target, vulnerable to more damage. The tornado, with winds that may have topped 200 miles (322 km) per hour, killed at least 24 people and injured hundreds more, with many of the casualties children from two schools that were destroyed. ...

By Kareem Raheem BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - A series of bomb and gun attacks across Iraq killed more than 40 people on Tuesday, a day after over 70 died in violence targeting majority Shi'ites that has stoked fears of all-out sectarian war with minority Sunnis. Nearly 300 people have been killed in the past week as sectarian tensions, fuelled by the civil war in neighbouring Syria, threaten to plunge Iraq back into communal bloodletting. Ten years after the U.S. ...

By Timothy Heritage OREKHOVO-ZUYEVO, Russia (Reuters) - As Russia congratulated its forces for foiling an alleged Islamist plot on Moscow, the discovery of the plan also pointed to the growing security threat before the 2014 Winter Olympics. Monday's killing of two suspected militants and arrest of a third in a sleepy town near Moscow was quickly followed by the killing of one of the leaders of an Islamist insurgency being waged in Russia's North Caucasus. ...

By Carey Gillam and Ian Simpson MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Rescuers went building to building in search of victims and thousands of survivors were homeless on Tuesday after a massive tornado tore through the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore, wiping out whole blocks of homes and killing at least 24 people. The death toll was lower than initially feared, but nine children were among the dead, including seven who died at Plaza Towers Elementary School, which took a direct hit on Monday in the deadliest tornado to strike the United States in two years. ...

By Marcus George DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian authorities barred two potentially powerful and disruptive candidates from running in next month's presidential election on Tuesday, ensuring a contest largely among hardliners loyal to the clerical supreme leader. Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, a veteran companion of the Islamic Republic's founder, a former president and thought potentially sympathetic to reform, was denied a place on the ballot by the Guardian Council of clerics and jurists, state media said. ...

By Bill Rigby and Malathi Nayak REDMOND, Washington (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp unveiled the "Xbox One" on Tuesday, its first new gaming console in eight years, and its strongest push so far to dominate consumers' living rooms with an array of exclusive media content. The Xbox One took four years to develop and will be the launchpad for a "Halo" live-action video series produced by Steven Spielberg. It will be sold worldwide "later this year," games unit chief Don Mattrick told reporters at an event at the software company's campus near Seattle, without providing details on timing or pricing. ...

Beijing, May 22 (IANS) China has appealed for communication with the US on cyber security, Xinhua reported Tuesday.

Paris, May 22 (IANS) Model Cara Delevingne reportedly ignored actor Leonardo DiCaprio's advances at the ongoing 66th Cannes International Film Festival.

Damascus, May 22 (IANS) They Syrian government has said that it holds the right to respond to any Israeli violation against its sovereignty.

Tehran, May 22 (IANS) Iranian legislative body has approved eligibility of eight presidential candidates for the June 14 poll in the country, Xinhua reported Tuesday.

Moscow, May 22 (IANS/RIA Novosti) Russia will decommission and scrap two of the world's largest submarines by 2018, a defence industry source has said.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Blistering unbeaten knocks by David Hussey and Suresh Raina took two-time champions Chennai Super Kings to their fifth Indian Premier League (IPL) final in six seasons with a comprehensive 48-run win over Mumbai Indians in the first qualifier at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Tuesday.

Los Angeles, May 21 (IANS) Supermodel Miranda Kerr likes to wear her husband Orlando Bloom's clothes because it makes her feel closer to him.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Scoreboard of qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Tuesday.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Chennai Super Kings secured yet another final berth after a convincing 48-run win over Mumbai Indians in qualifier 1 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Ferozeshah Kotla here Tuesday.

Washington, May 21 (IANS) As rescuers searched for survivors of Monday's devastating tornado that pulverized a vast swath of the Oklahoma City suburbs, authorities revised the death toll down to 24 from 91. Nine of the fatalities are children.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Tuesday criticized the appointment of former defence secretary Shashi Kant Sharma as the new Comptroller and Auditor General, accusing the United Progressive Alliance government of accusing of weakening constitutional institutions.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) On the eve of the fourth anniversary of UPA-II, opinion polls have not brought any cheer to the government, predicting slide in the ruling alliance's tally amid rising dissatisfaction among large sections of urban voters over its performance.

Mumbai, May 21 (IANS) Actor Ranbir Kapoor Tuesday said he was not aware of any plans for his father Rishi Kapoor and him to reprise his great-grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor and grandfather Raj Kapoor's roles in "Awara", saying one will have to get them and Nargis back to this world to make the film again.