SAO PAULO (AP) ― Brazil needs to improve the pace of upgrades to airports, infrastructure and stadiums before the 2014 World Cup, according to a report from a government watchdog group.The Brazilian Audit Court criticized officials for missing deadlines, not controlling costs and a lack of transparency in their work. The Audit Court is responsible for overseeing how the Brazilian government spends

The government assured Thursday that it would continue to back PyeongChang’s 2018 bid and work to bring the Winter Olympics for the first time here.“2018 Winter Games is our top priority this year,” said Choung Byoung-gug, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism in a public meeting explaining the government’s sports policy. “We have successfully passed the IOC’s inspection, but we still have a lon

A Chinese consumer confidence index fell in the fourth quarter to the lowest since 2009, indicating that concern about inflation may restrain spending in the world’s fastest-growing major economy.The measure was at 100, compared with 104 in the previous three months, Nielsen Co. and the Chinese statistics bureau’s Economic Monitoring and Analysis Center said in a statement released in Beijing on W

Before the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa last summer, Jung Sung-ryong, the new goalkeeper for the Suwon Samsung Bluewings in South Korea’s K-League, had played second fiddle to veteran netminder Lee Woon-jae.But that’s no longer the case today.Jung, 26, has since replaced Lee on both stages. Initially viewed as a backup to Lee, Jung started all four games for South Korea at the World Cup as

The North, with its 1.19 million-strong military, boasts the world’s greatest number of special forces soldiers. According to Seoul’s defense whitepaper, the number increased to around 200,000 last year from some 120,000 in 2006 and 180,000 in 2008.The North has been bolstering its special troops as it apparently believes it can effectively defeat its potential enemies ― South Korea and the U.S. ―

SAO PAULO (AP) ― Pele has expressed concern over delays in the preparations for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, saying they could cause an embarrassment for the country.Pele said at a news conference Friday that Brazil has the “obligation of staging a good World Cup but unfortunately everything is delayed.”He said Brazil is facing a “big risk of being embarrassed” because of delays in the modernizat

BHP Billiton Ltd., the world’s largest mining company, may consider acquisitions within a year, saying it sees opportunities in the oil and gas industry.Regulatory concerns are impeding iron-ore acquisitions, though BHP’s potash, copper, and oil and gas businesses aren’t constrained in the same way, Chief Executive Officer Marius Kloppers said on the “Inside Business” program broadcast Sunday on t