SYDNEY: Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop clarified some earlier comments on Wednesday by saying the country had no plans to boycott the soccer World Cup in response to a nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Britain. After Australia expelled two Russian diplomats on Tuesday, Bishop said that boycotting the June 14-July 15 tournament in Russia was among “a range” of other options available to the government. On Wednesday, she cleared up what she thought had been a misunderstanding over her comments. “The Australian government is not considering a boycott of the World Cup,” she told reporters. Britain has blamed Moscow for the attack on the former Russian intelligence officer in Salisbury, prompting a series of reprisals against the Kremlin across the world. Published in Daily Times, March 29th 2018.