Day: March 16, 2018

FIFA has finally and fully approved video review to help referees at the World Cup.

Also Friday, the world soccer body lifted its three-decade ban on Iraq’s hosting of international events. The cities of Irbil, Basra and Karbala were given the go-ahead to stage official matches.

The last step toward giving match officials high-tech help in Russia was agreed to by FIFA’s ruling council, chaired by President Gianni Infantino.

“We are extremely happy with that decision,” Infantino said at a news conference in Bogota, adding it would lead to “a more transparent and fairer sport. We need to live with our times.”

FIFA will now look to sign a World Cup sponsor for video assistant referees (VAR) at the June 14-July 15 tournament.

The landmark decision on using technology came two weeks after FIFA’s rule-making panel, known as IFAB, voted to write VAR into the laws of soccer.

That move still left competition organizers to opt to use video review in their games, and FIFA’s ruling committee had to sign off on the World Cup decision.

FIFA council member Reinhard Grindel wrote on his Twitter account that clear communication would be important to make the system a success — and was promised on Friday by Infantino.

Referees can call on VAR to review and overturn “clear and obvious errors” plus “serious missed incidents” involving goals, penalty awards, red cards and mistaken identity.

Reviews lag

In 18 months of trials worldwide, reviews have often been slower than promised and communication has been unclear in the stadium.

“Obviously it is not perfect and we are not going to reach 100 percent perfection,” Infantino acknowledged. “What we definitely want to do is help.”

Controversy has been stirred even by the most experienced VAR officials who have handled many more games than most referees who will work at the 64-game World Cup.

Thirty-six referees, plus their teams of assistants, are being trained by FIFA for World Cup duty and many come from countries that do not use video review in domestic games.

The three Iraqi cities that got the go-ahead Friday to host official matches had been allowed to organize friendlies in the last year, provided the security situation was “stable.”

Iraq will host Qatar and Syria for a friendly tournament starting on March 21 in Basra.

“FIFA has given the green light for the resumption, but the organizers of the championship must take the final decision,” added Infantino.

‘No’ to Baghdad, for now

FIFA added that it could not “yet” agree to a request from the Iraqi authorities to organize matches in Baghdad, but Infantino promised that the city’s application would continue to be studied.

Iraq has not played full internationals on home turf since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The ban, covering all but domestic matches, stayed in place after the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.

It was briefly lifted in 2012, but a power outage during an Iraq-Jordan match in Irbil led FIFA to promptly reinstate it.

Also Friday:

— FIFA reported a $192 million loss in its published accounts for 2017, after another year of stalled sponsor sales. But that was less than half of the $369 million deficit in 2016.

FIFA has backloaded more than $2 billion worth of broadcasting deals into the 2018 accounts and expects to exceed its revenue target of $5.6 billion and show a profit for the 2015-18 financial cycle.

—  The soccer body agreed to publish the voting choices of member federations in the 2026 World Cup bidding contest on June 13 in Moscow.

A North American bid combining the United States, Canada and Mexico is competing with Morocco for the right to host the first 48-team tournament in eight years’ time. Up to 207 FIFA members will vote, with the four bidding nations excluded.

— Infantino also answered with a firm “no” when asked whether Russia’s current political tensions with Britain could affect its hosting of the World Cup.

— FIFA failed to make progress on revamping national team competitions for women and youth squads. Discussions had begun on creating a global women’s league, and merging Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups staged every two years into single, annual Under-18 competitions.

Some information for this report came from AFP.
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The world’s most expensive chocolate went on display Friday at a chocolate fair in Obidos in Portugal.

Priced at 7,728 euros ($9,489) and covered in edible gold, the chocolate is part of a limited edition of 1,000 bonbons. It has a filling of saffron threads, white truffle, vanilla from Madagascar and gold flakes.

It was guarded by two uniformed men.

Its creator, Portuguese chocolatier Daniel Gomes, said the diamond-shaped chocolate was certified as the world’s most expensive by the Guinness Book of Records, which in 2017 listed $250 La Madeline au Truffe made by Danish artisan chocolate-maker Fritz Knipschildt’s as the record holder.

Its crown-shaped box is decorated with 5,500 Swarovksi crystals and also carries personalized pincers.
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Jesus Christ, who lives in Maine, says she didn’t know Oprah Winfrey was asking for a sign from God about running for president when she sent a letter to the television magnate.

WGME-TV reports 83-year-old Jesus Christ in northern Waterboro says she began a letter writing campaign 50 years ago to spread a message of faith and peace after legally changing her name. Christ says she sent the letter to Oprah because she likes her but had no idea it would get so much attention.

Television anchor Gayle King posted about the letter to Oprah on her Instagram on Wednesday, asking if it was the sign her best friend was looking for.

Christ says if Oprah runs for president, she’ll vote for her.
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A popular Indian pop singer has been convicted of human trafficking and cheating after a court found he pretended people were in his performance troupe so they could get jobs in North America.

Daler Mehndi says he is innocent. He was sentenced to two years in prison but was freed on bail Friday to appeal his conviction.

Prosecutors say Mehndi and his brother took “passage money” from Indians they offered to disguise as performers in his troupe. The job seekers could then stay in the United States and Canada to find work.

The cheating conviction alleges the brothers took money from some Indians and never took them abroad.

Mehndi shot into fame in the 1990s with Punjabi-language songs and energetic dancing. He also lent his voice for Bollywood film songs.
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We’re igniting the five most popular songs in the Billboard Hot 100 Pop Singles chart, for the week ending March 17, 2018.

It’s a big week on the hit list, because we get a Hot Shot Debut in the Top Five … that doesn’t happen very often.

Number 5: Camila Cabello Featuring Young Thug “Havana”

Things start quietly in fifth place, where Camila Cabello and Young Thug sink a slot with “Havana.”

Later this year, Camila will go on tour with Taylor Swift; Charli XCX will also be on the bill. Camila tells “ET” that she first met Taylor four years ago at the MTV Video Music Awards. She says Taylor inspired her to write songs. Camila says she’s looking forward to spending some down time with her tour mates, and says her touring necessities include a laptop, headphones and Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal.

Number 4: Bruno Mars & Cardi B. “Finesse”

Also losing a slot to fourth place this week are Bruno Mars and Cardi B with “Finesse.” Over on the Radio Songs lineup, it moves into first place …putting Bruno in the chart record books. This is Bruno’s eighth champion song, making him the most successful male artist in the 33-year history of the Radio Songs chart (it was formerly known as Hot 100 Airplay). Rihanna is the all-time champ, with 13 No. 3 hits; Mariah Carey is next with 11.

Number 3: Ed Sheeran “Perfect” 

Ed Sheeran gets dinged a notch in third place with “Perfect”. On March 10, Ed performed in Melbourne, Australia, and things literally heated up. Temperatures outside the venue, Etihad Stadium, reached 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit), and some concertgoers said the air conditioning inside the stadium was too weak to keep up with the heat.

The retractable roof was closed, and witnesses say several fans were taken away after fainting. Reps for Etihad Stadium said the roof was closed at the request of Sheeran’s tour management, and that water stations were available throughout the venue.

Number 2: Post Malone Featuring Ty Dolla $ign “Psycho”

Here’s your big new arrival: Post Malone and Ty Dolla $ign grab Hot Shot Debut honors in second place with “Psycho.”

This is the second time Post has opened in the runner-up slot. He also did it with “Rockstar” — which went on to top the chart. It’s Post Malone’s third Top 10 hit, after “Rockstar” and “Congratulations.”

Number 1: Drake “God’s Plan”

Let’s congratulate Drake on a sixth week at No. 1 with “God’s Plan.”

There may be more hits to come: Recently on Instagram, Drake posted a simple sentence: “next one soon splash.”

Whatever happens, we’ll be there to cover it, and we hope you’ll join us.
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Every year, hundreds of thousands of people flock to Washington in the spring to see the cherry blossoms bloom. The buds on the trees can survive chilly temperatures but need warm days to burst open with their white or pink flowers. But because of fluctuating spring temperatures, it is not always easy to predict when the trees will bloom. As we hear from VOA’s Deborah Block, it appears this year’s flowers may come out a bit earlier than usual.
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