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NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Mumbai Police apprehended Gurunath Meiyappan, a key official of the Indian Premier League's (IPL) Chennai franchise, late on Friday in connection with a spot-fixing scandal that has also led to the arrest of three cricketers. Former test bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two other local cricketers were arrested last week on suspicion of taking money to concede a fixed number of runs and police have intensified investigations to discover the extent of the scandal. ...

By Alan Baldwin MONACO (Reuters) - Truth can be stranger than fiction in Formula One so perhaps it was inevitable that even some regulars were fooled when the launch of a new grand prix team was announced on April 1. Despite a polished website (www.dupontf1.com) and team details, there was no such thing as Dupont F1 - on the racetrack, at least. Julia Wurz, the former Benetton and Renault team public relations executive and wife of Austrian racer Alex, devised the stunt to publicise her debut novel set in the F1 paddock. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of Germans will descend on London's Wembley Stadium later on Saturday (1845 GMT) when four-times winners Bayern Munich take on domestic rivals Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final. The world's most prestigious club soccer match pits unassuming 68-year-old Bayern coach Jupp Heynckes against excitable Dortmund boss Juergen Klopp, 45, in an intriguing clash of styles. ...

By Simon Evans MIAMI (Reuters) - The Indiana Pacers threw open the NBA Eastern Conference finals on Friday, upsetting the Miami Heat with a 97-93 victory to level the best-of-seven series at 1-1. LeBron James scored 36 points for Miami but gave up two crucial turnovers down the stretch that cost the Heat, while Roy Hibbert top-scored for the Pacers with 29 points and Paul George added 22 and produced some outstanding defensive work. ...

By Warren Strobel WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saddled with Middle East problems ranging from Iran to Syria and beyond, President Barack Obama now faces one that is both old and new: Iraq. Unresolved sectarian tensions, inflamed by the raging civil war in neighbouring Syria, have combined to send violence in Iraq to its highest level since Obama withdrew the last U.S. troops in December 2011, U.S. officials and Middle East analysts say. A Sunni Muslim insurgency against the Shi'ite-led Baghdad government has also been reawakened. ...

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil's Neymar is on the verge of choosing one of two offers from un-named clubs, reported to be Spanish suitors Barcelona and Real Madrid, after Santos agreed on Friday to transfer him. Santos said they had ended a three-year fight to keep the 21-year-old, Brazil's big hope for next year's World Cup finals, and agreed to a transfer, giving him the right to choose which offer to accept, though a decision was not imminent. ...

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Seventeen Pakistani children burnt to death on Saturday when a gas cylinder on the bus taking them to school exploded, media said. Ten children were injured in the blaze on the outskirts of Gujrat, 100 miles (170 km) southeast of Islamabad, DawnNews said. Many vehicles in energy-starved Pakistan are powered by relatively cheap compressed natural gas and cylinder blasts are common. (Reporting by Nick Macfie; Editing by Ron Popeski)

By Natsuko Waki LONDON (Reuters) - The world's biggest investors may be rethinking 20 years of boosting overseas holdings and are instead seeking more stable cash income at home, as aging societies and tighter regulation dull risk appetite. This heralds a structural shift toward investments that produce long-term income in advanced economies, home to two thirds of the money held by insurers and pension funds - some $55 trillion. ...

By Alan Baldwin MONACO (Reuters) - AirAsia, which smashed order records for Airbus jets to become Asia's largest budget carrier, could buy another 50 planes as it targets aggressive expansion in India, Chief Executive Tony Fernandes said. Discussion of an order for another 50 A320-family jets, worth $5 billion at list prices, comes weeks ahead of the Paris air show and five months after the Malaysian carrier added 100 jets to its order book to lift total purchases to 475 planes. ...

LONDON (Reuters) - If your idea of a nature hike involves driving an elusive ball over acres of meticulously manicured greens, then bookmark this list of premier putting destinations created with golf enthusiasts in mind, hand-picked by the boutique hotel experts Mr & Mrs Smith (www.mrandmrssmith.com). Fore! Reuters has not endorsed this list: 1. Primland; Virginia, USA Pristine Primland hotel in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains is an elegant estate surrounded by 12,000 verdant acres. ...

By Tim Gaynor and David Schwartz PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio violated the constitutional rights of Latino drivers in his crackdown on illegal immigration, a federal judge found on Friday, and ordered him to stop using race as a factor in law enforcement decisions. The ruling against the Maricopa County sheriff came in response to a class-action lawsuit brought by Hispanic drivers that tested whether police can target illegal immigrants without racially profiling U.S. citizens and legal residents of Hispanic origin. U.S. ...

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang criticised the European Union over its plans to investigate alleged anti-competitive behaviour by Chinese mobile telecom equipment makers and to impose punitive import duties on solar panels from China, state media reported. The official Xinhua news agency reported late on Friday that Li had told business leaders in Switzerland such measures would "harm others without benefiting oneself". Li is the most senior Chinese official to comment on the troublesome issue so far. ...

By Khaled Yacoub Oweis ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Syrian opposition talks aimed at presenting a coherent front at an international peace conference to end the civil war faced the prospect of collapse after President Bashar al-Assad's foes failed to cut an internal deal, opposition sources said on Friday. ...

Los Angeles, May 25 (IANS) Singer Mariah Carey suffered a wardrobe malfunction while chatting with a TV host, but she carried on with the show despite it.

Montevideo, May 25 (IANS) Uruguay coach Oscar Tabarez has included Brazil-based players Diego Forlan and Nicolas Lodeiro in his squad for June internationals against France and Venezuela in addition to the Confederations Cup.

Bangalore, May 25 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Saturday expanded his ministry by inducting senior Congressman S.R. Patil, the first from the legislative council to join the week-old ministry.

Rio de Janeiro, May 25 (IANS) Flamengo's executive director Paulo Pelaipe has rejected reports the club is pursuing unsettled Real Madrid midfielder Kaka.

Kolkata, May 25 (IANS) Mumbai Indians batsman Dwayne Smith Saturday was fined 10 percent of his match fee for breaching the Indian Premier League (IPL) Code of Conduct during the Qualifier 2 match against Rajasthan Royals at the Eden Gardens Friday.

Santa Cruz (Bolivia), May 25 (IANS) Bolivia's government, which asserted greater state control over the Andean nation's natural gas sector seven years ago, says it will issue a decree to encourage investment in exploration.

Washington, May 25 (IANS/EFE) The birth rate among American teenage girls has dropped considerably, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) Former Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman Lalit Modi Saturday called for the termination of Chennai Super Kings (CSK) following the arrest of Gurunath Meiyappan, son-in-law of Indian cricket board chief N. Srinivasan, in the IPL spot fixing scam.

Los Angeles, May 25 (IANS/EFE) For the first time in his career, Charlie Sheen will use his real name, Carlos Estevez, in the credits of the movie "Machete Kills", a decision that contrasts a past statement that he does not feel "Latino".

Rio de Janeiro, May 25 (IANS/EFE) Brazilian state-controlled energy giant Petrobras said Friday it sold a 12 percent stake in an oil block off Tanzania's coast to Norway's Statoil.

The celebration of the fourth anniversary of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) on May 22 was preceded by predictions in various opinion polls about a fall in its number of Lok Sabha seats in the next general election.

Los Angeles, May 25 (IANS/EFE) Danny Muñoz, a marine biologist at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, is part of the team behind an exhibit of more than a dozen newly discovered species for the facility's new Wonders of the Deep gallery.

New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) Face packs made from a concoction of natural ingredients can clear off acne from your face. Single ingredients like unprocessed honey, toothpaste and vinegar can also do the job well.