·         Colombia adds 6 towns to list of sustainable tourism destinations

 

Colombia almost doubled its sustainable tourism destinations this week. Twelve more destinations are in the process of certification as the country slowly opens up for visitors.

Four of the new destinations that comply with tourism quality standards are located in the iconic coffee region. The town of Jerico, Antioquia and Mongui Boyaca were also deemed equipped for tourism.

The certification seeks make sure that tourism is regulated to “generate wealth, productivity and opportunities for all, while environmentally, economically and socially sound,” according to Trade Minister Maria Lorena Gutierrez.

New destinations are

1.         Santa Rosa de Cabal, Risaralda

2.         Jerico, Antioquia

3.         Mongui, Boyaca

4.         Filandia, Quindio

5.         Pijao, Quindio

6.         Salento, Quindio

 

·         12 players in the shop window at this summer's World Cup as clubs plot mega-money transfers

 

A good World Cup can be just what a player needs to secure a big money move to a top club. This summer, more than a few footballers will be all too aware of the scouts' eyes on them.

Inevitably, there'll be the hidden gems - those who become household names overnight, attracting the interest of high-profile clubs from Europe's top leagues.

There'll also be the players we know as consistent domestic performers, who announce themselves on the international stage with dazzling displays.

And one or two match-winning performances could be all that's required to bag genuine superstars mega-money moves to elite teams.

Here, we've suggested 12 players likely to be in the shop window this summer...

1.      Mohamed Salah – representing Egypt

2.      Antoine Griezmann – by French 

3.      Dele Alli – by England

4.      Xherdan Shaqiri – Swiss

5.      Alexsandr Golovin – Russian 

6.      Timo Werner – German 

7.      Eden Hazard – Belgian

8.      Jack Wilshere – England 

9.      Sergej Milinkovic-Savic – Serbian 

10.  Andre Silva – Portuguese 

11.  Emil Forsberg – Swedish

12.  Robert Lewandowski – Polish

 

·         Tearful Malala makes first trip to Pakistan since Taliban attack

 

Islamabad (AFP) - Nobel peace laureate Malala Yousafzai returned to Pakistan Thursday, saying tearfully that it was "a dream" to come home for the first time since she was airlifted to Britain after being shot in the head by a Taliban gunman more than five years ago.

The 20-year-old was overcome with emotion as she made a televised speech from the Prime Minister's House in Islamabad, breaking down in tears as she spoke of the beauty of her native Swat valley and how she imagines the streets of Pakistan from London and New York.

The activist had arrived unannounced with her parents under tight security overnight. Pakistanis awakening to the news she was back in the country flooded social media with messages of welcome -- but others accused her of a conspiracy to foment dissent.

Malala is widely respected internationally as a global icon for girls' education, but opinion is divided in Pakistan, where some conservatives view her as a Western agent on a mission to shame her country.

Malala became a global symbol for human rights after a gunman boarded her school van in Swat on October 9, 2012, asked "Who is Malala?" and shot her.

 

 

Link of the presentation of the news

 

 

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: “Plane crash kills hundreds in Algeria”

An Algerian military plane has crashed near the capital killing 257 people on board, officials say.

The aircraft came down just after taking off from Boufarik military airport, west of Algiers.

An inquiry is under way into the cause of the crash - Algeria's worst-ever air disaster. The government has declared three days of national mourning.

Most of the dead are army personnel and their families, the defence ministry says. Ten crew members also died.

Passengers from Western Sahara, a disputed territory annexed by Morocco after Spain withdrew in 1975, were among the fatalities.

The Polisario Front, which is seeking independence for the territory and is backed by Algeria, says 30 Western Saharans, including women and children, died. A senior member of Algeria's ruling FLN party said those killed included 26 Polisario members.

 

HOME NEWS: “Colombia arrests FARC leader on US drug trafficking charge”

Colombian authorities arrested a FARC leader on US drug charges on Monday, delivering a major blow to the country’s peace process.

President Juan Manuel Santos announced the arrest on television, saying he wouldn’t hesitate to sign off on the extradition if claims are proven that “Jesus Santrich” engaged in a drug deal in November last year.

The United States has yet to formally request the extradition of the former guerrilla chief.

Members of the FARC are shielded from extradition over drug trafficking offenses allegedly committed before the beginning of the peace process on December 1, 2016.

Colombia’s prosecution, however, claimed that Santrich, whose real name is Seuxis Hernandez, has been conspiring with drug traffickers for months to send cocaine to the United States.

“The agreement is clear,” said Santos. “Those who commit a crime after the signing of the final deal will be submitted to regular justice” and can not count on the benefits granted by the peace deal that sought to end more than half a century of violence.

“Today shows that this is a failed peace process and that the entire FARC should prepare for what will come,” Santrich’ attorney, Gustavo Gallardo, said on behalf of his client.

The FARC said the charges were a hoax and announced it would hold a press conference on Tuesday to announce a reaction. Santrich’ attorney said that the former guerrilla negotiator would enter a hunger strike.

The United Nations, which monitors the peace process, said that it would oversee the procedure and stressed that a judge of the transitional justice tribunal must rule on whether the former guerrilla chief should be extradited or not.

The UN “calls on the state institutions to assess current developments with the utmost discernment, bearing in mind that the decisions taken will have profound consequences for the peace process in Colombia,” said the international organization in a press release.

Santrich was set to take seat in the House of Representatives in July as part of the peace deal with the government that allowed the former guerrillas political participation for two congressional terms.

An American judge indicted Santrich and three others on April 4, Prosecutor General Nestor Humberto Martinez said.

“Those detained have betrayed the values and principled of the peace accords. To the thousands of demobilized combatants, the prosecution invites you to persevere in democracy and compliance to the legal order,” Martinez said.

The FARC relied on drug trafficking for its survival for decades, but withdrew from its illegal businesses in mid 2016, half a year before signing the final peace agreement.

SPORTS NEWS: “Roma 3 – 0 Barcelona: Manolas heads home to dump Catalans out on away goals”

Rampant Roma stunned Barcelona by scoring a huge victory to come back from 4-1 down in the first leg and reach the Champions League semi-finals on away goals.

The Italians took just six minutes to go ahead with Edin Dzeko beating both Jordi Alba and Samuel Umtiti to Daniele De Ross’s lofted through-ball and poking past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

Roma pushed for a second and Ter Stegen had to tip Dzeko’s header over for a corner, with the striker heading that wide of the far post.

The deserved second goal came in the 58th minute when Dzeko battled his way into the area and was tripped by a desperate Gerard Pique.

 

 

Link: 
https://youtu.be/VPLIk764diI 

https://youtu.be/IgnCrrUaIDM 

The sudden appearance of a network of new rivers in Argentina’s central province of San Luis has puzzled scientists.It has also raised urgent questions over the environmental cost of Argentina’s dependence on soya beans, its main export crop

Argentina’s transformation into a soya bean powerhouse has resulted in widespread deforestation to make way for the crop.
HOME NEWS 

From the singsong of the Caribbean, through the Antioquian lilt and all the way to the Ecuadorian-like Spanish spoken in Pasto, Colombia’s different accents are as varied as its people. The mountainous terrain has created physical barriers that have caused regional culture and language to diverge in a multitude of ways.

Similarly, the variety of Colombia’s inhabitants – white, mulato, black, indigenous, and everywhere in between – have put their own spin on an already fragmented common language. In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear people from the capital complain about having a hard time understanding their hosts when travelling in other parts of the country.

Whether this is because the Spanish spoken in Bogotá is “clearer” than others or simply because Colombian media broadcasts typically bogotano accents to the rest of the country, the reality is that understanding Colombia’s different accents can be a bit of a head scratcher, even for native speakers.

 Beyond the different varieties of Spanish, there are also over 60 indigenous languages r, there are the two distinct Afro-Colombian creole languages that are the criollo palenquero spoken in the San Basilio de Palenque and the criollo sanandresano, spoken in San Andrés and Providencia (where English has official status).

 the local variants of Castilian. Colombian phonological dialects can be divided into 11 broad groups, corresponding to their geographical origin.
Keith Murdock's death

The All Black prop at the centre of one of the most remarkable and mysterious rugby stories ever told has died at the age of 74.

Keith Murdock's death was confirmed by New Zealand Rugby on Friday.

His amazing story began nearly 46 years after a fateful night in Cardiff that changed his life forever

It is unknown how he died, although it is being reported he passed away in Australia.

SPEAK UP

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4P1yQfbdxc&feature=youtu.be