Russian denies oil-for-food profit

Moscow Ultranationalist Russian lawmaker Vladimir Zhirinovsky on Monday denied wrongdoing under the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq, saying he never received money from Baghdad or companies that bought oil from Saddam Hussein’s government.

Zhirinovsky was responding to a U.S. Senate report alleging he was among Russian officials and politicians who received millions of dollars in oil allocations from Saddam’s government in return for their support in ending U.N. sanctions against Iraq.

Zhirinovsky said he used his close ties with Saddam’s government to steer Iraqi oil to Russian companies but claimed he was motivated by patriotism and received no compensation for helping with introductions to Iraqi officials.

Monk drinks poison after child sex charge

Colombo, Sri Lanka A monk drank poison and died after becoming the first Buddhist clergyman to be convicted of sexual abuse of a child in Sri Lanka, officials said.

Monk Bellana Panniyaloka was found guilty of sexual abuse of a 16-year-old girl in 2001 and was given the maximum 20-year penalty, an official said.

Soon after the sentence, Panniyaloka drank from a bottle concealed in his robes and collapsed. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died.

The priest belongs to a temple outside the capital Colombo where the victim was a Sunday school student. Monday’s conviction came a day after a Buddhist monk was arrested on charges of abusing a teenager in another temple, officials said.

Mexico’s president issues an apology

Mexico City President Vicente Fox reversed course Monday and apologized for saying Mexicans in the United States do the work blacks won’t.

Fox had refused to back away from his Friday comment, saying his remark was misinterpreted.

But later, in telephone conversations with the Rev. Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton the president said he “regretted” the statement.

“The president regretted any hurt feelings his statements may have caused,” the Foreign Relations Department said in a press statement. “He expressed the great respect he and his administration has for the African-American community in the United States.”