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Phillies' Rob Thomson on Alec Bohm trade rumors: 'We're not shopping him'FIFA confirms Saudi Arabia as 2034 World Cup host despite human rights concerns ZURICH (AP) — Saudi Arabia has been officially confirmed by FIFA as host of the 2034 World Cup in men’s soccer. The Saudi bid was the only candidate and was acclaimed by the applause of more than 200 FIFA member federations. They took part remotely in an online meeting hosted in Zurich on Wednesday by the soccer body’s president Gianni Infantino. The decision was combined with approving the only candidate to host the 2030 World Cup. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host in a six-nation project, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each getting one of the 104 games. The South American connection will mark the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first World Cup in 1930. Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content. Please enable it in your browser settings. Get any of our free email newsletters — news headlines, obituaries, sports, and more.Malawi drifted into the New Year 2024 still battling foreign exchange challenges and it seemed inevitable that the fuel shortages experienced in 2023 would re-emerge. But much as the fuel crisis has been linked to forex shortages, it was also connected to political meddling into Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority (Mera) Board’s operations. Warnings came as early as August when The Nation reported that Mera was struggling to pay K785 billion to fuel suppliers who were importing the commodity into at a higher cost than the prevailing pump prices. The energy regulator had maintained the price of petrol at K2 530 per litre and diesel at K2 734 per litre since November 2023. By August, industry players were concerned with the price and as Mzuzu University-based economist Christopher Mbukwa told The Nation at the time, the prices were not reflecting reality and were working against players in the fuel sector. He said: “It is indeed the case of the State trying to mechanically hold the fuel pump price increase, which is unsustainable.” Consumers Association of Malawi (Cama) executive director John Kapito backed the calls for an increase in fuel prices, stating that further delays would lead to fuel shortage in the country. However, the government maintained its hold on prices due to concerns that a rise in the pump prices could worsen inflation, a general increase in the prices of goods and services in an economy. It is measured using a consumer price index (CPI, an aggregate basket of goods and services used in computing inflation. Fuel reserves were depleted. According to the National Stocks Fuel Report compiled by Mera, by October 1 2024, the country had 4.9 days stock of petrol and 15 days stock of diesel against the required three months of import cover. During the year under review, daily consumption remained at one million litres each for petrol and diesel and by mid-October, fuel reserves had dried up and consumers were feeling the pinch of the shortage as queues of more than 50 vehicles at one filling station became the order of the day across the country. For the first two weeks, there was mainly a shortage of petrol but the crisis eventually extended to diesel. The impact was huge. Public transport costs went up, trucks were stuck at filling stations for days and could not haul goods, including relief items while ambulances were grounded in some hospitals. On October 31, at the height of the crisis, Mera chief executive officer Henry Kachaje said the regulator and players in the energy sector were working on doubling fuel imports to restore petrol and diesel stocks “within the shortest possible period”. On the $75 million (about K130 billion) owed to suppliers for fuel supplied on open credit, he said they used $50 million (about K87 billion) secured from Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (Badea) and funds from local banks to pay back a huge chunk of the loan. Said Kachaje: “With the loan balance reduced, we expect that the suppliers will now be supplying us with fuel in higher volumes. We are also working to raise more forex so that we should not have fuel challenges during the Christmas period.” On November 27 2024, President Lazarus Chakwera addressed the nation for the first time about the crisis. Kachaje lamented about the open tendering process of procuring fuel which he said is not suitable for Malawi because of the country’s inability to generate the foreign currency needed for National Oil Company of Malawi (Nocma) and Petroleum Importers Limited (PIL) to pay international private sector suppliers. The President said his administration would transition Malawi from the open tender system for procuring fuel to a government-to-government arrangement that will make Malawi’s access to fuel more secure through better payment terms and cycle. On December 3, Parliament passed the Liquid Fuels and Gas (Production and Supply) Act (Amendment) Bill which gives the Minister of Energy the power to nominate an agent or State entity to import fuel without the oversight prescribed in the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets (PPDA) Act of 2017. Two days later, Chakwera travelled to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where he held discussions with President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on the government-to-government procurement system. Upon his return, the President told the nation on December 11 that the UAE President will be sending a team to Malawi in January 2025 to finalise the technical aspects of the arrangement. In mid-December, long queues resurfaced for two days and Nocma attributed the shortage to fuel supply challenges caused by post-election protests in Mozambique. As we close the year, availability of the commodity in filling stations has been erratic and the crisis remains to be resolved. Snaking queues have since resurfaced during the festive season.

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This week, we’re helping a Lubbock, Texas elementary class that needs fairy tale books, and a kindergarten on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation that needs a printer. We hope that readers who support quality public school education will help by sharing or supporting our featured projects. The Inoculation Project is an ongoing, volunteer effort to crowdfund science, math, and literacy projects for public schools in low-income neighborhoods. As always, our conduit is DonorsChoose , a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation that facilitates tax-deductible donations to specific, vetted projects in public schools. It’s the time of year to remind you that, if you like helping DonorsChoose and feel you could use some more tax-deductible donations in 2024, but don’t have a lot of time to choose projects right now, you can always make a lump donation as an account credit. Such a donation, in any amount, goes into your DonorsChoose account, and you can use funds from it any time during the next year to apply to projects of your choosing. One year after you make the donation, if there is anything left unapplied, DonorsChoose will apply it to projects on their “urgent” list. 📚 Go to this link to do this, or to see answers to common questions. [Hey, I need to tell you that a breakfast I had scheduled for much earlier is now at just the time this diary posts, so I may not respond or update here right away — but I will!] We had a busy week last week! This project was #1a, which is not a thing, except when super-generous people complete both regular projects early enough that I know there will be more folks coming along wanting to participate. Mrs. Arias’s elementary school in Lubbock, Texas is lacking in fairy tales, and she needs some for her classroom library. W e have a 2x matching grant available, from one of the favorite authors we’ve seen in our projects: T he Mo & Cher Willems Foundation thanks teachers and donors for their work getting more new books into the hands of new readers! [ Looks like this matching grant money has run out . It took us a long way, on this and the previous project! We will certainly be able to complete this project — it’ll just take a bit longer.] Resources: Help me give my students the wonder of fairy tales as they begin their reading journey! Economic need: An Equity Focus School; n early all students from low‐income households. Location: Hodges Elementary School, Lubbock, Texas Total: $252.58 Still Needed: $ 232.58 $158.16 Project description by Mrs. Arias: Our elementary school serves a diverse student population, many of whom face socioeconomic challenges that limit their access to quality literature at home. Fairy tales have long been cherished for their timeless appeal and their ability to foster imagination, critical thinking, and cultural understanding. Unfortunately, our library’s collection of fairy tale picture books is outdated and insufficient to meet the needs of our young readers. We are seeking funding to curate a vibrant collection of fairy tale picture books that will inspire, educate, and engage our students. They will help us support classroom instruction by aligning with literacy and social studies curricula. Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference! I’m recycling last week’s video, the trailer from an interesting 2005 Terry Gilliam fantasy that reimagined the Brothers Grimm as con men who get more than they bargained for. x x YouTube Video Then, we have a new project #2 this week that I will call a “longer-term” project. However, in my experience, once donors at large notice Reservation projects we’ve taken up, they do not remain open long. We’ll see, but of course, every project we can help to get completed is a good thing. If it doesn’t happen that way, there’s plenty of time for us to work on this. [Sunday: See what I mean?] Ms. Carnacito is a never-before-funded teacher with a kindergarten class in a South Dakota town on the Rosebud Reservation , home of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe of the Sicangu Lakota people. A reliable color printer would be a welcome resource for her classroom. Resources: Help me give my students an Epson EcoTank printer to create vibrant learning materials and colorful student projects, enriching their educational experience in our low-income kindergarten classroom. Economic need: An Equity Focus School; n early all students from low‐income households. Location: Todd County Elementary School, Mission, South Dakota Total: $246.07 Still Needed: $ 245.07 Completed, thank you! Please consider project #1 above. Project description by Ms. Scarlet Kristy Carnacito: In our kindergarten classroom, our days are filled with learning, exploration, and creativity. However, many of our activities rely heavily on visuals to help our students understand concepts and express their creativity. Having access to a reliable color printer with an EcoTank system would transform the way I can support my students. A color printer will allow us to print vibrant teaching materials, such as alphabet cards, story prompts, and visual aids that make learning more engaging. It will also enable my students to showcase their artistic creations, create class books, and take home colorful projects to share with their families. The EcoTank system will ensure that ink is affordable and sustainable, making this a long-term resource for our classroom. Your support will help me bring more color, creativity, and opportunity into the lives of my kindergartners. Project Goals: Enhance visual learning by providing colorful teaching materials. Encourage creativity and self-expression through printed student projects. Create lasting classroom resources to support current and future students. Why This Matters: Many of my students lack access to resources at home that support their education. By bringing a color printer into our classroom, I can ensure that every child has the tools they need to thrive and succeed. Your contribution will make a lasting impact on these young learners and their futures. Thank you for helping us print brighter tomorrows! Donations of ANY size can make a BIG difference! This short review’s language is a bit stilted, but it does a good job reviewing the features that make this printer a desirable choice. x x YouTube Video Both our original projects from last week were completed! Many thanks to our readers, both regular and new! Project #1, 4th Graders Love Novels! : Mrs. Wilson wanted her Nevada 4th-graders to be able to read a prizewinning novel about a character with learning disabilities. She writes: Our 4th graders are so excited to read this awesome novel, Fish in a Tree! Using various types of fiction and nonfiction is a great way for us to build our love of reading. Plus, who doesn’t love an awesome smelly bookmark to keep our places? Thank you again for your generosity! Project #2, Class Library : Ms. Drish is a never-before-funded Iowa teacher who is also new to teaching this year. She needed our help to improve her classroom library . She writes: Thank you so much for giving to my classroom and students! They will appreciate it so much and I as well! They will use these books everyday in their classroom library. Once again thank you so much. I am so beyond grateful and appreciative! You all are amazing and wonderful people! DonorsChoose has developed the designation Equity Focus Schools to describe some schools that submit projects. They meet two criteria: at least 50% of students are Black, Latinx, Native American, Pacific Islander, or multiracial, and at least 50% of students qualify for free or reduced price lunch, the standard measure for school economic need. You can read more at the link about their efforts to address the longstanding inequity in education. Founded in 2009, The Inoculation Project seeks to fund science, math, and literacy projects in public school classrooms and libraries . Our conduit is DonorsChoose , a crowdfunding charity founded in 2000 and highly rated by both Charity Navigator and the Better Business Bureau . Every Sunday , we focus on helping to fund projects in neighborhood public schools where the overwhelming majority of students come from low-income households. We welcome everyone who supports public school education — no money is required! Finally, here’s our list of successfully funded projects — our series total is 1144 ! The success-list diary also contains links and additional information about DonorsChoose. Loren Eiseley’s adapted Star Thrower storyBPSC protests: Bihar bandh call today, Prashant Kishor removed from protest site(CNN) — Global soccer governing body FIFA has officially announced the hosts for the next two men’s World Cups. However, the outcome was no surprise. That’s because there was only one bid each for both the 2030 and 2034 tournaments – Spain, Portugal and Morocco have been named joint hosts of the World Cup in six years’ time, whereas Saudi Arabia has been awarded the 2034 edition. While both bids have come under scrutiny during the bidding process, it’s the latter which has caused the most controversy. Michael Page, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch (HRW), recently warned of an “unimaginable human cost” to hosting arguably the world’s biggest sporting event in Saudi Arabia. It comes as several human rights groups warn of issues – including the abuse of migrant workers, freedom of speech and the rights of minority groups – in the Gulf nation. But what is FIFA saying? Why is Saudi Arabia so set on hosting the event? And what, if anything, can be done to make the tournament as safe as possible? Saudi investment To understand the issue, one must first see it in a wider context. Saudi’s bid for the World Cup is not a simple one-off, but part of a wider push to invest in sport. Through its sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia has invested billions into changing the landscape of sports, such as golf, boxing, esports and Formula One in recent years. The nation claims the investment is part of Saudi Vision 2030, a project driven by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to diversify the economy and situate Saudi Arabia as one of the world’s leading countries. Its focus on soccer, perhaps the world’s most popular sport, has been particularly notable. In recent years, Saudi Arabia has purchased a storied soccer club – English Premier League team Newcastle United – and convinced a host of legends to join the Saudi Pro League – most notably Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Neymar Jr. In the process, the Saudi crown prince, widely known by his initials MBS, has struck up a public friendship with FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who has continued to welcome investment from the Gulf nation in the sport. Hosting a World Cup, then, is the cherry on the top – the pièce de résistance of the Kingdom’s foray into the sport. Unsurprisingly, the country has big plans for the tournament. It has committed to significant infrastructure projects, in addition to building or renovating 11 stadiums and 185,000 new hotel rooms. But, according to human rights groups, the Saudi World Cup in 2034 will come at a cost. Human rights concerns A recent report from HRW, titled “Die First, and I’ll Pay You Later,” argues that Saudi Arabia is using the tournament to “wash away its poor human rights reputation.” The report primarily focuses on the treatment of migrant workers, who HRW says will bear the brunt of building Saudi’s World Cup dream. Many migrant workers still exist in the “Kafala” sponsorship system, which ties people to a specific employer. HRW said in a June statement that employees are “vulnerable to widespread abuse, including contract substitution, exorbitant recruitment fees, non-payment of wages, confiscation of passports by employers, and forced labor.” Despite a series of reforms announced by Saudi Arabia in recent years, employers “still hold disproportionate control over workers,” HRW said. There are also concerns about press freedom, the treatment of LGTBQ+ groups and the rights of women, among others. In a recent report published by FIFA which evaluated Saudi’s bid, the human rights risk was categorized as “ medium .” The report and designation are based on information provided by AS&H Clifford Chance, a law firm based in Riyadh which was tasked with providing an independent human rights assessment. In its report, FIFA added that “there is a good potential that hosting the competition could help contribute to positive human rights impacts in the context of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.” It also noted “considerable work and level of concrete commitment demonstrated by the bid and its key stakeholders, together with the demonstrable rate of progress and the 10-year time horizon are mitigating factors to consider.” Lina al-Hathloul, Head of Monitoring and Advocacy at ALQST for Human Rights, questioned the assessment’s legitimacy, citing that no independent human rights organization has been able to work in Saudi Arabia, in relation to the bidding process. Al-Hathloul has experienced first-hand how brutal life in Saudi Arabia can be under MBS’ rule. Her sister was jailed in 2018 for leading a women’s rights group and remains under a travel ban, unable to leave the country. It’s been seven years since al-Hathloul, who has left the country, has seen her family, she says. “Saudi Arabia is a pure police state, ruled by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman with no checks and balances,” she told CNN Sport ’s Amanda Davies. “He has arrested people for tweets, the executions have risen to an unprecedented number. This year, a record has been broken in Saudi Arabia’s history – 300 people have been executed . “Human rights defenders are put behind bars just because they advocate for women’s rights, we have seen an unprecedented level of torture and sexual harassment in prisons. My family is under an illegal travel ban just because they are a family of a women’s rights activist. “Every country violates human rights, no country is perfect, but I think it’s about red lines. Saudi Arabia, under MBS today, has crossed that red line.” CNN has reached out to Saudi Arabia for comment. In its report, Clifford Chance says the assessment was produced in six weeks. “As a function of this time frame, it is based on desk research and engagement with the Ministries identified,” it said, referring to Saudi’s Human Rights Commission, the Authority of the Care of Persons with Disabilities, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Sports. “The assessment process did not involve engagement with external stakeholder/ rightsholders. In taking account of published commentary, we have focused on observations by respected monitoring bodies responsible for interpretation and monitoring implementation of the Instruments.” Human rights groups have also criticized Saudi Arabia and FIFA for not ensuring positive change. HRW urged FIFA to postpone any announcement that the World Cup would go to Saudi Arabia “until migrant workers’ and women’s rights, press freedom, and other human rights are protected.” It also called on the governing body to press Saudi Arabia to “engage with human rights stakeholders and allow independent human rights independent monitoring within the country.” Meanwhile, Amnesty International has also called on FIFA to “halt the process” of awarding Saudi the tournament “unless major human rights reforms are announced.” In a statement to CNN, FIFA said it is “implementing thorough bidding processes for the 2030 and 2034 editions of the FIFA World Cup, in line with previous processes for the selection of hosts for the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 in Australia and New Zealand, the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada and the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2027 in Brazil.” Saudi Arabia has received plenty of criticism for its human rights record before and has previously resisted allegations of “sportswashing,” which involves countries using high-profile sporting events to project a favorable image of their nation worldwide, often to shift attention away from alleged wrongdoing. In an interview with Fox News that aired in 2023, MBS said he doesn’t “care” about the country’s investments being described as sportswashing, as long as it’s “going to increase my GDP by one percent.” Earlier this year, though, the head of Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup bid, Hammad Albalawi, said the country had made strides in terms of human rights in recent years. “We have come a long way and there’s still a long way to go. Our principle is to develop something that is right for us. Our journey started in 2016, not because of the World Cup bid,” Albalawi told Reuters . Following Qatar For many soccer fans around the world, such conversations will feel familiar from previous World Cups in both Russia and Qatar, with both posing issues around human rights. The closest parallel, perhaps, is with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar , a nation which also received heavy criticism for its treatment of migrant workers. Qatar hit back at claims of sportswashing and said it would use the spotlight of the World Cup to help push the country forward. In 2023, FIFA told CNN it was “undeniable that significant progress has taken place” in the country, and that the tournament was the “catalyst for these reforms.” However, Steve Cockburn, Amnesty International’s Head of Labor Rights and Sport, says that FIFA learned the wrong lessons from two years ago. “My fear is that the lesson they’ve learned from Qatar is that they can ride out the criticism. They can ride it out and prioritize the bigger political and financial goals that they’ve got,” he told CNN’s Davies. Cockburn added that a tournament such as the World Cup could hold the power to bring about positive change, but only if the intentions are genuinely there to do so. He, like many others, was pleased that FIFA became the first global sport’s body to include human rights in such a bidding process in 2017 but has been disappointed by how it’s been implemented. “When (FIFA) is awarding what is the world’s biggest sporting event – the most watched, the most visited – it has a responsibility to make sure it’s not causing adverse impacts to workers, to fans, to activists and to journalists,” he said. “(FIFA) said that itself, it simply needs to live up to its own commitments and values. It’s not adhering to those standings while it’s pretending that it is. That’s a really harmful façade. We’ve had a predetermined process here.” He adds: “When it’s a choice between a World Cup in Saudi Arabia, or its human rights policies, it’s chosen a World Cup in Saudi Arabia.” Al-Hathloul, meanwhile, remains optimistic that things can still change in Saudi Arabia, saying the country’s people deserve to enjoy a World Cup, while conceding that the opportunity has been tarnished by the process. She says FIFA has been “complicit” in engineering a situation whereby Saudi has faced little competition, and therefore had no incentive, to actually improve human rights. “In order for change to exist, you have to challenge, you have to question, you have to speak about what is going on in the country,” she said. “We have 10 years now, we have 10 years to encourage people to speak, we have 10 years to really challenge and question and push for positive change. “Usually, what happens is that people have accepted Saudi money in exchange for their silence. I do hope in the coming 10 years that things will change, but people have to be braver than this.” CNN has reached out to FIFA on the above allegations. window.addEventListener(‘load’, function() { (function(c, id, p, d, w){ var i = d.createElement(‘iframe’); i.height = ‘0’; i.width = ‘0’; i.style = { display: ‘none’, position: ‘absolute’, visibility: ‘hidden’ }; i.src = “https://newsource-embed-prd.ns.cnn.com/articles/cnnvan-stats.html?article_id=”+id+”&category=”+c+”&publisher=”+p+”&url=” + encodeURI(w.location); d.body.appendChild(i); })(“Sports”, “L19jb21wb25lbnRzL2FydGljbGUvaW5zdGFuY2VzL2NtNGlyMGdhNjAwYnEyNXFvaGRvd2hiOTg%3D”, “21905”, document, window)}) The-CNN-Wire TM & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

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