The 84-year-old former chairman and chief executive of Chevron, George Keller, died Friday in Palo Alto.

A spokeswoman for the New York Times, Diane McNulty, has confirmed the news of Keller’s death.

Keller’s daughter-in-law, Emma Gilbey Keller - wife of his son Bill who is executive editor of the Times - said he died from complications of orthopedic surgery.

Keller was one of the key players in the 1980s era of deregulation, globalization, and the emergence of junk bond financing, when it seemed like no company was immune from hostile takeovers.

Washington - International Monetary Fund (IMF) chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has reportedly apologized to staff over an improper affair with a married subordinate.

Meanwhile, the IMF on Monday said an inquiry into whether he abused his position will be completed by the end of the month.

Strauss-Kahn met Friday with the IMF's executive board, which has the power to dismiss him, and has been "fully supportive" of the investigation, according to a statement from Shakour Shaalan, who leads the 24-member board.

Sydney - Australian politicians learned Tuesday that the country's oldest practising lawyer had died aged 100 and that they would need to look for a new exemplar of grateful employment and retirement postponed.

When he succumbed to a stroke last week, George Bilbie was still working in the Newcastle law firm that he founded in 1944.

"I'm one of the luckiest people out there," Bilbie said a few months before his death. "When you are brought up poor, you appreciate everything you get."