Yahoo! News India

By Hamid Shalizi KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan President Hamid Karzai plans to discuss potential arms deals with Indian officials during a trip to New Delhi this week, officials said, at a time when tensions are running high on Afghanistan's disputed border with Pakistan. Kabul's overtures to New Delhi are likely to rile Islamabad where a new government led by two-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif is set to take office soon, promising improved ties with India. ...

By William James LONDON (Reuters) - An independent Scotland would have a vastly oversized financial sector that would leave it vulnerable to a Cyprus-style banking crisis, Britain's finance ministry says. Before a referendum due in September 2014 on whether Scotland should split from the United Kingdom, the British government is analysing the impact of independence on Scotland, which has a population of about 5 million. ...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon voiced concern on Sunday over North Korea's launch of short-range missiles, urging Pyonyang to refrain from further launches and return to stalled nuclear talks with world powers. Ban, who spoke to Russian state news agency RIA Novosti during a visit to Moscow, called North Korea's launch of three short-range missiles from its east coast on Saturday a "provocative action". "We are very worried over North Korea's provocative action," he told RIA in comments translated into Russian. ...

DUBAI (Reuters) - Iranian authorities executed two men on Sunday convicted of working for Israeli and U.S. spy agencies, Iran's Fars news agency reported. Mohammad Heidari, accused of passing security-related information and secrets to Israeli Mossad agents in exchange for money, and Kourosh Ahmadi, accused of gathering information for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, were hanged at dawn, it said. The sentence for their execution was handed down by Tehran's Revolutionary Court and confirmed by the country's Supreme Court. ...

By Katharine Houreld and Syed Raza Hassan ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - An upmarket constituency of Pakistan's violence-plagued city of Karachi voted again under tight security on Sunday, a day after gunmen killed a senior politician from a reformist party in the district and a week after general elections. It was not immediately clear who killed Zara Shahid Hussain, a leading member of the Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaf (PTI) party of former cricket star Imran Khan. Imran blamed the killing on the Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) party, which has a stranglehold on the city. ...

By Tabassum Zakaria and David Alexander WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Under pressure to fight sexual assault, the U.S. armed forces in recent years rolled out education programs about proper sexual conduct through methods like role playing and video games. The increase in education has nevertheless failed to prevent what the nation's top general called last week "a crisis" after the Pentagon reported a 37 percent jump in the estimated number of sexual assault cases in 2012. ...

MILAN (Reuters) - Qatar Holding and an Italian state-controlled investment fund are interested in investing in Italian fashion house Versace, Il Sole 24 Ore said on Saturday. The Qatar sovereign fund is "carefully looking at" Versace, the Italian daily said, citing financial sources. The paper cited market rumours as saying the fund was flanked by FSI, the Italian strategic investment fund owned by state financing company Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. In November, Qatar Holding signed a joint venture agreement with FSI to invest in Italian companies in sectors including food, fashion and luxury. ...

By Karen Brooks and Steve Gorman REUTERS - A single winning ticket for a record U.S. Powerball lottery jackpot worth $590.5 million was sold in Florida, organizers said late on Saturday, but there was no immediate word about who won or where in the state the ticket was bought. The winning numbers from Saturday night's drawing were: 10, 13, 14, 22 and 52, with a Powerball number of 11, and the odds of winning were put at one in 175 million. The grand prize, accumulated after two months of drawings, surpassed the previous record Powerball payoff of $587. ...

By Kate Holton LONDON (Reuters) - After months of speculation, Vodafone's Vittorio Colao will be under pressure next week to set out whether he may sell its prized stake in Verizon Wireless in what would be one of the biggest deals ever. Chief executive for five years, Colao has said only that he has an "open mind" on Vodafone's 45-percent stake in the U.S. operator, whose majority owner, Verizon Communications , is interested in buying out the British company's share. ...

REUTERS - Australia opening batsman David Warner will face a disciplinary hearing for his Twitter outburst against two senior Australian cricket journalists, the country's cricket board said on Sunday. The flamboyant left-handed batsman criticised News Limited journalists Robert Craddock and Malcolm Conn in an expletive-filled tirade, which grabbed headlines in Australia. The 26-year-old has been charged with breaking the code of behaviour which pertains to "unbecoming behaviour, regarding comments posted on his Twitter account," Cricket Australia said in a statement. ...

By Susan Cornwell WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When the Yemen-based branch of al Qaeda placed a bounty on her husband's head, Mary Feierstein learned of it from a friend who called and said, "You must be a mess!" U.S. Ambassador Gerald Feierstein was thousands of miles (km) away at the U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, without his wife and family on what is called an "unaccompanied" posting. He is one of more than a thousand U.S. diplomats on such tours of duty in danger spots around the world, part of a trend that is changing the definition of being a diplomat. ...

By Li Hui and Maxim Duncan QIANTUN, China (Reuters) - Two years short of 70, Zhang Guosheng spends his days caring for an 81-year-old fellow villager - washing his clothes, bringing meals to his bed, and keeping him company - a routine he'll keep up until he himself needs the type of care he is now giving. "Living here is better than staying at home alone. We help each other and have a common language," said the spritely Zhang, an enthusiastic dancer. "We are very happy here. ...

By Satarupa Bhattacharjya and Ross Colvin NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The Congress party is debating holding a general election in November, six months ahead of schedule, senior party leaders said, reflecting an internal discussion over whether to pull the plug on the shaky ruling coalition or have it serve a full term. Officially, the Congress party says the government - which has been battered by a series of corruption scandals and now governs as a minority after two allies withdrew from the ruling coalition - will limp on until elections are due in May 2014. ...

Mumbai, May 19 (IANS) He vouches for friendly competition with his contemporaries, but Ranbir Kapoor confesses his "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" co-star Deepika Padukone is the only one in the industry who intimidates him.

Chennai, May 19 (IANS) Tamil director C. Sathiyamoorthy, who is directing upcoming Tamil thriller titled "CSK - Life Is Not A Game", says the film is not about cricket, but the game does have an important part in the film.

Moscow, May 19 (IANS/RIA Novosti) After consultations with UN Security Council permanent members, a conference on the Syrian settlement will take place "very soon", possibly at the beginning of June, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said here Sunday.

Mumbai, May 19 (IANS) The producers of the Anurag Kashyap-directed "Ugly" left with the film for the ongoing Cannes International Film Festival, but Vikramaditya Motwane, who's also a producer, was left behind.

Moscow, May 19 (IANS/RIA Novosti) The returnable capsule of a biological research satellite landed in Russia Sunday, bringing mice, Mongolian gerbils, geckos and various micro-organisms and plants back to Earth after their month-long flight, the Mission Control said.

Moscow, May 19 (IANS/RIA Novosti) UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Sunday said he was concerned over North Korea's latest short-range missile launches and called on Pyongyang to return to the six-party talks on its controversial nuclear programme.

Moscow, May 19 (IANS/RIA Novosti) A group of Russian military observers will carry out two inspection missions over the US under the Open Skies Treaty between May 19 and June 3, the Russian defence ministry said.

Chennai, May 19 (IANS) Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Rajasthan Royals will file a police complaint against its tainted players who were caught in the spot-fixing scandal, announced Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N. Srinivasan here Sunday.

Hyderabad, May 19 (IANS) Setting a fresh deadline, three Congress MPs from Telangana Sunday asked the party's leadership to take a positive decision over the demand for separate statehood to the region by May 30.

Kolkata, May 19 (IANS) The West Bengal government has unveiled its draft industrial policy after a long wait to woo entrepreneurs by showcasing the state as an attractive investment destination.

Chennai, May 19 (IANS) The trailer of Superstar Rajinikanth-starrer Tamil period-drama "Kochadaiyaan", which was supposed to be unveiled at the ongoing Cannes film festival, was called off at the last minute because the team is still working on the final output of the trailer.

Los Angeles, May 19 (IANS) Actress Lindsay Lohan is reportedly avoiding Brooke Mueller, who wants to become her close friend, in a rehab.

Chennai, May 19 (IANS) All cricketers' agents will now need to be accredited to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) while an anti-corruption official of the board will be assigned to each Indian Premier League (IPL) team, BCCI president N. Srinivasan announced here Sunday in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal.