FIFA boss Sepp Blatter on Friday hit back at criticism over work conditions on World Cup venues in Qatar, accusing European companies and saying France and Germany pushed the bid for economic interests.
Airport operators from Singapore, Germany, Switzerland and Brazil on Friday won rights to run airports in Rio and Belo Horizonte, two host cities of the 2014 World Cup. One consortium including engineering firm Odebrecht and Singapore airport operator Changi paid 19 billion Reais (8.24 billion dollars) for a 25-year concession to run Rio's Galeao airport at an auction held at the Sao Paulo stock exchange.
President John F Kennedy was murdered by a CIA conspiracy including groups linked to the anti-Castro and Sicilian mafias because he was 'weak' with Cuba, claimed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro who remembered events of 50 years ago in Dallas.
FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter was granted a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican at lunchtime on Friday. During the discussions, the Holy Father asked FIFA to use football to promote peace in the world and to help the poor.
The United Nations maritime tribunal has ordered Russia to free a Greenpeace vessel and 30 people detained after an oil drilling protest in the Arctic. The court in the German city of Hamburg said a bond of 3.6 million Euros should be posted.
Spain’s President Mariano Rajoy has declared his intent to sustain both good relations with Britain and tough controls on Gibraltar at the border. The remarks came in an interview with Radio Nacional de España in which he defended Spain’s attitude to Gibraltar.
The United States Senate Banking Committee approved on Thursday Janet Yellen's nomination to become the first woman to lead the Federal Reserve, sending it to the full Senate for a final vote. If she is confirmed, as is widely expected, the current No. 2 at the central bank will replace its chairman, Ben Bernanke, when his term expires on January 31, making her the most powerful woman in world finance.
Several major environmental groups, including Greenpeace and WWF, have walked out of UN climate talks in Warsaw, Poland in protest at what they see as a lack of progress towards an international deal to curb rising global greenhouse gas emissions.
A Falkland Islands delegation made up of two members of the Legislative Assembly, Roger Edwards and Ian Hansen will be attending the second annual Overseas Territories Joint Ministerial Conference (JMC) in London next week. The Falkland Islands’ delegation will also include HE the Governor Nigel Haywood, Jamie Fotheringham (Head of Policy), and Sukey Cameron (Representative in UK).
British MPs from across the political spectrum sent “an extremely powerful message” to the Spanish Government voicing anger at its treatment of Gibraltar and its people. Parliamentarians from all the major British political parties spoke in unison to decry Spanish belligerence toward the Rock during a 40-minute emergency session in the House of Commons.