Steven Beitashour had only ever been to Iran twice as a child when he boarded a plane to Tehran as a 26-year-old to play soccer. Last October, he formally joined the Iranian national soccer team in preparation for the country's fourth appearance on soccer's largest stage.

The World Cup offers something of a free kick for soccer diplomacy, which some observers say U.S. President Barack Obama is failing to capitalize on.  While many nations, from Germany to Russia, are sending their leaders to Brazil to make a diplomatic appearance, Obama is staying home.

While Rio de Janeiro and its famous beaches provide the touristic backdrop of the World Cup, the fevered grip of the world’s most popular sporting event can be felt even in some of the most isolated areas of the rain forest, where outsiders seldom visit. “Football is in our blood,” said Andre Pereira da Silva, 32, the chief of a small community of Sateré-Mawé Indians in Manaus, the largest city in the Amazon, who served as a guide.

Brazil has offered Angola a new credit line worth $2 billion for use in the sub-Saharan African country's energy and construction sectors, Angolan Finance Minister Armando Manuel said on Monday.

US Vice President Joe Biden begins a four-nation trip across Latin America on Monday, starting with some World Cup action at the US-Ghana game in Brazil. Biden will fly directly to the flood-stricken city of Natal to cheer on the United States as they face the Black Stars in their first Group G clash on Monday.

I never thought I’d see Saudis dancing at Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo, the business center and largest city in Brazil, but that’s exactly what I witnessed last Sunday. These dancers, all men, were part of the Saudi Cultural Days event organized by the Saudi Ministry of Culture and Information.