Stadium not going fast enough

There are less than five months to go until the World Cup begins in Brazil but the clock is ticking for another of the global football fiesta's host cities. Curitiba, the capital of the southern state of Parana, is so behind with its stadium renovations that Fifa could strip it of its host status. On a trip to inspect the venue, Jerome Valcke, secretary general of the sport's governing body, told reporters: "You cannot organize games if you do not have a stadium - that's obvious. "If you don't have a stadium then you cannot have four games taking place here. So that's why again there is this emergency situation." Fifa has now given builders in the city of Curitiba a new deadline of February 18 to show a marked improvement in the stadium, and they'd better shape up otherwise the four games scheduled for the arena could be shipping out. An speaking of ships, new ships, expanded technology, and pop culture phenomena are some of the factors making 2014 an alluring year for a vacation at sea. January through March is known as "wave season" - when cruise lines roll out perks and promotions to entice travelers. But don't fret if you're not ready to plunk down your credit card. because experts are predicting more year-round savings at sea. The traditional wave season booking window can be a great time to snag a deal such as 2-for-1 fares, on-board credits, and suite upgrades, according to online cruise guide Cruise Critic, but it doesn't always reflect rock-bottom pricing. Cruise Critic Editor-in-Chief Carolyn Spencer Brown says that she's expecting this year to bring "especially competitive pricing" in the Caribbean, because of an influx of ships plying those waters. And if Alaska is on your cruising bucket list, she says now is a great time to book and take advantage of discounts for travel in April or May. But enough about that because after months of diplomatic maneuvering and last-minute slips, delegates have gathered in the lakeside Swiss city of Montreux to press for easing hostilities in Syria’s bloody civil war. The delegates, gathering in a luxury hotel to try to bridge the enormous gulf between the combatants and their outside backers, included for the first time in such a forum delegates from President Bashar al-Assad’s government and his exiled political opponents, along with other key players that included the United States, Russia, and the United Nations, whose secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said the challenges ahead were “formidable.”