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By Kevin Yao BEIJING (Reuters) - China's factory activity weakened to a nine-month low in June as demand faltered, a preliminary survey showed, heightening risks that a second quarter slowdown could be sharper than expected and raising the heat on the central bank to loosen policy. The flash HSBC Purchasing Managers' Index fell to 48.3 in June from May's final reading of 49.2, drifting further away from the 50-point level demarcating expansion from contraction. It was the weakest level since September. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The rupee slumped to a record low on Thursday, while stocks and bonds were hit, after the Federal Reserve signalled a tapering of its monetary stimulus, highlighting the country's dependence on foreign capital inflows to fund its current account deficit. Market were also hit by data showing China's factory activity weakened to a nine-month low in June. The rupee fell to a record low of 59.9350 to the dollar, breaching past its all-time low of 58.98 on June 11. The rupee was trading at 59.82/81, down from its 58.71/72 close on Wednesday. ...

By Laura Zuckerman REUTERS - Two of America's premier national parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton, warned visitors on Wednesday about a gastrointestinal illness that has sickened at least 200 people at the start of the summer tourist season. The rare health advisory, tied to a suspected outbreak of the highly contagious norovirus, comes in the early weeks of a season that drew about 6 million people to the parks last year. ...

REUTERS - Serena Williams has apologized for comments she made in a forthcoming interview in which she appeared to assign blame to the 16-year-old victim in the Steubenville, Ohio, rape case for being drunk. The comments were reported in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine and stirred up U.S. media attention on Wednesday. "What happened in Steubenville was a real shock for me. I was deeply saddened," the women's world number one said in a statement on her website. ...

By Piya Sinha-Roy and Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - James Gandolfini, the burly actor best known for his Emmy-winning portrayal of a conflicted New Jersey mob boss in the groundbreaking cable TV series "The Sopranos," died on Wednesday vacationing in Italy. He was 51. Gandolfini, whose role as Tony Soprano made him a household name while transforming the HBO network and ushering in a new era of drama on American television, had been scheduled to attend the closing of the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily on Saturday. ...

By Alexei Oreskovic SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A year after Facebook Inc's fumbled IPO, Wall Street remains slow to recognize what Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg argues has been an across-the-board improvement in its business. Facebook's ability to deliver ads to mobile phones, improvements in measuring the effectiveness of its ads and increasing user engagement have all put the world's largest social network in a better position than before the IPO, Sandberg told the Reuters Global Technology Summit on Wednesday. ...

By Valerie Volcovici WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama will target carbon emissions from power plants as part of a second-term climate change agenda expected to be rolled out in the next few weeks, his top energy and climate adviser said on Wednesday. Obama will take several steps to make tackling climate change a "second-term priority" that builds on first-term policies, said Heather Zichal, deputy assistant to the president for energy and climate change. ...

By Mari Saito TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp shareholders pressed its chief executive on Thursday for a response to a proposal by hedge fund Third Point to spin off its profitable entertainment business, aiming to invigorate its struggling electronics business. Sony CEO Kazuo Hirai told an annual shareholders' meeting that the company would carefully consider the proposal by Daniel Loeb, the billionaire hedge fund manager of Third Point and Sony's top shareholder. "Our entertainment division will remain an important part of Sony's business," Hirai said. ...

By Kevin Lim SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore called on Thursday for "definitive action" from Indonesia as air quality stuck at very unhealthy levels for a second day because of forest fires in its neighbour, disrupting businesses in the prosperous city-state. Work at several Singapore construction sites slowed with few workers seen outdoors and fast-food operator McDonald's suspended its delivery service. The Singapore military suspended outdoor training. ...

By Chikako Mogi TOKYO (Reuters) - Asian shares tumbled to nine-month lows on Thursday as slowing Chinese manufacturing activity exacerbated sentiment already unnerved by the U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke confirming the Fed would begin reducing its stimulus spending later this year. The "flash" HSBC China Purchasing Managers' Index contracted further to 48.3 in June from May's final reading of 49.2, hitting its weakest level since September as new orders faltered, reinforcing signs of tepid economic growth in the second quarter. ...

By Jeremy Wagstaff REUTERS - Lazada, the Southeast Asian online retail company founded by Germany's Rocket Internet Gmbh, has secured another $100 million from investors in its bid to lift the region from its status as an e-commerce backwater. While online shopping is big in Europe, the United States and even in China, where it is likely to account for 6 percent of all retail business this year, Southeast Asians still prefer to do 99 percent of their shopping offline, the company estimates. ...

By By, Andrew and Downie RECIFE, Brazil (Reuters) - Italy coach Cesare Prandelli lamented the physical toll the Confederations Cup schedule and hot Brazilian climate were taking on his players on Wednesday. Prandelli watched his side overcome Japan 4-3 in the best game of the competition so far but complained that his players were exhausted and needed more recovery time between matches. "This is an interesting tournament but perhaps there should be more rest days," Prandelli said. "This is a very hot country and the players need more time to get their strength back. ...

By Julian Linden MIAMI (Reuters) - After 17 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), San Antonio Spurs evergreen power forward Tim Duncan has already seen it all. The 37-year has scaled the heights of the NBA, winning four titles and two league Most Valuable Player awards, and nothing fazes him, not even the prospect of facing the top-seeded Miami Heat in a decisive seventh game of the championship series. ...

Los Angeles, June 20 (IANS) Model Katie Price says she is going through a "difficult" pregnancy as certain things have gone "wrong".

Los Angeles, June 20 (IANS) "Harry Potter" star Daniel Radcliff wants to play a villain in the popular James Bond film franchise.

Los Angeles, June 20 (IANS) Actor Russell Crowe is set to director his first feature film. The project is set in the aftermath of World War I.

Los Angeles, June 20 (IANS) Actor Johnny Depp, who often sports tinted glasses, has revealed he has been "basically blind as a bat" in his left eye.

Washington, June 20 (IANS) White House Wednesday strongly condemned the "despicable" attack on the UN office in Somalia.

still believes in love. She also hopes that she finds a man who will love her "in the right way" in the future.

Washington, June 20 (IANS) The US, Japan and South Korea Wednesday called for "meaningful" steps on denuclearisation by Pyongyang in exchange for better ties with them, Xinhua reported.

London, June 20 (IANS) Designer label MaxMara has named a coat after the Duchess of Cambridge after the royal wore one of their designs during an official visit in 2012.

Abu Dhabi, June 20 (IANS/WAM) Environment related authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have not been resting on their laurels since receiving an acknowledgment from the World Wildlife Fund in 2010, a UAE daily has reported.

Harare, June 20 (IANS) Zimbabwean president and his main political rivals in the coalition government have agreed to file an application at the Constitutional Court, seeking extention of the general elections' date beyond July 31, 2013.

Lima, June 20 (IANS) At least 30 people were killed Wednesday when a passenger bus fell off 100 metres into a ravine in Peru's Chanchamayo province, Xinhua reported.

Baghdad, June 20 (IANS) At least four people were killed and 21 wounded in separate incidents of shooting and bomb attacks in Iraq Wednesday, the police said.

Kabul, June 20 (IANS) US Secretary of State John Kerry called up Afghan President Hamid Karzai in a bid to defuse tensions over opening of a Taliban office in Qatar, an Afghan spokesperson said Wednesday.