Topic: FIFA World Cup

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Olympic moms: 13 mothers compete for Team USA

The “Celebrating Moms” series of commercials by Proctor & Gamble during Olympic coverage is a tear-jerking ode to sacrifices mothers make to support their kids’ athletic careers. But what about athletes who are mothers, themselves?Elite athlete moms have the same run-of-the-mill work/life balance as the rest of us. But these 13 Olympic moms do put parenting – both its challenges and rewards – in a new perspective.
Summer Olympics Soccer: 5 athletes to watch

The US men did not qualify for the tournament, but Team USA women are among the favorites, and the London Olympics promise a glimpse of some of the world's top stars.
Three things to watch for in Euro 2012

It’s day one of the Euro 2012 championship, the world’s most prestigious soccer tournament after the World Cup. Will Spain defend their title, or will a challenger like Germany or the Netherlands usurp the throne? How will Poland and Ukraine perform as the tournament’s first Eastern European hosts? Here are three things to watch for as the month-long tournament unfolds:
Prince William: 8 stories from the new book 'The Man Who Will Be King'

Writer Penny Junor explores the man second in line to the throne in her new book "The Man Who Will Be King."
10 of TIME's 100 'most influential'

What does it mean to be influential today? TIME Magazine may not have a scientific answer, but they identified scores of people in their 2012 “100 Most Influential People in the World” list, released this week. Here is a sampling of 10 people from around the world who made the cut.

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Brazil vs. Argentina: Can economic principles apply to soccer games?

As the South American giants face off, economists test a theory about the timing of effort exertion in a finite-length bilateral industry contest. In other words, is it risky to anger Brazilian players with early goals?
Brazil's Lula considers next steps

Brazil voters elected Dilma Rousseff in hopes of extending the policies of popular outgoing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. After handing over the sash of office Jan. 1, what will Lula do next?
World Cup vuvuzelas, anathema to ear drums, now to decorate ears

Marketing executive Megan Bernstein's plan to make vuvuzelas into earrings won a competition for the best alternative use of the long plastic horns left over from this summer's World Cup.
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 11/04
Photos of the Day: Photos of the Day 11/03
Dilma Rousseff wins Brazil election, is nation's first female president

Dilma Rousseff won 56 percent of the vote in a Brazil election runoff after running on a campaign promising continuity with incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's policies.
Paul the Octopus: how he got his name

Paul the Octopus, being remembered today around the globe, was named after a poem for young readers.
Paul the Octopus has died. Who will predict the next World Cup outcome?

Paul the Octopus, the oracle who caught world attention for predicting Germany's World Cup outcome, has died.
US swimmer Fran Crippen's death mid-race sparks safety review

Fran Crippen, a 26-year-old Olympic hopeful from a family of prominent swimmers in Philadelphia, died near the end of a World Cup event in the UAE this weekend.
Press Freedom Index: The top 10 worst countries

Syria, Rwanda, and Yemen have fallen to the bottom of the World Press Freedom Index, the media watchdog Reporters Without Borders said today. The three countries join other single-party dominated governments at the bottom of the annual index, while six democratic Northern European nations tied this year as the best places for media freedom. Finland, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland have ranked at the top since the index was created in 2002, Reporters Without Borders Secretary-General Jean-François Julliard said in a statement. "The defense of media freedom continues to be a battle, a battle of vigilance in the democracies of old Europe and a battle against oppression and injustice in the totalitarian regimes still scattered across the globe," he said. Click through the following slides to read about the 10 lowest-ranking nations.
What to do with World Cup's vuvuzelas? Design an alternate use and win $1,500.

An ad agency in Cape Town, South Africa, has launched a contest for what to do with the controversial plastic horns. Suggestions include refashioning the vuvuzelas into candlestick holders, light stands, even ‘vuvu-brellas’ to keep you dry.
Global doors slam shut on immigrants

While Arizona's anti-immigrant law gets all the attention, countries around the world are pursuing tough immigration polices on a scale rarely seen in history.
Brazil election: Lula's legacy set to propel Dilma Rousseff to victory

As voters go to polls for the Brazil election today, support from popular outgoing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva is expected to propel candidate Dilma Rousseff to victory.
World Cup tourism totals

How many people traveled to South Africa to attend the world cup? Not as many as they'd hoped.
Striking South African workers are returning to the negotiating table

South African workers, who launched a three-week strike over wage disputes with the government, are set to resume talks with the government Monday.
Almost orphans: Two children receive unexpected help

Yollanda and her teenage brother find a band of mothers in Zimbabwe quietly rallying to their aid.
World Cup 2018: What's with all the cloak-and-dagger secrecy?

Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) offers confidential contracts with one-sided terms as they search for a future World Cup site.
Has South Africa's ANC forgotten its liberation roots?

Many South Africans worry that the African National Congress, which is considering a restrictive new media law, has lost sight of its founding principles.
Brazil on the Rise

American journalist Larry Rohter analyzes the dramatic transformation of Brazil over the course of the past four decades.
Global news agencies uneasy over South Africa's press freedom

The Associated Press, Reuters, Bloomberg, and Agence France-Presse sent a letter to South African President Jacob Zuma to express concern about a proposed law that could limit press freedom in South Africa.
Strikes in South Africa could have long-term economic consequences

In South Africa, 1.3 million striking public service workers refuse government offers, further disrupting schools and hospitals and posing long term economic problems.
US and Iran face off – at World Basketball Championships

The US and Iran set aside controversy over Iran’s nuclear program to play a World Basketball Championships match that featured NBA players including Hamed Haddadi of Iran.
Can South Africa keep tapping World Cup spirit?

After successfully hosting this summer's World Cup, the challenge for South Africa's government is to make a serious dent in urban crime, tackle corruption, lessen poverty, and shape South Africa as a model for a continent wracked by economic and political problems.
Somali parliament members, hotel guests killed by Islamist rebels

Somali parliament members were among the dead after an attack by Islamist militants wearing Somali military uniforms.
Al Qaeda-linked Al Shabab blamed for Somalia suicide bombing

A suicide bombing in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, left at least 32 people dead. Six of the victims were members of the embattled Somali parliament, and the government blamed the Al Qaeda-linked insurgent group, Al Shabab.