World Watch

Aussies bored with poker

SYDNEY -- Australians are getting bored with stuffing their spare cash into poker machines, reports said.

Although Australians are far and away the world's most addicted gamblers, wagering more than three times as much on average as their nearest rivals, the Americans, there is evidence that quite a few are over their addiction, The Australian said.

A report from Melbourne's Swinburne University of Technology stated a 10 percent drop in the money spent on poker machines over the past five years.

Over 20 percent of the world's poker machines are in Australia and a worryingly high proportion of its problem gamblers. A quarter of adults regularly played the machines last year, but this was down from a third in 1996. -- Sapa-DPA

Schumacher cautious

BARCELONA -- World champion Michael Schumacher says complacency could shatter his dream of a fifth world Formula One crown.

Although he takes a 14-point lead in the championship into Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix here, the Ferrari ace said he was taking nothing for granted.

"I have enough experience in motor-racing to know that in time everything can change," he said.

"Even when we were chasing other teams in the past, we were able to pick up points and suddenly make the championship very tight."

The Ferrari star, who has won three of the season's four races so far and has a 14-point lead over brother Ralf, goes into Sunday's race comforted by having won here last year after Mika Hakkinen's McLaren surrendered a 40-second lead. -- Sapa-AFP

Deadly virus hits Greece

ATHENS -- Greece announced this week it was closing down all its schools, universities and baby care centres for three days because of a deadly virus that affects the heart and has already killed three people.

In the past week, the health ministry has recorded 19 cases of the virus, which targets the heart and respiratory system, Health Minister Alekos Papadopoulos said.

"Hospitals are on a state of alert to cope with the virus, which has killed three women, two of them on the island of Crete.''

The virus is characterised by flu-like symptoms before myocarditis takes hold. "While children are not particularly susceptible, they can easily carry the virus," the health ministry said. -- Sapa-AFP

Zim inmates get amnesty

HARARE -- President Robert Mugabe has granted amnesty to 4998 prisoners in an attempt to ease overcrowding in jails, the state-run Herald newspaper reported yesterday.

Justice minister Patrick Chinamasa told the paper the prisons are over-populated by 50 percent, stretching the limits of facilities, supplies and staff.

Zimbabwe's prisons have space for 16000 inmates, but now hold more than 22500 convicts.

The amnesty covers people older than 60, people who received a life sentence before April 18, 1982, and women convicted of infanticide, abortion, baby dumping and concealment of birth before April 18, 2002. Women who are breastfeeding and serving limited sentences and prisoners sentenced to less than 24 months are also covered. -- Sapa-AFP