* CDB was to finance bulk of CP's purchase of the stake * Sale was Asia's 2nd-biggest M&A deal announced last year * CP has major interests in China from agriculture to retail By Heng Xie and Clare Baldwin BEIJING/HONG KONG, Jan 8 (Reuters) - HSBC's sale of its $9.4 billion stake in Ping An Insurance to Thailand's CP Group has been thrown into jeopardy after state-run China Development Bank (CDB) voiced concerns over funding for the deal, sources told Reuters.

Jan 8 (Reuters) - North Korea striker Jong Tae-se arrived in Seoul on Tuesday to finalise his move to the K-League's Suwon Samsung and said he hoped to play the role of sporting ambassador during his stint in the South. Jong is set to be unveiled as a Suwon player on Thursday after sealing a 300,000 euros ($395,850) switch from German club FC Cologne to the South Korean top flight.

By Patrick Johnston Jan 8 (Reuters) - A disappointing end to 2012 left Roger Federer's critics writing his tennis obituary, but the Swiss is confident he can win more grand slam titles after arriving in Melbourne refreshed and refocused following an extended break. While Federer's main rivals for a fifth Australian Open title, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray, have been getting matches under their belt in Australia, the 31-year-old opted for the practice courts and family time to keep his mind and body fresh.

By Terry Baynes Jan 7 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused to review a challenge to federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research brought by two researchers who said the U.S. National Institutes of Health rules on such studies violate federal law.