SOUTHPORT, July 18, 2008 (AFP) - Beastly Birkdale sent some big names packing on Friday when the cut fell at the British Open.

World top tenners Geoff Ogilvy (3rd), Stewart Cink (6th) and Vijay Singh (10th) were all casualties and they will head home to join the injured No.1 Tiger Woods watching the weekend's action on TV.

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2008 (AFP) - The following is the full text of the statement issued Wednesday by the Federal Open Market Committee in announcing a 25 basis point reduction in the base federal funds rate to 2.0 percent:

'The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to lower its target for the federal funds rate 25 basis points to 2 percent.

PARIS, April 7, 2008 (AFP) - The Paris leg of the Beijing Olympic torch relay was cut short Monday after citywide protests against China's crackdown in Tibet, police said.

The torch was put on a bus outside the French parliament to be carried on the final stretch of its trip to a stadium in the south of the city.

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2008 (AFP) - The US Federal Reserve slashed key rates three-quarters of a point Tuesday, bringing the federal funds rate to 2.25 percent, to fight a mushrooming credit crisis.

The central bank also trimmed its discount rate for direct loans to banks, and now available to some securities firms, by a similar amount, bringing the rate to 2.50 percent.

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2008 (AFP) - The following is the full text of the statement issued Tuesday by the Federal Open Market Committee in announcing a 75 basis point reduction in the base federal funds rate to 2.25 percent:

'The Federal Open Market Committee decided today to lower its target for the federal funds rate 75 basis points to 2.25 percent.

WASHINGTON, March 18, 2008 (AFP) - The US Federal Reserve slashed key rates three-quarters of a point Tuesday, bringing the federal funds rate to 2.25 percent, to fight a mushrooming credit crisis.

The central bank also trimmed its discount rate for direct loans to banks, and now available to some securities firms, by a similar amount, bringing the rate to 2.50 percent.

MOSCOW, March 4, 2008 (AFP) - Russia reduced gas supplies to Ukraine by an additional quarter on Tuesday after a 25 percent cut in a debt dispute, a spokesman for Russian gas monopoly Gazprom said on state television.

'Supplies of gas for Ukrainian consumers... have been reduced by an additional 25 percent,' the spokesman, Sergei Kupriyanov, told reporters.

MOSCOW, March 4, 2008 (AFP) - European customers will not be affected by a huge cut in gas deliveries to Ukraine by Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, the company said Tuesday.

Deliveries 'will be assured at full volume,' spokesman Sergei Kuprianov said on state television after announcing that a further 25 percent cut would be imposed in supplies to Ukraine.

MOSCOW, March 4, 2008 (AFP) - Russian gas monopoly Gazprom said Tuesday it would cut Ukraine's gas supply by a further 25 percent over a debt dispute.

Gazprom has already cut supplies by 25 percent and has decided 'to cut deliveries by another 25 percent' at 1700 GMT Tuesday, spokesman Sergei Kuprianov said on state television.

KIEV, March 3, 2008 (AFP) - Ukraine on Monday said Russia's Gazprom was to cut gas supplies by more than a third, rather than by just 25 percent as the Russian gas giant announced earlier, in a dispute over unpaid debts.