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By Chrispin Mvano GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Two days of clashes between Congo's army and rebel fighters near the eastern city of Goma have killed at least 19 people, threatening an uneasy six-month peace just days before a scheduled visit by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Government forces and the M23 insurgents began exchanging heavy weapons fire for a second day early on Tuesday, with explosions still being heard late into the afternoon. ...

CAPE TOWN (Reuters) - South African prosecutors dropped charges on Tuesday against one of the two men charged with raping, mutilating and killing a teenage girl in a crime that outraged a country hardened by some of the world's highest rates of sexual violence. Prosecution spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said the man had been released from custody because there was not enough evidence to take him to trial. ...

By Carey Gillam and Ian Simpson MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Emergency workers pulled more than 100 survivors from the rubble of homes, schools and a hospital in an Oklahoma town hit by a powerful tornado, and officials lowered the death toll from the storm to 24, including nine children. The 2-mile (3-km) wide tornado tore through Moore outside Oklahoma City on Monday afternoon, trapping victims beneath the rubble, wiping out entire neighborhoods and tossing vehicles about as if they were toys. ...

Tunis (Reuters) - A 66-year-old Tunisian man has died from new coronavirus, a strain of a virus that emerged in the Middle East last year, after a visit to Saudi Arabia, the health ministry said on Tuesday. The man, a diabetic, died in hospital in the city of Monastir, ministry spokesman Ibrahim Labassi said. It was the first death in Tunisia from the virus. "Tests showed that his two sons were infected by the same virus and they are under medical observation," Labassi said. ...

By Noel Randewich SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Intel Corp's new chief executive, Brian Krzanich, has reorganized key business groups and created a "new devices" unit, according to a source who has seen an internal email, shaking up the world's top chipmaker days after formally assuming control. The chipmaker's main product groups - including the PC client group, mobile communications and data center unit that previously reported to Intel Architecture group chief Dadi Perlmutter - now report directly to Krzanich, the source said, citing the email sent to employees. ...

PARIS (Reuters) - Police evacuated Paris' Notre Dame cathedral on Tuesday after a well-known far-right former activist committed suicide by shooting himself in the mouth in front of its main altar, a police source said. The man, 78-year-old Dominique Venner, is a historian known in France for his far-right political essays. He carried a letter on his person but made no declaration before shooting himself dead in the mid-afternoon, the source said. A note posted on his blog dated May 21 slammed a law passed by the Socialist government last week allowing same-sex marriage. ...

By Conor Humphries and Padraic Halpin CORK/DUBLIN (Reuters) - Ireland said on Tuesday it was not to blame for Apple Inc's low global tax payments and had no special rate deal with the company after the U.S. Senate said it paid little or no tax 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. ...

By Subhadip Sircar MUMBAI (Reuters) - The rupee dropped to its lowest in nearly six months on Tuesday, dragged by late falls in local shares and import-related demand from a large private company. The rupee has fallen 2.9 percent so far this month against the dollar, despite strong foreign inflows into debt and stock markets as the dollar gains against global currencies on worries about whether the U.S. monetary stimulus will continue. Lingering domestic concerns such as the wide current account deficit have added to the rupee's weakness. "There was intermittent selling from custodian banks. ...

By Nita Bhalla NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - The government and the United Nations on Tuesday unveiled new guidelines on how to deal with the reproductive and sexual healthcare needs of girls and women when a disaster strikes. The guidelines spelled out in a 223-page manual are designed to help humanitarian workers reduce sexual violence, HIV transmission and maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality. "When a disaster strikes, although the first concern is survival, other essential needs do not disappear. ...

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Luxembourg has agreed to automatically exchange information with United States tax authorities about the bank accounts held by U.S. citizens and residents, the finance ministry said on Tuesday. In April, Luxembourg announced an end to bank secrecy rules from 2015 for EU citizens who have savings in the country. Luxembourg, with a banking industry roughly 22 times the size of its economy and with deposits 10 times its GDP, has come under heavy pressure to change its bank secrecy laws in recent months. ...

By Sumeet Chatterjee and Harichandan Arakali MUMBAI/BANGALORE (Reuters) - IT outsourcing company iGate Corp sacked Chief Executive Phaneesh Murthy after a company sexual harassment investigation revealed that he had not disclosed a relationship with a subordinate. Shares of the company fell 13 percent on the Nasdaq after the removal of Murthy, who led several initiatives to improve the company's performance such as charging clients for business results instead of man hours, the billing method more commonly used by IT outsourcing firms. ...

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's semi-official Mehr news agency said on Tuesday that it had heard that the Guardian Council, which is vetting candidates for next month's presidential election, had barred former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani and a leading ally of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad from running. If true, the exclusion of Rafsanjani and Esfandiar Rahim Mashaie, a former chief of staff to Ahmadinejad detested by the clerical establishment, would leave the presidential race dominated by hardline conservatives close to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. ...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - JPMorgan Chase & Co shareholders voted in support of Chairman and Chief Executive Jamie Dimon maintaining both roles, rejecting a proposal from shareholders who said the corporate governance structure was flawed, according to a preliminary tally at its annual meeting on Tuesday. Only 32.2 percent of shareholders voted in favor of splitting the chairman and CEO roles, less than the roughly 40 percent who voted to split a year ago. Shareholders also voted to support the bank's 11 directors in a range of 53.1 percent for Ellen Futter to 99. ...

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 dissatisfaction among large sections of urban voters over its performance.

Chennai, May 21 (IANS) India's atomic regulator and city based Anna University Tuesday signed a memorandum of understanding to promote research in academic institutions in the areas of atomic energy regulation and safety.

Kolkata, May 21 (IANS) The West Bengal government is conducting a survey for gauging the extent of tribal land encroached upon in the state's northern part, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said here Tuesday.

Panaji, May 21 (IANS) A land record portal developed by the Goa government has won an international award for making e-governance concepts people-friendly and accessible, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar said Tuesday.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) A Delhi court Tuesday extended by five days the police custody of cricketer S. Sreesanth, his Rajasthan Royals teammates Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila and eight bookies for alleged spot fixing in the ongoing Indian Premier League.

Chandigarh, May 21 (IANS) Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party combine Tuesday claimed a "clean sweep" in the zila parishad and block samiti elections.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Former Ranji cricket player Baburao Yadav, arrested in the IPL spot fixing scandal, was in constant touch with a bookie for two years and introduced him to an accused Rajasthan Royals player, Delhi Police said Tuesday.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Tuesday sought a response from Haryana's director general of police and Kaithal police chief following media reports that a Dalit boy was assaulted by a man who was part of a group which had attacked Dalits earlier as well.

Kolkata, May 21 (IANS) US Ambassador Nancy Powell Tuesday called for greater economic opening and more foreign investments for India's higher economic growth, saying "there is more yet to do" in the area of reforms to return to 10 percent growth.

Kolkata, May 21 (IANS) Works for the Rs.200-crore proposed integrated check post at Petrapole on the India-Bangladesh border are slow moving due to problems regarding land acquisition and obtaining clearances from different agencies, an official said Tuesday.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) A 27-year-old man committed suicide here Tuesday, depressed over being beaten by his in-laws and his wife's refusal to return home from her parents' house.

New Delhi, May 21 (IANS) Sahara India Pariwar pulled out its franchise Pune Warriors India from the already scandal-hit Indian Premier League (IPL) Tuesday besides announcing that the group will not sponsor the Indian cricket team after the present contract expires in December 2013.

Kolkata, May 21 (IANS) Kolkata-based non-banking finance company Srei Infrastructure Finance Tuesday said its board has okayed to raise funds up to Rs.1,500 crore by public issue of debentures in one or more tranches this fiscal.