Large retailers offer more basics in bid to draw traffic and repeat Wal-Mart’s success

NEW YORK — As Wal-Mart prepares for its annual shareholder meeting Friday, several large retailers are emulating the king of one-stop shopping and offering more necessities.

Scramble by rivals, independents to support UPA

NEW DELHI - The UPA’s stupendous showing at the hustings has had a cascading effect on its estranged allies and supporters, and even independent MPs. There was a virtual scramble Tuesday by political parties to announce support to the new United Progressive Alliance government.

Kapil Dev campaigns for Azharuddin

MORADABAD / MATHURA - Former Indian cricket skipper Kapil Dev campaigned for the successful innings of fellow cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin as a politician at Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday.

We want peace with India: Zardari

WASHINGTON - Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari has said he is eager to start talks with India soon to establish peace between both the nations.

Crawford’s 4 hits, 6 stolen bases help Shields beat Red Sox 5-3

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Carl Crawford tied a modern major league record with six stolen bases to help Tampa Bay beat Boston 5-3 on Sunday for its first series win in nearly a month.

Ramesh vs Ramesh in South Delhi

NEW DELHI - Once known as the constituency of the rich and the famous, South Delhi has lost its elite touch post-delimitation. Many of the posh colonies have been shifted to the New Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, while South Delhi now has a majority of voters from villages and slums, bringing caste politics into play as never before.

China, Taiwan to sign financial pact, other agreements, to boost economic cooperation

BEIJING — Negotiators from China and Taiwan were expected to sign a financial cooperation pact Sunday amid efforts by Taiwan’s president to improve relations with Beijing.

Better security sought after Ambani chopper sabotage complaint

NEW DELHI - A leading chamber has sought better security for corporate chiefs and sensitive establishments after an attempt was allegedly made to sabotage a chopper that belongs to the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani group.

JetBlue posts profit as fuel costs drop; new Boston-Baltimore route to compete with Southwest

NEW YORK — JetBlue Airways Corp. on Thursday said it will “aggressively defend” itself against growing competition on routes and pricing from rivals including Southwest Airlines Co. and Virgin America, after posting a first-quarter profit that topped Wall Street expectations.

EU passes new rules on opening up gas and electricity markets after nearly 3 years

STRASBOURG, France — The European Union on Wednesday approved new rules for opening up gas pipelines and electricity grids to competition — a move that regulators claim could help bring down energy prices and improve energy security.

AirTran Airways posts first-quarter profit

ATLANTA — AirTran Holdings Inc., parent of discount carrier AirTran Airways, said Wednesday it posted a first-quarter profit of $28.7 million despite a 9 percent drop in revenue, compared to a restated year ago loss of $35.4 million.

Kaiser Chiefs and Oasis in another row

LONDON - Rockers Kaiser Chiefs have started another verbal feud with rivals Oasis.

The Leeds lads, who had a hit with ‘I Predict A Riot’, and Oasis lead guitarist Noel Gallagher have traded insults in the past as well.

IPL: Television rights, not weather behind England making way for South Africa

LONDON - Television rights and not the weather, it appears convinced Indian Premier League commissioner Lalit Modi to chose South Africa instead of England for the second edition of the twenty20 tournament.

PM will campaign, says Varun Gandhi’s remarks ‘unfortunate’

NEW DELHI - In his first public comments after he underwent a coronary bypass surgery nearly two months ago, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Thursday said he would be campaigning for the Congress and termed Varun Gandhi’s alleged communal remarks ‘unfortunate’.

Congress treading cautiously in BJP’s Himachal stronghold

SHIMLA - The Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) look set for a keen contest in Hamirpur, one of the four parliamentary seats in Himachal Pradesh. However, choosing a candidate for Hamirpur is proving to be a tough call for the Congress, with the names a former BJP defector and even Bollywood actress Preity Zinta doing the rounds.

Troubled Ancelotti gets ultimatum from AC Milan

ROME - AC Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani sent a clear message to coach Carlo Ancelotti, saying he is only certain to keep his job if the Devils retain their current third place in the Italian Serie A, Italian media reported.

Russia to supply more Krivak-class warships to India

MOSCOW - Russia and India are negotiating a new contract on the delivery of additional warships for the Indian Navy, the head of Russia’s arms exporter said Wednesday.

Mexico drug criminal claims he dissolved 300 bodies

MEXICO CITY - The Mexican Army has arrested a drug suspect who claimed to have dissolved 300 corpses of other drug criminals with corrosive chemicals over the past 10 years.

Valencia beat Sevilla; Barcelona reserves held by Espanyol

MADRID - The quarter-finals of the Spanish King’s Cup produced two contrasting first-leg clashes, an epic 3-2 win for Valencia over Sevilla, followed by a drab goalless draw between crosstown rivals Espanyol and Barcelona.

Pakistan cricketers get hefty pay hike under new contract

KARACHI - The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has offered central contracts to 27 players for a one-year period. Contrary to reports that the new contracts will force the cricketers to accept pay cuts, the board has enhanced the fees and bonuses.