Category: World

June 2, 2007 (AFP) – Former Sri Lankan cricket coach Tom Moody says he is embarrassed by the derogatory reaction and constant harassment directed by Australian crowds towards Sri Lanka spinner Muttiah Muralitharan.Muralitharan’s ultra-flexible bowling action has come under its heaviest scrutiny in Australia, where he has been called for throwing on two tours, prompting […]

BANGALORE, India, June 1, 2007 (AFP) – Indian liquor tycoon Vijay Mallya bought a 26 percent stake Thursday in Air Deccan, throwing a 5.5 billion rupee (135 million dollar) lifeline to the loss-making discount carrier.Jet Airways bought rival Air Sahara for 340 million dollars in April. Bangalore-based Deccan will issue new preferential shares to Mallya’s […]

TOKYO, June 1, 2007 (AFP) – Japan was expected on Friday to name a replacement for agriculture minister Toshikatsu Matsuoka, who committed suicide earlier this week amid allegations of corruption, news reports said.Matsuoka, 62, known as a fervent lobbyist for farmers in his district, hanged himself Monday as he was set to face questioning in […]

OTTAWA, May 30, 2007 (AFP) – Everyone likes the sound of French it seems, and a zoo in western Canada has asked visitors to speak French to its Siberian tiger. “We hope people will come to the zoo and speak French to him to keep him company,” said Jan Archbold, a spokeswoman for the Edmonton […]

WASHINGTON, May 29, 2007 (AFP) – US President George W. Bush was on Wednesday to name administration pointman Robert Zoellick to head the World Bank, replacing Paul Wolfowitz, who quit over a favoritism scandal involving his bank employee girlfriend. The naming of the steady, stalwart Zoellick was meant to end weeks of upheaval in the […]

CHENNAI, India, May 30, 2007 (AFP) – Tamil, one of India’s ancient Dravidian languages, is to have its own government-funded institute, Tamil Nadu state’s chief minister said.The federal government has agreed to set up the International Institute of Classical Tamil Language in the state capital Chennai, where language politics have often boiled over. M. Karunanidhi […]

BEIJING, May 29, 2007 (AFP) – A Beijing court sentenced the former head of China’s food and drug administration to death Tuesday on corruption charges, state media reported.Zheng Xiaoyu, the former director of China’s State Food and Drug Administration, was convicted for taking bribes and dereliction of duty, the Xinhua news agency said.The sentence was […]

CARACAS, May 28, 2007 (AFP) – Despite protests by democracy activists, Venezuela’s oldest television network went off the air at midnight Sunday, victim of a fresh push by President Hugo Chavez to tighten his grip over the nation’s media. RCTV screens went black after the station broadcast previously-recorded images of its teary-eyed employees singing the […]

GENEVA, May 26, 2007 (AFP) – The World Trade Organisation on Saturday proposed sharply lowering tariffs on some agricultural products from poorer countries in exchange for them reducing trade protection measures. The WTO’s chief agriculture negotiator, Crawford Falconer, said the new proposal could allow for progress in the stalled Doha round of negotiations aimed at […]

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2007 (AFP) – US President George W.Bush intends to nominate a US citizen to succeed Paul Wolfowitz as head of the World Bank, the White House said Monday. “We intend that the next World Bank president would be an American,” spokesman Tony Fratto said after Bush returned from a long weekend on […]

WASHINGTON, May 21, 2007 (AFP) – The United States sought to boost nuclear power in the global energy mix Monday, by hosting China, France, Japan and Russia at the first meeting of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership.There are 100 nuclear power plants in operation across America producing about 20 percent of US power. President George […]

TEHRAN, May 21, 2007 (AFP) – Oil-rich Iran is to delay a plan, scheduled to be implemented on Wednesday, to ration petrol and raise pump prices that is expected to have a profound impact on its economy, officials said.Iran has been unable to distribute sufficient rationing cards in time to consumers to execute the plan, […]