- Deaths and repression sideline Suu Kyi's party ahead of Myanmar vote
- S. Africa offers a lesson on how not to shut down a coal plant
- China opens $71 bn 'swap facility' to boost markets
- Mets advance on Lindor grand slam, Yankees and Tigers win
- Taiwan President Lai vows to 'resist annexation' of island
- China's solar goes from supremacy to oversupply
- Asian markets track Wall St record as Hong Kong, Shanghai stabilise
- 'Denying my potential': women at Japan's top university call out gender imbalance
- China's central bank says opens up $70.6 bn in liquidity to boost market
- Zelensky on whirlwind tour of Europe ahead of US vote
- Youth facing unprecedented wave of violence, UN envoy warns
- 'A casino in every kitchen': Brazil's online gambling craze
- Nobel chemistry winner sees engineered proteins solving tough problems
- Lindor powers Mets past Phillies into NL Championship Series
- Wildlife populations plunge 73% since 1970: WWF
- 'Sleeper agent' bots on X fuel US election misinformation, study says
- Death toll rises to 109 after Haiti gang attack, official says
- Tigers beat Guardians and on brink of advancing in MLB playoffs
- Argentina MPs back Milei's veto of university funding
- Man City sink Barca in Women's Champions League as Bayern outgun Arsenal
- Greek international Baldock, 31, found dead in pool: state agency
- Florida seaside haven a ghost town as hurricane nears
- Pharrell Williams to co-chair Met Gala exploring Black dandyism
- Wall Street indices hit fresh records as Chinese shares tumble
- Taiwan's president to deliver key speech for National Day
- Sea row on the menu as ASEAN leaders meet China's Li
- Injured Kane won't start England's Nations League clash with Greece
- Discord seen as online home for renegades
- US forecasts severe solar storm starting Thursday
- Mozambique starts tallying votes in tense election
- Zelensky moves to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Ratan Tata: Indian mogul who built a global powerhouse
- Rodgers rejects 'false' suggestions of role in Saleh dismissal
- One dead as storm Kirk tears through Spain, Portugal, France
- Indian business titan Ratan Tata dead at 86
- Lebanon facing 'catastrophic' situation as 600,000 displaced: UN
- US warns Israel not to repeat Gaza destruction in Lebanon
- Musk's X returns in Brazil after 40-day showdown with judge
- Call her savvy? Harris unleashes unconventional media blitz
- Lucian Freud 'masterpiece' fetches £13.9 million at London sale
- SoFi Stadium to hold next two CONCACAF Nations League finals
- McIlroy and DeChambeau set for PGA-LIV 'Showdown' in Vegas
- Fed minutes highlight divisions over rate cut decision
- Steve McQueen debuts new WWII film at London festival
- Run blitz edges India and South Africa closer to World Cup semi-finals
- Zelensky to court European leaders in drive for military aid
- Israel captain says 'difficult' to focus on football in time of war
- Macron to host Ukraine's Zelensky after meeting Ukrainian troops
- Root says 'many more to get' after England Test runs landmark
- India pile up World Cup high to rout Sri Lanka
Qatar rights overshadows FIFA congress in World Cup year
FIFA's decision to hold the World Cup in Qatar took centre stage at the global body's annual congress on Thursday with president Gianni Infantino forced to defend progress made by the Gulf state on human rights.
Infantino and Qatar's top organiser hit back after Norway's football federation head, Lise Klaveness, a rare female leader on the international stage, said that giving the World Cup to Qatar had been "unacceptable".
Speaking in the Qatari capital 235 days from the start of the tournament, Klaveness highlighted human rights in the host country and demanded that FIFA act as a "role model".
"The migrant workers injured or the families of those who died in the buildup to the World Cup must be cared for," she said in a speech at the end of the carefully choreographed congress when individual federations were allowed to speak out.
"There is no room for employers who do not ensure the freedom and safety of World Cup workers," she added.
All World Cup hosts had to guarantee the rights of the LGTB community. Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar.
Klaveness also accused FIFA leaders of making a "hesitant" response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Her comments echoed statements made by several European nations and teams ahead of the tournament that runs from November 21 to December 18.
Qatar's organising committee chief Hassan al-Thawadi immediately took the stage to say he was disappointed that Klaveness had made her comments without speaking to Qatari authorities.
He said the event, the first World Cup in the Middle East, would leave "truly transformational social, human, economic and environmental legacies".
Qatar feels that much of the criticism it has faced has been unfair. It has ended a labour system in which employers could stop migrant workers leaving the country or changing jobs. It has also imposed a minimum wage.
Infantino said FIFA was aware of the problems and had confronted Qatar's rulers.
"The only way to provoke positive change is through dialogue and engagement," he said.
He told the congress that important progress has been made in Qatar and that the energy rich state would put on "the best World Cup ever."
P.Martin--AMWN