Which country in the world has the highest life expectancy?

Source: World Health Organization (WHO)

List by the World Health Organization (2015)

Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of their birth, their current age and other demographic factors including sex. 

2015 data published in May 2016.
HALE: Health-adjusted life expectancy

Country	Both sexes rank	Both sexes life expectancy	Female rank	Female life expectancy	Male rank	Male life expectancy	Both sexes rank (HALE)	Both sexes life expectancy (HALE)
Japan	1	83.7	1	86.8	6	80.5	1	74.9
Switzerland	2	83.4	6	85.3	1	81.3	4	73.1
Singapore	3	83.1	2	86.1	10	80.0	2	73.9
Australia	4	82.8	7	84.8	3	80.9	15	71.9
Spain	4	82.8	3	85.5	9	80.1	9	72.4
Iceland	6	82.7	10	84.1	2	81.2	7	72.7
Italy	6	82.7	7	84.8	6	80.5	5	72.8
Israel	8	82.5	9	84.3	5	80.6	5	72.8
Sweden	9	82.4	12	84.0	4	80.7	12	72.0
France	9	82.4	5	85.4	16	79.4	8	72.6
Republic of Korea	11	82.3	3	85.5	20	78.8	3	73.2
Canada	12	82.2	10	84.1	8	80.2	10	72.3
Luxembourg	13	82.0	12	84.0	13	79.8	17	71.8
Netherlands	14	81.9	20	83.6	10	80.0	11	72.2
Norway	15	81.8	17	83.7	13	79.8	12	72.0
Malta	16	81.7	17	83.7	15	79.7	18	71.7
New Zealand	17	81.6	26	83.3	10	80.0	19	71.6
Austria	18	81.5	14	83.9	19	79.0	12	72.0
Ireland	19	81.4	23	83.4	16	79.4	20	71.5
United Kingdom	20	81.2	27	83.0	16	79.4	21	71.4
Belgium	21	81.1	22	83.5	22	78.6	26	71.1
Finland	21	81.1	16	83.8	24	78.3	28	71.0
Portugal	21	81.1	14	83.9	27	78.2	21	71.4
Germany	24	81.0	23	83.4	21	78.7	23	71.3
Greece	24	81.0	20	83.6	24	78.3	15	71.9
Slovenia	26	80.8	17	83.7	28	77.9	26	71.1
Denmark	27	80.6	29	82.5	22	78.6	25	71.2
Cyprus	28	80.5	28	82.7	24	78.3	23	71.3
Chile	28	80.5	23	83.4	29	77.4	29	70.4
Costa Rica	30	79.6	30	82.2	31	77.1	31	69.7
United States of America	31	79.3	33	81.6	32	76.9	36	69.1
Cuba	32	79.1	34	81.4	32	76.9	35	69.2
Czech Republic	33	78.8	32	81.7	38	75.9	33	69.4
Maldives	34	78.5	41	80.2	32	76.9	32	69.6
Qatar	35	78.2	43	80.0	29	77.4	47	67.7
Croatia	36	78.0	36	81.2	42	74.7	33	69.4
Albania	37	77.8	38	80.7	39	75.1	38	68.8
Panama	37	77.8	37	81.1	42	74.7	42	68.1
Brunei Darussalam	39	77.7	47	79.2	36	76.3	29	70.4
Estonia	40	77.6	31	82.0	65	72.7	37	68.9
Poland	41	77.5	35	81.3	52	73.6	39	68.7
Bosnia and Herzegovina	42	77.4	45	79.7	40	75.0	40	68.6
United Arab Emirates	43	77.1	57	78.6	35	76.4	44	67.9
Uruguay	44	77.0	40	80.4	56	73.3	44	67.9
Bahrain	45	76.9	71	77.9	37	76.2	55	67.0
Mexico	46	76.7	46	79.5	48	73.9	52	67.4
Slovakia	46	76.7	41	80.2	62	72.9	42	68.1
Oman	48	76.6	47	79.2	40	75.0	63	66.7
Antigua and Barbuda	49	76.4	57	78.6	46	74.1	50	67.5
Argentina	50	76.3	44	79.9	65	72.7	49	67.6
Jamaica	51	76.2	57	78.6	48	73.9	58	66.9
Ecuador	51	76.2	53	79.0	53	73.5	55	67.0
China	53	76.1	80	77.6	44	74.6	41	68.5
Montenegro	53	76.1	65	78.1	46	74.1	44	67.9
Bahamas	53	76.1	50	79.1	62	72.9	65	66.6
Viet Nam	56	76.0	38	80.7	81	71.3	65	66.6
Hungary	57	75.9	50	79.1	71	72.3	52	67.4
Turkey	58	75.8	54	78.9	68	72.6	73	66.2
Macedonia	59	75.7	76	77.8	53	73.5	50	67.5
Algeria	60	75.6	81	77.5	50	73.8	75	66.0
Serbia	60	75.6	61	78.4	62	72.9	47	67.7
Iran	62	75.5	86	76.6	45	74.5	65	66.6
Peru	62	75.5	66	78.0	59	73.1	80	65.6
Barbados	62	75.5	71	77.9	59	73.1	65	66.6
Tunisia	65	75.3	76	77.8	61	73.0	63	66.7
Saint Lucia	66	75.2	71	77.9	68	72.6	74	66.1
Malaysia	67	75.0	83	77.3	65	72.7	70	66.5
Romania	67	75.0	55	78.8	78	71.4	59	66.8
Brazil	67	75.0	56	78.7	78	71.4	81	65.5
Lebanon	70	74.9	87	76.5	53	73.5	79	65.7
Thailand	70	74.9	66	78.0	74	71.9	59	66.8
Sri Lanka	70	74.9	63	78.3	75	71.6	55	67.0
Armenia	73	74.8	79	77.7	75	71.6	59	66.8
Nicaragua	73	74.8	71	77.9	77	71.5	103	63.7
Colombia	73	74.8	61	78.4	84	71.2	85	65.1
Kuwait	76	74.7	93	76.0	51	73.7	78	65.8
Honduras	77	74.6	85	77.0	71	72.3	90	64.9
Mauritius	77	74.6	76	77.8	78	71.4	59	66.8
Latvia	77	74.6	47	79.2	95	69.6	54	67.1
Saudi Arabia	80	74.5	93	76.0	58	73.2	96	64.5
Bulgaria	80	74.5	66	78.0	86	71.1	72	66.4
Georgia	82	74.4	63	78.3	91	70.3	70	66.5
Morocco	83	74.3	99	75.4	56	73.3	90	64.9
Jordan	84	74.1	96	75.9	70	72.5	88	65.0
Venezuela	84	74.1	60	78.5	94	70.0	83	65.2
Paraguay	86	74.0	93	76.0	73	72.2	83	65.2
Samoa	86	74.0	81	77.5	87	70.9	65	66.6
Dominican Republic	88	73.9	84	77.1	87	70.9	85	65.1
Grenada	89	73.6	91	76.1	84	71.2	88	65.0
Lithuania	89	73.6	50	79.1	104	68.1	75	66.0
Tonga	91	73.5	88	76.4	89	70.6	75	66.0
El Salvador	91	73.5	71	77.9	99	68.8	98	64.1
Cabo Verde	93	73.3	103	75.0	81	71.3	97	64.4
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	94	73.2	100	75.2	81	71.3	94	64.6
Seychelles	94	73.2	66	78.0	98	69.1	81	65.5
Libya	96	72.7	98	75.6	92	70.1	101	63.8
Azerbaijan	96	72.7	97	75.8	95	69.6	93	64.7
Belarus	98	72.3	66	78.0	119	66.5	85	65.1
Republic of Moldova	99	72.1	90	76.2	106	67.9	92	64.8
Vanuatu	100	72.0	107	74.0	92	70.1	94	64.6
Guatemala	101	71.9	100	75.2	102	68.5	116	62.1
Bangladesh	102	71.8	113	73.1	89	70.6	111	62.3
Suriname	103	71.6	105	74.7	101	68.6	107	63.1
Ukraine	104	71.3	91	76.1	120	66.3	98	64.1
Trinidad and Tobago	105	71.2	104	74.8	106	67.9	104	63.3
Kyrgyzstan	106	71.1	102	75.1	111	67.2	101	63.8
Egypt	107	70.9	111	73.2	99	68.8	113	62.2
Bolivia	108	70.7	110	73.3	103	68.2	113	62.2
Democratic People's Republic of Korea	109	70.6	107	74.0	113	67.0	100	64.0
Russian Federation	110	70.5	89	76.3	127	64.7	104	63.3
Kazakhstan	111	70.2	105	74.7	123	65.7	104	63.3
Belize	112	70.1	113	73.1	110	67.5	111	62.3
Fiji	113	69.9	113	73.1	113	67.0	108	62.9
Bhutan	114	69.8	126	70.1	97	69.5	120	61.2
Tajikistan	115	69.7	109	73.6	116	66.6	116	62.1
Micronesia	116	69.4	124	70.6	104	68.1	109	62.5
Uzbekistan	116	69.4	116	72.7	122	66.1	110	62.4
Solomon Islands	118	69.2	121	70.8	106	67.9	116	62.1
Nepal	118	69.2	121	70.8	109	67.7	121	61.1
Indonesia	120	69.1	119	71.2	112	67.1	113	62.2
Iraq	121	68.9	118	71.8	121	66.2	124	60.0
Mongolia	122	68.8	111	73.2	127	64.7	119	62.0
Cambodia	123	68.7	123	70.7	116	66.6	130	58.9
Philippines	124	68.5	117	72.0	126	65.3	121	61.1
India	125	68.3	128	69.9	115	66.9	126	59.5
Timor-Leste	125	68.3	126	70.1	116	66.6	123	60.7
Sao Tome and Principe	127	67.5	130	69.4	124	65.6	128	59.1
Senegal	128	66.7	132	68.6	130	64.6	132	58.3
Myanmar	129	66.6	133	68.5	130	64.6	127	59.2
Pakistan	130	66.4	137	67.5	125	65.5	134	57.8
Kiribati	131	66.3	131	68.8	136	63.7	128	59.1
Turkmenistan	131	66.3	125	70.5	143	62.2	125	59.8
Guyana	133	66.2	133	68.5	134	63.9	130	58.9
Rwanda	134	66.1	120	71.1	150	60.9	140	56.6
Gabon	135	66.0	138	67.2	127	64.7	137	57.2
Namibia	136	65.8	135	68.3	139	63.1	136	57.5
Yemen	137	65.7	138	67.2	132	64.3	135	57.7
Lao People's Democratic Republic	137	65.7	138	67.2	133	64.1	133	57.9
Botswana	137	65.7	136	68.1	137	63.3	138	56.9
Madagascar	140	65.5	141	67.0	134	63.9	138	56.9
Ethiopia	141	64.8	143	66.8	140	62.8	143	56.1
Congo	142	64.7	144	66.3	138	63.2	140	56.6
Eritrea	142	64.7	141	67.0	141	62.4	145	55.9
Syrian Arab Republic	144	64.5	128	69.9	154	59.9	143	56.1
Sudan	145	64.1	146	65.9	141	62.4	145	55.9
Comoros	146	63.5	151	65.2	144	61.9	145	55.9
Djibouti	146	63.5	150	65.3	145	61.8	148	55.8
Haiti	146	63.5	148	65.5	147	61.5	150	55.4
Kenya	149	63.4	147	65.8	148	61.1	149	55.6
Mauritania	150	63.1	153	64.6	146	61.6	152	55.1
Papua New Guinea	151	62.9	149	65.4	152	60.6	142	56.4
South Africa	151	62.9	145	66.2	158	59.3	153	54.5
Ghana	153	62.4	155	63.9	149	61.0	151	55.3
Uganda	154	62.3	154	64.3	153	60.3	156	54.0
Niger	155	61.8	158	62.8	150	60.9	154	54.2
United Republic of Tanzania	155	61.8	156	63.8	154	59.9	155	54.1
Zambia	155	61.8	152	64.7	161	59.0	158	53.6
Liberia	158	61.4	157	62.9	156	59.8	160	52.7
Gambia	159	61.1	159	62.5	156	59.8	157	53.8
Zimbabwe	160	60.7	160	62.3	161	59.0	163	52.3
Afghanistan	161	60.5	161	61.9	158	59.3	164	52.2
Benin	162	60.0	164	61.1	163	58.8	162	52.5
Burkina Faso	163	59.9	167	60.5	160	59.1	161	52.6
Togo	163	59.9	164	61.1	164	58.6	159	52.8
Democratic Republic of the Congo	165	59.8	163	61.5	165	58.3	166	51.7
Burundi	166	59.6	162	61.6	168	57.7	164	52.2
Guinea	167	59.0	171	59.8	166	58.2	166	51.7
Guinea-Bissau	168	58.9	167	60.5	169	57.2	168	51.5
Swaziland	168	58.9	164	61.1	171	56.6	172	50.9
Malawi	170	58.3	170	59.9	170	56.7	169	51.2
Mali	171	58.2	175	58.3	166	58.2	171	51.1
Equatorial Guinea	171	58.2	169	60.0	171	56.6	169	51.2
Mozambique	173	57.6	172	59.4	175	55.7	175	49.6
South Sudan	174	57.3	173	58.6	173	56.1	174	49.9
Cameroon	174	57.3	173	58.6	174	55.9	173	50.3
Somalia	176	55.0	176	56.6	176	53.5	176	47.8
Nigeria	177	54.5	177	55.6	177	53.4	177	47.7
Lesotho	178	53.7	178	55.4	179	51.7	179	46.6
Cote d'Ivoire	179	53.3	180	54.4	178	52.3	178	47.0
Chad	180	53.1	179	54.5	179	51.7	180	46.1
Central African Republic	181	52.5	181	54.1	181	50.9	181	45.9
Angola	182	52.4	182	54.0	181	50.9	182	45.8
Sierra Leone	183	50.1	183	50.8	183	49.3	183	44.4

Life Expectancy in the US is Flatling While Healthcare Costs Go Up

Historically, the United States has spent more money than any other country on healthcare.

In the late 1990s, for example, the US spent roughly 13% of GDP on healthcare, compared to about a 9.5% average for all high income countries.

However, in recent years, the difference has become more stark. Last year, as Obamacare continued to roll out, costs in the US reached an all-time high of 17.5% of GDP. That’s over $3 trillion spent on healthcare annually, and the rate of spending is expected accelerate over the next decade.

High Costs, High Benefit?

With all that money being poured into healthcare, surely the US must be getting better care in contrast to other high income countries.

At least, that’s what one would think.

Today’s chart comes to us from economist Max Roser (h/t @NinjaEconomics) and it shows the extreme divergence of the US healthcare system using two simple stats: life expectancy vs. health expenditures per capita.

The Divergence of US Healthcare

As you can see, Americans are spending more money – but they are not receiving results using the most basic metric of life expectancy. The divergence starts just before 1980, and it widens all the way to 2014.

It’s worth noting that the 2015 statistics are not plotted on this chart. However, given that healthcare spend was 17.5% of GDP in 2015, the divergence is likely to continue to widen. US spending is now closing in on $10,000 per person.

Perhaps the most concerning revelation from this data?

Not only is US healthcare spending wildly inefficient, but it’s also relatively ineffective. It would be one thing to spend more money and get the same results, but according to the above data that is not true. In fact, Americans on average will have shorter lives people in other high income countries.

Life expectancy in the US has nearly flatlined, and it hasn’t yet crossed the 80 year threshold. Meanwhile, Chileans, Greeks, and Israelis are all outliving their American counterparts for a fraction of the associated costs.

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Source: EQUITIES 

Europe's top Olympic official arrested in Rio over tickets sales

Patrick Hickey's IOC badge was displayed by police at a press conference in Rio

Police in Brazil have arrested the head of the European Olympic Committees, Irishman Patrick Hickey, in Rio over illegal Olympic ticket sales.

Mr Hickey, 71, is suspected of being involved in a scheme to sell tickets for higher than their face value.

He was taken to hospital after his arrest as a precaution, where he will probably spend the night, police said.

When officers went to his hotel room on Wednesday morning they found his wife there with his Olympic credentials.

Mrs Hickey said her husband had left for Ireland at the weekend, police told a news conference.

With the help of the hotel they began a search and found Mr Hickey in the room next door, they said.
 
While police said they had reason to believe he was trying to escape, a video apparently of the arrest on the ESPN Brazil sports news website shows Mr Hickey answering the door naked to officers.

Police said the arrest was related to that of fellow Irishman Kevin James Mallon on the day of the Olympic opening ceremony.

They estimate the potential profits of the alleged scheme at 10m reals (£2.4m; $3.1m).

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) said it would co-operate with any police investigation.

Irish broadcaster RTE reports that Mr Hickey faces three potential charges: facilitating ticket touting, forming a cartel, and "ambush" marketing.

Patrick Hickey also sits on the International Olympic Committee (file photo)

A spokesman for Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told the BBC: "We are aware of an Irish citizen having been arrested in Rio. The department, through its consulate in Rio, is following up and stands ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance."

Sports minister Shane Ross, who is in Rio and who met Mr Hickey at the weekend to discuss the ticket sales allegations, tweeted simply: "Shell shock here in Rio."

The OCI said in a statement it was "aware of the media stories regarding Pat Hickey and we are seeking total clarity on the situation before we comment further".

• Arrests ordered over 'illegal ticket sales'

• Irish minister wants independent inquiry into Olympic ticket sales

Mr Hickey is president of the European Olympic Committees, the body which gathers the continent's 50 national Olympic committees together.

His passport and Olympic ID were seized and were later displayed to photographers at the press conference.

Mr Hickey was arrested at this hotel in Rio

TV Globo filmed police holding what appeared to be Mr Hickey's Olympic accreditation outside the hotel

---

Who's who in Irish Olympic tickets controversy?

Patrick Hickey, at left, with IOC President Thomas Bach, has run Ireland's Olympic committee since 1989

• Patrick Hickey - president of both the European Olympic Committees and the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI)
• OCI - the state-funded body responsible for selecting, training and preparing Irish athletes to take part in the summer and winter Olympics
• Kevin James Mallon - Director of THG Sports
• THG Sports - A corporate and sports hospitality company based in London.
• Pro 10 Management - An Irish sports management company based in Lucan, County Dublin, which was appointed by the OCI as its Authorised Ticket Re-seller (ATR) in Ireland.

---

Mr Mallon is the director of THG Sports, a sports hospitality company alleged to have resold tickets for Rio 2016 illegally.

When Mr Mallon was arrested on 5 August, he was found to be in possession of more than 800 top-class tickets for the Games.

Hundreds of tickets were seized from Mr Mallon and later displayed at a news conference

Police suspect they were to be sold at prices of up to £6,000 ($7,800) each.

THG Sports said Mr Mallon had not sold or sought to sell tickets but had been holding them for collection by clients of the Irish authorised ticket reseller, Pro 10 Management.

THG Sports is owned by Marcus Evans Group, which also owns Ipswich Town Football Club.

Marcus Evans was one of four names on a list of arrest warrants issued by a Brazilian judge on Monday in connection with the alleged reselling of Rio 2016 tickets.

None of those four people is thought to be in Brazil and police there have said they will pursue the matter with Interpol.

A further three arrest warrants were issued on Wednesday, Brazilian police said, for directors of Pro 10 Management.

The OCI said it would launch an inquiry into the ticket sale controversy but has been criticised for rejecting a call by the Irish sports minister to bring in independent investigators.

Last week, the OCI wrote on its website there was "absolutely no suggestion of misconduct or impropriety" by the OCI or any of its staff.

Mr Hickey was elected head of the European Olympic Committees in 2006 and has been in charge of the Olympic Council of Ireland since 1989.

He has also been on the International Olympic Committee's executive board since 2012.
Source:BBC

Dominican Republic President Medina sworn in for second term

Dominican President Danilo Medina (C), accompanied by Vice President Margarita Cedeno (L) and First Lady Candida Montilla (R) arrives at the National Congress for his inauguration on August 16, 2016. (Photo: AFP)

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AFP) — The Dominican Republic's President Danilo Medina was sworn in Tuesday (August 16, 2016) for his second term, after riding an economic boom to win re-election in a landslide despite deep and lingering poverty.

Dressed in a white suit with the red, white and blue presidential sash draped across his chest, Medina took the oath of office before the Caribbean tourist paradise's National Assembly.

His audience included Presidents Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Evo Morales of Bolivia and Rafael Correa of Ecuador, three of Latin America's most outspoken leftists.

Medina, a 64-year-old economist and head of the centrist Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), won the country's May 15 election with 62 percent of the vote after pushing through a constitutional amendment to allow him to stand for a second four-year term.

On the eve of his second inauguration, his government boasted of its accomplishments over the past four years: investment in education, loans and support for small farmers, and a sharp drop in poverty, from 42.2 percent of the population to 32.3 percent.

The economy grew seven percent last year and is on track to grow six percent this year, according to the UN's Economic Commission for Latin America and theCaribbean.

The boom is thanks largely to tourism dollars from foreigners flocking to the country's luxury hotels and beaches.

But lingering poverty "will continue to threaten stability in the long term," warned the economist Pavel Isa Contreras.

More than three million of the island's 10 million people are still estimated to live in poverty.

Some political analysts warn that Medina, fresh off a crushing victory, is unlikely to make deep structural changes needed to secure long-term growth.

"He is not a reformist at heart," the Eurasia Group consultancy summed up after his win.

The PLD party has been in power for 12 years in the Spanish-speaking country, which shares the island of Hispaniola with its neighbor, Haiti.

The president, who faced seven challengers, has profited from a divided opposition and the breakup of the once-powerful Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD).
 
His top rival, Luis Abinader, came from a PRD breakaway faction.

In a country that endured the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo (1930-1961), US military interventions, and lifetime politicians such as three-time president Joaquin Balaguer, some voters worry about the PLD's iron grip on power.


Medina, however, can brush that off: he enjoys an 89 percent approval rating, according to a pre-election poll by Mexican consultancy Mitofsky, making him the most popular leader in Latin America.
Source: JAMAICA OBSERVER

Fidel Castro celebrates 90th birthday, criticises Obama in public letter

Cuba’s former president Fidel Castro at a celebration for his 90th birthday at the Karl Marx theatre in Havana on Saturday. Photograph: Ismael Francisco/AP 

In a letter published by state media, the former Cuban leader thanked supporters and criticised Obama’s visit to Cuba

Fidel Castro has thanked Cubans for their well-wishes on his 90th birthday (He was born on August 13, 1926, in Cuba) and criticised US president, Barack Obama, in a lengthy letter published by state media. He appeared but did not speak at a gala in his honour broadcast on state television Saturday evening.

“I want to express my deepest gratitude for the shows of respect, greetings and praise that I’ve received in recent days, which give me strength to reciprocate with ideas that I will send to party militants and relevant organisations,” he wrote.

ICuban president Fidel Castro at his 90th birthday celebration in Havana on Saturday 13 August. Photograph: Marcelo Garcia/AFP/Getty Images

“Modern medical techniques have allowed me to scrutinise the universe,” wrote Castro, who stepped down as Cuba’s president 10 years ago after suffering a severe gastrointestinal illness.

He sat in what appeared to be a specially equipped wheelchair and watched a musical tribute by a children’s theatre company, accompanied by footage of highlights from his decades in power.

He sat alongside his younger brother, President Raul Castro, and President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, along with Cuba’s highest-ranking military and civilian officials.

A sticker on a Chevrolet car in Havana, Cuba, saying ‘90 Happy’. Photograph: Enrique de la Osa/Reuters

 In his letter, Castro accompanied his thanks with reminiscences about his childhood and youth in eastern Cuba, describing the geology and plant life of the region where he grew up. He touched on his father’s death shortly before his own victory in overthrowing US-backed strongman Fulgencio Batista in 1959.

Castro returns at the end to criticise Obama, who appeared to anger the revolutionary leader with a March trip to Cuba in which he called for Cubans to look toward the future. A week after the trip, Castro wrote a sternly worded letter admonishing Obama to read up on Cuban history, and declaring that “we don’t need the empire to give us anything.”

In Saturday’s letter, he criticises Obama for not apologising to the Japanese people during a May trip to Hiroshima, describing Obama’s speech there as “lacking stature”.

Fidel Castro talks to Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro during his 90th birthday tribute in Havana while his brother and Cuban president Raul Castro sits to his right. Photograph: Marcelo Garcia/AFP/Getty Image

The Cuban government has taken a relatively low-key approach to Castro’s birthday, in comparison with the large-scale gatherings that had been planned for his 80th. Along with the Saturday evening gala, government ministries have held small musical performances and photo exhibitions that pay tribute to the former head of state.

Castro last appeared in public in April, closing the twice-a-decade congress of the Cuban Communist party with a call for Cuba to stick to its socialist ideals amid ongoing normalisation with the US.

Cuban soldiers visit the photo and audiovisual exhibition called “Fidel”, dedicated to Fidel Castro in Havana. Photograph: Yamil Lage/AFP/Getty Images

The need for closer economic ties with the US has grown more urgent as Venezuela, Castro’s greatest ally, tumbles into economic free-fall, cutting the flow of subsidised oil that Cuba has depended on for more than a decade. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of Cubans are migrating to the United States, hollowing out the ranks of highly educated professionals.

The brightest spot in Cuba’s slowing economy has been a surge in tourism that is expected to boom when commercial flights to and from the United States resume on 31 August.
Source: THEGUARDIAN

Joao Havelange, Former President of FIFA, Dies at Age 100

RIO DE JANEIRO — Joao Havelange, who as president of FIFA for two decades transformed soccer's governing body into a multibillion-dollar business and a hotbed for subsequent corruption that damaged its reputation, has died today (August 16, 2016) at the age of 100.

Havelange, who was suffering from a respiratory infection, died early Tuesday while Rio de Janeiro was hosting the Olympic Games, according to the Samaritano Hospital.

In 2009, Havelange led off Rio's bid presentation to the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen by inviting the members to vote to "join me in celebrating my 100th birthday'" at the 2016 Games in Brazil.

An IOC statement said its thoughts were with Havelange's family, adding: "The IOC has agreed to a request from the Rio 2016 Organizing Committee to allow the Brazilian flag to be flown at half-mast during the day in Olympic venues."

Havelange expanded the World Cup from 16 to 32 teams and made it one of sports' most important events. He organized six World Cups as FIFA president from 1974 to 1998, when Sepp Blatter replaced him. He secured lucrative broadcast deals, brought nations into FIFA and created the women's World Cup.

With more cash for football also came widespread financial wrongdoing by its top officials, including Havelange. In 2013, FIFA ethics court judge Joachim Eckert said Havelange's conduct had been "morally and ethically reproachable."

Havelange was never punished. He was allowed to resign his honorary presidency of FIFA in 2013.

Prior to that, Havelange resigned in December 2011 as a member of the IOC just days before its leadership was expected to suspend him and rule on claims that he took a $1 million kickback.

Three of FIFA's most notorious officials — his former son-in-law Ricardo Teixeira, Chuck Blazer and Jack Warner — joined FIFA's executive committee during Havelange's presidency. All three were subsequently swept up in corruption investigations by Swiss and U.S. authorities last year that also brought the end of Blatter's 17-year presidency.

Havelange was implicated with Teixeira in taking millions of dollars in kickbacks from World Cup broadcasting contracts. Both left FIFA between 2012 and 2013 to avoid sanctions from the soccer body's ethics committee. Teixeira has been indicted by the U.S. Justice Department on corruption charges but has stayed out of reach of American investigators, remaining in Brazil, which typically does not extradite its citizens.

Havelange was cited as a personal hero in soccer by Blazer, the most senior U.S. official at FIFA and his former executive committee colleague. Blazer's testimony admitting widespread corruption charges was key to the sprawling U.S. investigation implicating FIFA. Blazer is seriously ill and awaiting sentencing.

Warner, a longtime Havelange ally, also is indicted and is fighting extradition to the U.S. from his native Trinidad and Tobago.

FIFA was a small organization with about a dozen employees when Havelange took over at its Zurich headquarters in 1974.

"I found an old house and US$20 in the kitty," Havelange told FIFA's website. "On the day I departed 24 years later, I left property and contracts worth over US$4 billion. Not too bad, I'd say."

He was re-elected president six times, capitalizing on his contact-building across world football. FIFA's membership expanded by nearly one-third, to more than 200 nations and territories, under Havelange. China was readmitted in 1980 having left the organization in 1958.

"I clocked 26,000 hours in the air, the equivalent of spending three years in an airplane," Havelange said. "The only country I never visited was Afghanistan, because they wouldn't let me in."

The son of a Belgian father and a Brazilian mother, Havelange was a top-notch athlete before becoming a sports administrator. He swam for Brazil at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin and played on its water polo team at the Helsinki Games in 1952.

He headed the Brazilian football confederation for nearly two decades, when Brazil's national team won its first three World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

Havelange was the first non-European head of FIFA and its longest serving president, stepping down at age 82.

In a 1999 survey by the IOC, Havelange was voted among the top three sports leaders of the 20th century, behind former IOC President Juan Antonio Samaranch and modern Olympics founder Pierre de Coubertin. He joined the IOC in 1963.

Havelange had a heart pacemaker implanted in 2006. He was hospitalized for more than two months, including several weeks in intensive care, in 2012 because of an infection in his right ankle.

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS