FIFA President Sepp Blatter said corruption scandals within the world soccer organization have brought "shame and humiliation" on the sport.
Mr. Blatter spoke Thursday at the opening of the FIFA Congress in Zurich, Switzerland. He was speaking publicly for the first time since U.S. and Swiss officials announced major corruption investigations of the organization.
Meanwhile, two major European football associations called on Mr. Blatter to resign, ahead of the organization’s presidential elections planned for Friday. UK Prime Minister David Cameron also supported calls for Sepp Blatter to step down.
Major FIFA sponsors like Visa and Coca-Cola are calling for FIFA to make major changes within the organization. The United Nations is also reviewing its partnerships with FIFA following allegations of widespread corruption, a U.N. spokesman said Thursday.
Seven high-ranking current and former FIFA officials were arrested Wednesday.
Iranian FM expresses hope for nuclear deal
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday he his hopeful Iran and a group of world powers can reach a final agreement on his country's nuclear program "within a reasonable period of time."
But during a visit to Greece, Zarif also said an agreement will not happen if there are "excessive demands."
Iran and the group that includes Britain, China, France, Russia, the United States and Germany have given themselves until June 30 to form a final deal curbing Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief. The two sides agreed to a framework in April, but still need to work out details such as how quickly to lift the sanctions that have hurt Iran's economy.
President Obama hosts Twitter chat on climate change
Just a week after entering the Twitter world with his new handle, @POTUS, U.S. President Barack Obama was on Twitter Thursday answering questions on climate change.
The president was in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, touring the National Hurricane Center. Mr. Obama spoke about the link between deadly storms and climate change.
During his Twitter question-and-answer session Thursday, the president was asked by one user why he called climate change a national security issue during his State of the Union address in January.
Words in the News:
humiliation – n. the act of making (someone) feel very ashamed or foolish
corruption – n. dishonest or illegal behavior especially by powerful people
sponsor – n. an organization that pays the cost of an activity or event (such as a radio or television program, sports event, concert, etc.) in return for the right to advertise during the activity or event
reasonable – adj. fair and sensible