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By Luke Baker BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Britain, France and Germany called for stricter rules to stop companies such as Google, Apple and Amazon aggressively avoiding taxes in austerity bitten Europe, while acknowledging they had done nothing unlawful. At a summit to discuss energy and tax policy, the leaders of the three largest EU countries took the opportunity at news conferences to lament the impact of corporate tax avoidance, following several cases involving U.S. firms. ...

By Philip Pullella VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican's new financial watchdog said on Wednesday it had detected six possible attempts to use the Holy See to launder money last year, citing this as proof of its commitment to transparency. The head of the Vatican's Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA), presenting its first annual report, also said it would soon have stronger supervisory powers over the Vatican's scandal-plagued bank, the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), dubbed the world's most secretive bank by Forbes magazine. ...

By Peroshni Govender JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African government report released on Wednesday implicated President Jacob Zuma in a scandal over a plane chartered by rich friends of his which landed at a military base without proper permission. The presidency and Zuma's ruling African National Congress (ANC) have denied demanding landing permission for the flight carrying nearly 200 guests for a wedding. But a diplomatic protocol chief Bruce Koloane said he acted "under pressure from No. 1", a direct reference to Zuma, the report said. ...

By Arshad Mohammed and Erika Solomon AMMAN/BEIRUT (Reuters) - The United States and its allies are ready to increase support for Syria's rebels if President Bashar al-Assad refuses to discuss a political solution to his country's civil war, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday. Rebels called for reinforcements to combat President Bashar al-Assad's forces, which have launched an offensive in recent days against a strategic town backed by Assad's allies from Lebanon's powerful Shi'ite militia Hezbollah. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Japanese drugmaker Daiichi Sankyo Co, which bought control of Ranbaxy Laboratories in 2008, said it believes unnamed former shareholders of the company hid information regarding U.S. regulatory probes into Ranbaxy. Last week, Ranbaxy pleaded guilty to felony charges related to drug safety and agreed to pay $500 million in civil and criminal fines under a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice. "Daiichi Sankyo believes that certain former shareholders of Ranbaxy concealed and misrepresented critical information concerning the U.S. ...

By Peter Apps, Political Risk Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Even as the United States accuses China of military espionage and worries about Beijing's more strident posture in the Asia-Pacific region, the ties between the armed forces of the two nations have been getting closer. Direct contact between China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) and some of its potential adversaries has increased dramatically in the last two years. The first major public sign of the thaw was a joint concert by the U.S. ...

By Arshad Mohammed AMMAN (Reuters) - Western governments are ready to increase support to opponents of President Bashar al-Assad if he rejects a political solution to Syria's civil war, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Wednesday. Kerry said recent military gains by Assad's forces were only temporary and that if the Syrian leader believed that the counter-offensives against the rebels would be decisive, "then he is miscalculating". ...

PRAGUE (Reuters) - Part of an exhibition displaying outfits and photographs of Marilyn Monroe was stolen while being transported to the Czech Republic from Italy, the event's curator said on Wednesday. The exhibition, commemorating the 50th anniversary of her death, was created by the Museo Salvatore Ferragamo in Florence last year. Ferragamo was the actress' favourite shoemaker and she owned a dozen pairs of his hand-made shoes. ...

By Nicholas Vinocur PARIS (Reuters) - Defenders of the French language are furious at plans to introduce courses taught in English at public universities, arguing that France must protect itself against linguistic encroachment or risk losing its cultural identity. Parliament started to debate the issue on Tuesday as part of a bill on a broader reform of higher education, but all attention has focused on an article that would abolish a 19-year ban on English as a teaching language at public universities. ...

By Andrew Osborn and Costas Pitas LONDON (Reuters) - Google Inc's tax affairs came under renewed scrutiny in Britain on Wednesday when the leader of the opposition Labour party accused the Internet company of wrongly going to "extraordinary lengths" to avoid paying tax. In comments designed to politically outflank Prime Minister David Cameron ahead of next month's G8 summit on what has become a high-profile issue, Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, said he was disappointed that Google paid so little tax. "I can't be the only person here who feels disappointed that such a great company as Google ...

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - An Istanbul court has sentenced a Turkish-Armenian author and blogger to more than a year in prison for insulting the Prophet Mohammad, local media reported on Wednesday, weeks after a similar case caused alarm among secularists. Sevan Nisanyan, who has authored several books and who runs a blog on what he describes as "history, religion and a (little) politics", posted a link to the offending blog on his Twitter account following the ruling. The accompanying message read: "Let's share the article that brought a sentence of 13. ...

By Ryan Vlastelica NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks, bonds and currencies took a wild ride on Wednesday after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said the U.S. central bank's massive bond-buying program would remain in place for now, even as the bank considers cutting back stimulus in coming months. Wall Street stocks jumped as much as 1 percent, before modestly paring gains after Bernanke, in testimony to Congress, said that if economic improvement continued, "We could in the next few meetings take a step down in our pace of purchases. ...

By Carey Gillam and Ian Simpson MOORE, Oklahoma (Reuters) - Rescue workers with sniffer dogs picked through the ruins of an Oklahoma town on Wednesday to ensure no survivors remained buried after a deadly tornado left thousands homeless and trying to salvage what was left of their belongings. "Yesterday I was numb. Today I cried a lot. Now I'm on the victory side of it," said Beth Vrooman, who hid in a shelter in her garage during Monday's storm in Moore, Oklahoma. When the winds died down, she realized a car was blocking her exit. ...

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) While the UPA counted its achievements in the nine years of its rule, the BJP Wednesday said the government was "misleading" the people.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Highlights of what Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi said Wednesday at the UPA-II's fourth anniversary:

Hull (England), May 22 (IANS) Dipika Pallikal reached the pre-quarterfinals at the Allam British Open Squash Championships after edging out Denmark's Line Hansen in the longest match of the tournament so far.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Rajasthan Royals restricted Sunrisers Hyderabad to 132/7 in their Indian Premier League eliminator being played here at the Ferozeshah Kotla Wednesday. Shikhar Dhawan top scored with 33.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Congress president Sonia Gandhi Wednesday appealed to the opposition parties, including the BJP, to cooperate with the UPA government in passing the food security and land acquisition bills in the interest of the people.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Wednesday spoke of the UPA having improved economic performance, rebutted opposition allegations on 2G spectrum and coal blocks allocations, and talked of the country's re-emergence through transformation.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Detailing economic growth during the UPA regime, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday the slowdown last year was "temporary" and a longer term view would show that India has notched up an average "8 percent growth" in the past nine years.

Lucknow, May 22 (IANS) A man killed his three children Wednesday in Uttar Pradesh and committed suicide by throwing himself in front of a speeding bus, police said. He suspected his wife to be in an illicit relation with one of his relatives.

Panaji, May 22 (IANS) Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in June to press for special status for Goa and demand a special package for the people affected by the mining ban in the state, it was announced here Wednesday.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) On the ninth anniversary of the UPA government Wednesday, its two key figures -- Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi -- praised one another.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) The UPA is committed to transparency and allegations of impropriety in telecom spectrum and coal blocks allocations are being investigated and wrongdoers will be punished, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Wednesday.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) In an obvious reference to the urban centres of criticism, Congress president Sonia Gandhi quipped Wednesday that "Dilliwalas" don't seem to know the UPA's success story.

New Delhi, May 22 (IANS) Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi Wednesday described Defence Minister A.K. Antony as his "guru".