United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon got an unusual treat for his 70th birthday when the president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, presented him with a cake made with coca leaves. The UN chief was in Santa Cruz, Bolivia for a meeting this weekend of the G77 group of countries to discuss measures for reducing poverty.
Plans are in the making in Jamaica for the decriminalization of possession of small amounts of marijuana. Among the proposals is that users of small quantities of the drug will no longer have a criminal record, and smoking of the weed would be lawful under certain conditions. However possession of cannabis would still be unlawful, though it would not lead to a criminal record.
Along with 3 billion other viewers around the world, I plan to tune in for the month-long World Cup to see whether the 22-year old Neymar can withstand the colossal pressure that has been put upon his shoulders to deliver a win for team Brazil.
Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff will not be attending any more matches of the World Cup following on the insults and verbal aggressions she received on Thursday during the opening ceremony and the Croatia-Brazil game, reported the Sao Paulo media.
FIFA can confirm that disciplinary proceedings have been opened against the Argentina Football Association (AFA) relating to an incident that occurred at the friendly match between Argentina and Slovenia on 7 June in La Plata, Argentina.
The Falkland Islands on Liberation Day pledged to continue developing its economy “for the benefit of our people, and for the preservation of our homeland”, despite the Argentine government's concerted efforts “to stifle our economic and political development over the last ten years”.
The US Supreme Court will reveal its decision on Argentina's request regarding litigation with the hedge funds case on Monday at 10.30am, after deliberating on Friday behind closed doors. A final outcome could arrive as late as next year though, if the judges decide to ask the US government for an opinion on the case before ruling.
Croatian coach Niko Kovac warned on Thursday the World Cup could become a “circus” after Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura awarded a soft 71st-minute penalty to hosts Brazil in the opening game of the tournament.
A new global protocol to fight forced labor, adopted this week by the International Labor Organization, will accelerate action against modern slavery. The private sector is responsible for 90% of the estimated 21 million victims of forced labor, reaping some 150 billion dollars from some of the most severe forms of exploitation in existence today.
The United States Supreme Court on Thursday sided with juice maker Pom Wonderful in its long-running false advertising dispute with the Coca-Cola Co., a decision that could open the door to more litigation against food makers for deceptive labeling.