Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:10

WASHINGTON — African-American slaves sweated in the summer heat and shivered in the winter's cold while helping to build the U.S. Capitol.

Congress took note of their service and sacrifice Wednesday by erecting commemorative plaques inside the Capitol in their honor. Lawmakers said the memorials will ensure that the contributions of slaves in building one of the world's most recognizable buildings are never again forgotten.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:10

LONDON, June 8/9, 2010 - The DeHaan Institute at Nottingham University will construct a new portal for tourism, “Mega Events,” with a research grant from VISA and working closely with UNWTO and other key stakeholders. Its primary focus will be on sports and tourism events.

This was announced at an event for the Honorable Marthinus Van Schalkwyk, Tourism Minister, Republic of South Africa, to update the travel industry and media on the excellent state of preparedness for the upcoming FIFA World Cup and the positive trends in South African tourism.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:10

The 2nd Annual World Summit was held in Kassel, Germany, in honor of Kassel Convention Centre being the first event center certified in Germany.

The keynote address by Green Globe Certification CEO Mr. Guido Bauer highlighted the certification program’s industry-driven agenda. Mr. Bauer outlined the achievements over the last 12 months in tripling the number of certified and audited tourism businesses worldwide.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:10

The United States  and Cuba have agreed to hold immigration talks in Washington within days, a U.S. official said Saturday, the first since a similar meeting in Havana in February.

The talks scheduled for Friday are intended to monitor adherence to a 16-year-old agreement under which the United States issues 20,000 visas to Cubans a year, though in the past the sides have used the meeting to delve into more contentious issues.

In the last round of talks, U.S. diplomats pressed Cuba to release Alan Gross, a jailed American contractor that Cuba has accused of spying. Gross has been jailed for more than 6 months without charge.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:10

WASHINGTON -- The sprawling oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is prompting concern in Cuba, which boasts one of the Caribbean's most pristine coral reefs, thick mangroves and nesting areas for green sea turtles.

Cuban government officials called U.S. oceanographers looking for assistance last week, the scientists said, and the State Department confirmed Tuesday that ``low, technical level'' talks are underway to help Cuba respond if the sheen should move close to its shores.

But environmentalists note a lack of formal ties with the country could hamper efforts to get assistance to Cuba, and renewed a call to the Obama administration to engage in talks with Cuba.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:10

The Elegba Folklore Society, the cultural ambassador for Richmond presented Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration 2010 on June 19.  Beginning at 3 pm, this commemoration of Juneteenth National Freedom Day featured a full palette of performers and speakers doing African world music, songs, and stories of the African Diaspora.  The event included an African dance class, panel discussions, ceremonies, performances and the Freedom Market featuring food, art and imports along with special engagement for children.  

Dr. Shawn O. Utsey, who chairs the African American studies department at Virginia Commonwealth University was a keynote speaker.  Juneteenth, A Freedom Celebration welcomed international guests, His Excellency, Daniel Ohene Agyekum of the Embassy of the Republic of Ghana in Washington, DC and enstooled Ashanti priest, Nana Kwabena Faheem Ashanti.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:10

Anxiety and excitement continues today Friday June 11th, that is, the World Cup Kickoff!  Among the most fretful are the Côte D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) soccer team and all of its fans, as it is remains unclear whether Didier Drogba, their super-star striker, who is rated as the third best player in the world by the Castrol Ranking, will be able to compete in the games.

Breaking an arm on Friday, June 4 during a warm-up match in Switzerland against Japan, Drogba announced that he would not be able to participate in the World Cup matches. Over the past weekend, however, Drogba underwent emergency surgery that could potentially ready him for the highly anticipated South African matches. Côte D’Ivoire, a Group G team, which will face off first with Portugal on the 15th, then with Brazil on the 20th, and finally, with North Korea (DPR) on the 25th,  is expected to experience significant set-backs should Drogba’s less-than-two-week recovery time not be sufficient to allow him considerable playing time.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:10

JOHANNESBURG (AP)—Nelson Mandela canceled plans to attend the opening game of the 2010 World Cup Friday after his 13-year-old great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash.

The Nelson Mandela Foundation said Zenani Mandela, who became a teenager a few days ago, died in a one-car accident after attending Thursday evening’s World Cup kickoff concert at the Orlando Stadium in Soweto, near Johannesburg.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:10

(Forimmediaterelease.net) President James Michel has called for India and Seychelles to establish air links in order to boost trade, commerce, and tourism between the two countries.

The statement was made during the President’s address to a meeting with the Indian business community, as represented by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:10

(Forimmediaterelease.net) Cape Town’s tourism industry leaders, Cape Town Tourism, and Cape Town Routes Unlimited, have joined forces in a bid to win Cape Town more visits from 2010 FIFA World Cup™ fans stationed in Gauteng. The message is loud and clear: Cape Town is one of the places of a lifetime, and you haven’t seen South Africa if you haven’t been to Cape Town.

Wednesday, 22 May 2013 06:10

Delta Air Lines Inc. plans to launch weekly service from Atlanta to Monrovia, Liberia, beginning September 4th.

The new service will include a stop in Accra, Ghana. On June 1, Delta is scheduled to start non-stop flights three times weekly from Atlanta to Accra, expanding to four weekly flights on June 14.

Delta announced in November 2008 that it would start service from Atlanta to Monrovia, Liberia's capital, via Sal Island, Cape Verde, on June 8, 2009, but the U.S. Transportation Security Administration denied the route, citing security issues at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia.

The government of Liberia is "working earnestly to ensure that all the necessary requirements are met so that the flights will commence as scheduled," Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf said in a May 25 Delta news release.

Delta has received preliminary approval from the U.S. government for the new flight and expects to receive final approval, the news release said.

On June 2, Delta will start non-stop seasonal service between New York and Abuja, Nigeria. Also in June, the airline will add two weekly nonstop flights between Atlanta and Johannesburg, South Africa, for the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament.

Delta's Africa service has grown from 22 weekly departures in July 2007 to nearly 80 in July 2010, the news release said.

Delta is planning flights to Malabo, Equatorial Guinea; Nairobi, Kenya and Luanda, Angola, pending government approvals.

Source: GlobalAtlanta.com