Category: Other

MANILA, Oct 8, 2007 (AFP) – A proposal by the Philippine parliament to spend 22 million dollars buying condoms and birth control pills has been condemned by the Roman Catholic Church, it was reported Monday.The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, told the Manila Standard Today that the money […]

RIYADH, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) – Saudi Arabia’s religious police have arrested a domestic worker accused of having put a spell on her employer, the Al-Madina newspaper reported on Sunday.The arrest of the maid, whose nationality was not revealed, followed a complaint by the wife of the employer who she said had been “bewitched by […]

LONDON, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) – US financial giant Citigroup Inc.is set to hand troubled British bank Northern Rock a multi-billion pound lifeline to ease its current funding crisis, three newspapers here said Sunday. The Sunday Times and The Sunday Telegraph said Citigroup was prepared to lend Northern Rock between five billion pounds and 10 […]

DAMBULLA, Sri Lanka, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) – Off-spinner Graeme Swann grabbed four wickets in a disciplined spell to help England restrict Sri Lanka to 164 in the third one-day international here on Sunday. . Updated The off-spinner grabbed four wickets in a disciplined spell and then made a crucial 25 as England achieved the […]

NEW DELHI, Oct 7, 2007 (AFP) – India has recalled its top spy in Sri Lanka following complaints of “irregular” relations with a woman from regional rival China, officials said here on Sunday.Ravi Nair “has been recalled and he will report back to the headquarters,” said a senior government official who asked not to be […]

WASHINGTON, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) – Sprint superstar Marion Jones, who has dodged doping allegations for years, has admitted using steroids before her triumphant 2000 Olympics campaign, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.The Post, in a story posted on its website, said Jones had written to family and friends to tell them she would plead […]

VIENNA, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) – Europe’s two biggest central banks kept interest rates on hold Thursday as they scoured financial and economic data for signs of damage in the wake of a global banking crisis.“This underpins our call for the ECB to be firmly on hold for now,” Bartsch said.The European Central Bank and […]

STOCKHOLM, Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) – The 2007 Nobel prize season opens Monday with the announcement of the medicine prize, as the fight against climate change is tipped for the Nobel Peace Prize and speculation is rife for the literature award. Laureates receive a gold medal, a diploma and 10 million Swedish kronor (1.53 million […]

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) – A Malaysian teenage girl desperately looking for a new heart has successfully undergone a transplant operation after being hooked up to a mechanical heart for over a year, reports said Friday. Tee Hui Yee, 14, received a heart in a 10-hour operation at the National Heart Institute late […]

Oct 5, 2007 (AFP) – Sri Lankan selectors Friday dropped seasoned middle-order batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan from their 16-man squad for the two-Test tour of Australia starting later this month.The 30-year-old, who has been struggling with his Test form in the last two years, was replaced by Thilan Samaraweera. Dilshan, has however been kept on standby […]

VIENNA, Oct 4, 2007 (AFP) – The European Central Bank was set to hold interest rates steady Thursday amid concern that the euro’s strength and a slowing economy were stirring up stiff headwinds for the 13-nation eurozone.The Bank of England was expected to leave its main lending rate unchanged as well, at 5.75 percent after […]