World On a historic visit to Cuba, Spanish premier Pedro Sanchez vowed on Friday that his country would continue to increase investments there despite Cuba's cash woes, illustrating Europe's enduring interest in the opening market even as the United States pulls away. 24 Nov 2018 06:50AM Bookmark HAVANA: On a historic visit to Cuba, Spanish premier Pedro Sanchez vowed on Friday that his country would continue to increase investments there despite Cuba's cash woes, illustrating Europe's enduring interest in the opening market even as the United States pulls away.On the second day of the first official visit by a Spanish leader to the Communist-run island in 32 years, socialist Sanchez opened a Cuban-Spanish business forum in a hotel run by Spanish chain Iberostar and owned by Cuba's military.The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump recently added that hotel to a list of places banned to Americans as part of a tightening of the decades-old trade embargo on the island … [Read more...] about On historic visit, Spanish premier bets on Cuba business opportunities
1 million pound note
World soccer bodies awarded just US$2.63 million in US bribery case
NEW YORK: A U.S. judge said the world soccer governing body FIFA and two regional soccer federations deserved to recoup just US$2.63 million (2.06 million pounds) from two former officials convicted on bribery charges, a small fraction of the roughly US$125 million (97.82 million pounds) they sought.The decision on Tuesday night by U.S. District Judge Pamela Chen in Brooklyn, New York is a defeat for FIFA and the regional bodies CONCACAF and CONMEBOL, which were seeking restitution from former Brazilian soccer federation president José Maria Marin and former CONMEBOL chief Juan Angel Napout.Chen said FIFA was entitled to just US$108,268 of the roughly US$28 million it wanted.CONCACAF, the North American, Central American and Caribbean governing body, was awarded US$1.74 million, after requesting US$9.8 million. CONMEBOL, which oversees soccer in South America, was awarded US$783,662, after requesting US$86.8 million.Marin and Napout were among more than 40 individuals and … [Read more...] about World soccer bodies awarded just US$2.63 million in US bribery case
In South Sudan, a never-ending hunger season puts millions in danger
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By MEGAN SPECIA New York Times KASSIE BRACKEN New York Times Thu., May 31, 2018 JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN— The hunger season came early this year. By February, once seen as a time of plenty, Nyabolli Chok had run out of food for her three children in their village here in South Sudan. She knew they had to leave. “We were eating leaves off of trees,” she said, describing how she boiled them into a watery soup. “Ron reath,” she said — her words for the hunger season. South Sudan’s dozens of ethnic groups use different names for the months when food becomes scarce until the next harvest. But the fears are the same: malnutrition, disease, even death. And this year is expected to be the worst yet. Article Continued Below More than four years of civil war — most of this young country’s existence — have chased millions from their homes, leaving countless farms abandoned. The economy has been obliterated. … [Read more...] about In South Sudan, a never-ending hunger season puts millions in danger
Project Bangon Marawi, Year 1: A patchwork of sketchy plans, loose rules, uncertain funding
Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism — The siege of the Islamic City of Marawi marks its first anniversary on May 23 but its vaunted multi-billion peso rehabilitation and reconstruction program remains a patchwork of disconnected promises mired in multiple problems. The government has pledged to roll out a total of 892 programs, activities, and projects for Marawi under an ambitious “master plan.” The target completion date for the mammoth venture is by 2022, or before President Rodrigo Duterte bows out of office. But this master plan has not been finalized and remains framed in loose procurement rules and legal shortcuts—and with a constantly rising financing cost with still uncertain funding. Not the least of the venture's problems are loopholes in the guidelines on the awarding of project contracts, on-off and token consultation with the affected communities, disjointed work by national and local state agencies, unsettled land rights and … [Read more...] about Project Bangon Marawi, Year 1: A patchwork of sketchy plans, loose rules, uncertain funding
The 9 most ridiculous moments from Uber’s $245 million legal battle with Waymo
Uber and Waymo have settled their epic legal battle over self-driving car tech. It was like a Hollywood drama, often veering from the deadly serious to the ridiculous. Here are the craziest moments, from lawyers squabbling over Michael Douglas’ performance in “Wall Street” to debate over a “pound of flesh.” Uber and Waymo have reached a settlement in their Hollywood-worthy legal battle over self-driving car technology. Uber, accused of stealing trade secrets from Google sister company Alphabet, agreed to pay $245 million worth of equity on Friday – abruptly halting the proceedings that had been scheduled to go on for at least another week. The stakes were high, with Waymo initially seeking as much as $1.8 billion in damages. But over the four days of the trial before the settlement, matters veered wildly from the serious to the surreal. One moment, presiding judge William Alsup was … [Read more...] about The 9 most ridiculous moments from Uber’s $245 million legal battle with Waymo