Politics

• Saturday, April 23rd 2016 - 10:20 UTC

  Qatar World Cup: FIFA's announcement on “Decent Working Conditions”

  

  The announcement by President Gianni Infantino of FIFA that it will establish an oversight body to monitor working conditions on World Cup stadium sites in Qatar shows that FIFA is beginning to take responsibility for those whose work is essential to the holding of the 2022 event.

• Saturday, April 23rd 2016 - 07:56 UTC

  Ban Ki moon message on Mother Earth Day 2016: Trees for the Earth

  

  This year, Earth Day coincides with the signing ceremony for the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which takes place at UN Headquarters in New York. The Agreement was adopted by all 196 Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at COP21 in Paris on 12 December 2015.

• Saturday, April 23rd 2016 - 07:49 UTC

  Di Caprio addresses the UN on Earth Day and to celebrate the Paris Agreement

  

  This year, the United Nations has decided to celebrate Earth Day, 22 April, in a very special way, by signing the Paris Agreement: a landmark climate change accord that came out of negotiations at the COP21 climate summit in Paris last December. This, of course, was extremely great news for climate advocates and ambassadors all over the world, including Oscar-winning actor and UN Messenger of Peace, Leonardo Di Caprio.

• Saturday, April 23rd 2016 - 07:33 UTC

  As your friend, let me say that the EU makes Britain even greater

  

  By Barack Obama, President of the United States - In 1939, President Franklin D Roosevelt offered a toast to King George VI in the White House. “I am persuaded that the greatest single contribution our two countries have been enabled to make to civilisation, and to the welfare of peoples throughout the world,” he said, “is the example we have jointly set by our manner of conducting relations between our two nations.”

• Friday, April 22nd 2016 - 15:51 UTC

  Carnival cruise to Havana triggers controversy with Cuban/Americans who allege discrimination

  

  A federal lawsuit is claiming that Carnival Corporation is discriminating against Cuban-Americans who weren’t allowed to book tickets on a cruise to the Castro brothers dominated country. CNN reports that when Carnival announced plans for a cruise ship from its Fathom line to sail from Miami to Havana in May, Francisco Marty jumped at the opportunity to surprise his children with a trip back to their native land.

• Friday, April 22nd 2016 - 08:16 UTC

  Draghi defends ECB easy money policy despite sharp criticism from Germany

  

  European Central Bank President Mario Draghi brushed off German criticism of his ultra-loose monetary policy on Thursday and vowed to use all the tools at his disposal for “as long as needed.” He said the ECB's policy was working, which helped boost the Euro.

• Friday, April 22nd 2016 - 08:07 UTC

  Venezuela imposes daily four/hours blackout to save power; brewery out of barley will stop beer production

  

  Recession-hit Venezuela will turn off the electricity supply in its 10 most populous states for four hours a day for 40 days to deal with a severe power shortage, the government said Thursday.

• Friday, April 22nd 2016 - 08:00 UTC

  Sentenced ex FIFA vice-president in home arrest following surgery in Uruguay

  

  FIFA's former vice-president and ex president of Uruguay's football association Eugenio Figueredo is under home arrest following prostate surgery. Judge Adriana de los Santos authorized the 'temporary' measure while the former official recovers. He was in hospital several days given his age, 84 and heart problems.

• Friday, April 22nd 2016 - 07:48 UTC

  Singer praises Macri and calls him a great 'reformist' in a Time weekly column

  

  United States hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer is a big fan of Argentina’s new president. For one thing, Mauricio Macri doesn’t call him a “vulture lord” or a “bloodsucker,” as his predecessor Cristina Fernández did. More important, the newly elected Macri recently paid Singer’s firm US$2.28 billion in debt.

• Friday, April 22nd 2016 - 07:25 UTC

  Queen Elizabeth II 90th birthday celebrations illuminate UK and Commonwealth

  

  Queen Elizabeth II lit on Thursday the first of more than 900 beacons lighting up across the UK and overseas as part of her 90th birthday celebrations. Prince Philip, the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall then joined the monarch at a private dinner in Windsor Castle. Earlier, cheering crowds lined the streets in Windsor as the Queen took part in a walkabout.