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By Rajesh Kumar Singh and Rafael Nam NEW DELHI/MUMBAI (Reuters) - A top official said the government has options to stem a fall in the rupee but did not offer any specifics, turning the focus on the RBI to stem a rout that sent the rupee to record lows and bond yields surging on Thursday. The rupee, the worst Asian performer on Thursday in a global market sell-off, was instead supported by the Reserve Bank of India, which stepped in to sell dollars after it slumped to a record low of 59.9350 against the dollar, traders said. ...

By Tomo Uetake TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Nikkei share average fell on Thursday as weak China data further unsettled markets coming to grips with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's confirmation that the U.S. central bank could trim its bond-buying programme later this year. The benchmark Nikkei ended 1.7 percent lower at 13,014.58 points, retreating from a one-week high of 13,245.22 hit on Wednesday. It dipped below the 13,000 mark several times during the session. ...

By Chikako Mogi and Wayne Cole TOKYO/SYDNEY (Reuters) - Asian markets buckled badly on Thursday after the Federal Reserve heralded an eventual end to free money and China turned the screw on credit even as factory activity in the world's second-largest economy hit a nine-month low. Shares, currencies and commodities all crumbled as spooked investors rushed to unwind crowded trades in emerging markets. Central banks across the region were busy intervening trying to put out spot fires, but with only limited success. ...

DOHA (Reuters) - Preliminary Afghan peace talks in Qatar between U.S. and Taliban officials are unlikely to take place on Thursday as had been expected, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. Asked if the meeting would happen on Thursday, the source replied: "There is nothing scheduled that I am aware of." Asked if that meant they would not happen today, the source added: "Yes that's correct." A senior U.S. ...

By Paul Eckert WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. congressman who has been blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng's main champion in Washington said people working for New York University have tried to keep him from meeting Chen, barging into a meeting on Capitol Hill and pulling Chen out on one occasion. U.S. Representative Chris Smith, an outspoken supporter of Chinese dissidents since the 1980s, described repeated instances of various people he says were from NYU interfering in his attempts to meet with Chen. ...

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 Mari Saito TOKYO (Reuters) - Sony Corp shareholders pressed its chief executive for a response to hedge fund Third Point's proposal for a partial spinoff of its profitable entertainment arm but Kazuo Hirai pleaded for patience as management reviews the bold plan. Daniel Loeb, the billionaire hedge fund manager of Third Point and Sony's top shareholder, wants the electronics empire to sell to the public as much as one-fifth of its entertainment units and use the proceeds to bolster its struggling hardware divisions. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - NTPC, India's largest power producer, scrapped its bond sale scheduled for Thursday after a sell-off in government bonds caused worries about the pricing of its debt, four sources with direct knowledge of the bond sale said. The firm was planning to raise up to 10 billion rupees through an issue of dual tranche bonds. Trading in government bonds was halted earlier in the day after yields hit their upper circuits on a global riskoff following the Federal Reserve's comments on tapering of its stimulus programme. The trading band has subsequently been removed for the day. ...

By Anurag Kotoky NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India has launched a wide-ranging surveillance programme that will give its security agencies and even income tax officials the ability to tap directly into e-mails and phone calls without oversight by courts or parliament, several sources said. The expanded surveillance in the world's most populous democracy, which the government says will help safeguard national security, has alarmed privacy advocates at a time when allegations of massive U.S. digital snooping beyond American shores have set off a global furore. ...

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The government is not short of options to tackle the fall of the rupee and will take actions as necessary, the top adviser in the finance ministry told reporters on Thursday, after the rupee fell to a record low. Raghuram Rajan also said the Reserve Bank of India would take action to support the rupee as appropriate. The rupee fell a day after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke confirmed the Fed would begin winding down its stimulus spending later this year, and data showed China's factory activity weakened to a nine-month low in June. ...

Reuters Market Eye - Sintex Industries Ltd's shares fall 4 percent after the announcement of the stock's exclusion from the National Stock Exchange's (NSE) derivatives segment. The NSE said in a circular on Wednesday that trading in futures and options contracts of Sintex would not be available from August 30. "However, the existing unexpired contracts of expiry months June 2013, July 2013 and August 2013 would continue to be available for trading till their respective expiry and new strikes would also be introduced in the existing contract months," the exchange added. ...

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India is unlikely to ban gold imports or increase import taxes on the metal further, as that may lead more gold smuggling, a senior finance ministry official said on Thursday. The official added that the government has limited options to stall a record fall in the rupee. The rupee has fallen to 59.9350 to the dollar, a day after U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke confrimed the Fed would begin winding down its stimulus spending later this year, and data showed China's factory activity weakened to a nine-month low in June. ...

MUMBAI (Reuters) - The Reserve Bank of India is unlikely to cancel Friday's 150 billion rupee bond auction for now, officials close to the development told Reuters on Thursday. The 10-year benchmark 7.16 pct 2023 bond yield eased 3 basis points from the day's high to 7.33 percent, as expectations of bond cancellation fuelled mild buying. Officials will wait for the outcome of the underwriting auction to gauge demand for these bonds. (Reporting by Neha Dasgupta and Suvashree Dey Choudhury; Editing by Sunil Nair)

Mumbai, June 20 (IANS) The Indian rupee slumped to another record low of 59.93 against a dollar Thursday, after the US Federal Reserve signalled an end to its monetary stimulus that would help in further strengthening of the greenback.

Los Angeles, June 20 (IANS) British comedian Russel Brand says that actress Mila Kunis turned down his advances because she was in a relationship with Macaulay Culkin.

Beijing, June 20 (IANS) China's manufacturing activities fell to a nine-month low this month, according to a preliminary survey from HSBC.

Wellington, June 20 (IANS) New Zealand's economy grew by 0.3 percent in the March quarter, with the nationwide summer drought offsetting the effects of the reconstruction of the earthquake-battered Canterbury region, the government statistics agency reported Thursday.

New Delhi, June 20 (IANS) Senior BJP leader L.K. Advani met RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat here Thursday, a day after their meeting was deferred when the BJP veteran conveyed that he was "unwell".

Paris, June 20 (IANS) The $10.4 billion contract for 126 multi-role medium range combat aircraft that India has awarded to French aircraft maker Dassault for its Rafale aircraft has not got bogged down in any controversy nor were certain issues holding it up, Minister of State for Defence Jitendra Singh has said.

Mumbai, June 20 (IANS) A benchmark index of Indian equities markets plunged by 2.08 percent or 399.49 points during the pre-noon session Thursday.

Shimla, June 20 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh government and the Indian Air Force Thursday speeded up its operations to airlift tourists stranded for the past five days in Kinnaur district, which has been cut off following landslides, an official said here.

Rome, June 20 (IANS) Actor James Gandolfini, known playing the central character in popular TV series "The Sopranos", is no more. He was 51.

Patna, June 20 (IANS) Former Bihar minister Ashwani Kumar Choubey's two relatives were killed while he survived nature's fury at Kedarnath in Uttarakhand, a state where 300 people from Bihar are missing.

Buenos Aires, June 20 (IANS/EFE) Three robbers, two of whom were dressed as Orthodox Jewish rabbis and the third as a security guard, Wednesday held up a Buenos Aires bank and fled with the contents of several safety deposit boxes, police said.

Paris, June 20 (IANS) Two world aviation industry giants, Airbus and Boeing, are engaged in fierce commercial battles for winning big orders for their long-haul airplanes at the 2013 International Paris Air Show.

London, June 20 (IANS) A new research in Australia has suggested how much weight a baby gains during its first month could determine its intelligence quotient (IQ).