Romero the shootout hero as Argentina reach Final

                                                           Arena de Sao PauloSao Paulo (BRA)

                                                                   Semi-finals

                                                            

                                                                         

                                                                  

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                                                                     Full-time

                                                                        0-0

                                                         Argentina win on penalties (2 - 4) 

Sergio Romero inspired Argentina to a 4-2 victory over the Netherlands on penalties and FIFA World Cup™ Final place for the first time in 24 years. After 120 goalless minutes in Sao Paulo, the 27-year-old repelled Ron Vlaar’s spot-kick before making a stunning save from Wesley Sneijder to send La Albiceleste into a showdown with Germany at the Maracana.
The first half was a tense, chance-shy affair. Lionel Messi had Argentina’s best opportunity, with a centrally-positioned free-kick from the edge of the box, but he curled it straight into the arms of Jasper Cillissen.
Ezequiel Gonzalez bravely ducked his head between flying boots from a corner, but the 27-year-old centre-back was unable to keep his effort down, while the sliding Ron Vlaar did well to intercept a low Ezequiel Lavezzi cross before Gonzalo Higuain could pounce.
The Netherlands, for their part, struggled to get the ball to danger man Arjen Robben and failed to force Sergio Romero into a save before the half-time whistle sounded.
If the first half was tame, the second was even tamer. Argentina finally sprung to life on 75 minutes, however, when Messi spun his man ner the right touchline but was felled. The referee played the advantage, allowing Enzo Perez to surge forward and cross for Higuain, whose first-time stab hit the side-netting.
After the contest crawled into added time, the Netherlands conjured up what was, indubitably, its best chance. Sneijder’s crafty flick sent Robben racing into the Argentinian area. The 30-year-old nevertheless took too many touches, which enabled Javier Mascherano to make a superb sliding block from his strike from point-blank range.
Shortly into extra-time, Klaas-Jan Huntelaaar replaced Van Persie. It was Louis van Gaal’s third substitution, eliminating the possibility of quarter-final saviour Tim Krul coming on should the game go to penalties and signalling the Oranje coach’s desire to go for it.
That his charges did. Robben sped in behind the Albiceleeste defence, only for Mascherano to divert his cut-back behind, before the Bayern Munich player tested Romero’s hands with a fizzing 25-yard piledriver.
After 115 minutes, Argentina had their finest opening of the match. A long ball over the top bounced into the path of substitute Rodrigo Palacio, but he failed to generate sufficient power on his header to trouble Cillessen.
Both goalkeepers had had little to do in normal and extra time, but Romero did plenty thereafter to send the masses of Argentinians in Sao Paulo delirious. 

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Syria conflict National Coalition elects new leader

Syria’s main opposition alliance, the National Coalition, has elected a new president, reports AFP.
Hadi al-Bahra, the coalition’s chief negotiator at the failed Geneva II peace talks with the Syrian government, was chosen at a meeting in Turkey.
He has close ties to Saudi Arabia like Ahmed al-Jarba, whom he replaces.
Though it is backed by the US and Gulf Arab states, the National Coalition has little influence over the rebels trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad.
The hardline Islamist and jihadist fighters that dominate the rebel movement reject the alliance’s exiled leadership.
One group, the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), has announced the creation of a “caliphate” in the territory under its control in northern and eastern Syria, as well as in the large swathes of neighbouring Iraq.
‘Not seeking power’
The National Coalition has repeatedly warned of the threat of Isis and called on its foreign allies to arm rebel forces to counter the gains made by the al-Qaeda breakaway.
“While Assad’s allies have been supplying him with unlimited support, the aid provided by the Friends of the Syria [an alliance of Western and Gulf states] to mainstream rebels has decreased to the minimum level. The flow of arms to the Syrian rebels has almost stopped lately,” spokesman Louay Safi told Wednesday’s meeting in the Black Sea resort of Sile

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Bagerhat rivers run dry: Agriculture, ecology imperiled 11 lose navigability due to silt accumulation

Bagerhat : With drastic fall in the levels of their waters, the rivers and canals flowing through the district are being filled with silt and running dry putting agriculture and ecology here in jeopardy, reports UNB.
The rivers and canals are also losing navigability for emergence of char (shoals emerged from their beds) due to accumulation of silt hampering smooth movement of vessels on different routes in dry season.
Talking to UNB, M Mainuddin, executive director of Water Development Board (WDB), Bagerhat, said due to impact of climate change, water flow in the rivers of the district has declined and silt deposited up at the confluence of the sea.
He said the flow of water from the upstream has also declined in the rivers, adding that with further decline in water flow during ebb, the rivers’ beds are being filled up with sediments.
He mentioned that 11 rivers flowing through Bagerhat and 139 canals in the district have already lost navigability and turned into plain lands for silt deposition.
Local agriculture officials said the rivers cannot contain sufficient water due to deposition of silt in their beds, adding that millions of people become marooned during the rainy season while crops worth crores of taka get damaged due to water stagnation in crop fields as the rainwater cannot be drained out to the clogged-up rivers.
They said farmlands are being affected by saline water intrusion as salted water from the sea cannot recede from there swiftly, adding that as a result, fertility of the croplands is declining day by day.
Besides, in dry season, water flow in the rivers and canals reach low level suspending waterway communication on different routes.
At the same period, farmers cannot cultivate paddy for lack of water.
WDB officials said some 50 rivers and canals are gradually getting lost from the map of the district because of drying up of their beds.
Experts attributed the decrease in water containing capacity of the rivers to emergence of shoals in their beds.
They said water level in the Padma and its tributaries continues to recede due to Farakka barrage built by India in the upstream and added that a section of people are catching fish and cultivating shrimps in an unplanned way hindering water flow of the canals.
They mentioned that about 400 kilometre areas of different rivers and canals have already been filled up due to silt deposition.
According to the WDB office in the district, the rivers with their beds filled up for silt deposition are Daudkhali, Bishna, Putimari, Atharobeki, Chitra, Bhairab, Bhola, Baleshwar, Kumarkhali, Kat Bhairab and old Pashur.
Sources concerned said the rivers have lost navigability due to lack of dredging works.
No rivers were dredged except the Bhola over the last 100 years, the sources added.
Besides, 139 small and big canals have dried up for lack of dredging.
WDB officials apprehend that Doratana, Madhumati and Panguchi rivers are likely to die down in next 20 years.
Contacted, deputy director of the Department of Environment in Bagerhat Sukumar Roy said due to the rivers and canals being filled up, coastal people have become more vulnerable to environmental disasters.
Besides, if the rivers and canals die down, the river communication will be suspended, agriculture will face difficulties and fish production will decline, he warned.
It will also hinder crop farming in dry season and create water-logging in rainy season, leaving negative impact on the country’ s overall economy, said Sukumar.
Deputy Commissioner M Shukur Ali said they in no way allow activities hindering water flow in the canals, adding that upazila nirbahi officers (UNO) have been asked to take steps to restore water flow in the canals.
Directives were also given to the UNOs to take action against those who try to hinder water flow in the canals anyway, said the DC.
WDB executive director M Mainuddin said they have taken up a project to re-excavate 110 km area of 18 rivers and canals to bring back navigability in the water bodies.

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11 die in Polish plane crash

TBT International Desk: Eleven people were feared dead during a parachute club outing in southern Poland on Saturday. A local resident said the light aircraft was making “strange sounds” before crashing close to houses.

The plane, a Piper Navajo, was taking off from an airfield at Rudniki, near the city of Czestochowa, 210 kilometers (130 miles) southwest of Warsaw.

Emergency services spokeswoman Justyna Sochacka said 12 people were on board the plane. The only survivor was in “serious condition” in hospital, she said.

TVN24 television showed the burnt out wreckage of the aircraft.

String of fatal skydiver takeoffs

Since 2010 there have been at least four fatal accidents involving parachutists while being taken aloft to their drop off zones.

In 2010, nine people were killed in New Zealand near the Fox Glacier tourist spot when their skydiving plane crashed shortly after takeoff.

In October last year, 11 parachutists and their pilot died when their plane caught fire and lost a wing near Namur in Belgium shortly after taking off.

Last March, a pilot and four skydivers were killed in eastern Australia during takeoff from an airstrip at Caboolture near Brisbane.

Last April, eight skydivers were killed in Finland, when their aircraft disintegrated in flight. Two other parachutists and the pilot managed to jump to safety, with minor injuries.

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World Bank cancelled Padma Bridge funding at US behest

TBT Live Update: Construction work for the $ 2.97 billion Padma Multipurpose Bridge Project is underway with government funding as five firms have been shortlisted for appointment of Construction Supervision Consultant (CSC) for the main bridge and river training, the Prime Minister told Parliament on Wednesday.

“The work on implementation of the Padma Bridge Project with an estimated cost of Tk 20,507.20 crore ($ 2.97 billion) with own funding of the government is going on,” she said, answering a tabled question of BNP lawmaker Nazim Uddin Ahmed (Laxmipur-1).
Hasina said that 11 organizations have submitted the proposals and of them, five firms have been short-listed in the evaluation for appointing the CSC. “The RFP will be issued soon,” she added.

She also said that the work on the riverbank protection at the Jazira Construction Yard at a cost of Tk 95.98 crore is underway where 65 percent of the work has already been completed. Besides, the construction of the Jnzira Approach Road at a cost of Tk 1,262.96 crore is also going on.

The PM informed that the construction work on Mawa approach road will begin soon as the cabinet committee on public purchase has approved a proposal for appointing contractors for the construction of Mawa approach road at a cost of Tk 259.56 crore.

She said the work on land acquisition for the project and rehabilitation of the affected people is at the last stage.

Agreement has already been signed among Special Works Organization (SWO-West), Bangladesh Army in association with BRTC and BUET for appointing Construction Supervision Consultant (CSC) for the Jazira approach road, Mawa approach road and Service Area-2 at a cost of Tk 133.48 crore.

The Prime Minister expressed her optimism that the work for the 2nd Padma Bridge at Paturia-Goalondo point will start soon as three firms have submitted their bids for implementing the 6.10-kilometer bridge on PPP basis following invitation of Expression of Interest (EOI).

Besides, the Chinese government firm China Communications Construction Company Ltd has expressed their interest for constructing the bridge on Government to Government basis.

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10 Best Movies of 2014 till June

The movies on most critics’ annual 10 Best lists tend to be released late in the calendar year, when studios release their prestige Oscar bait. The first half of 2014, though, has brought a rich harvest of distinguished, challenging and just plain fun films in the indie, animation, documentary and blockbuster categories. My greedy wish: that the second half is even more bountiful.

1.The Grand Budapest Hotel

Gustav H. (Ralph Fiennes) is the perfect concierge for a sumptuous hotel in an imaginary Eastern Europe country about to surrender its luxe to the brutes of war. Wes Anderson’s masterpiece is a dizzyingly complex machine whose workings are a delight to behold.

2.The LEGO Movie

Directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller turn those blocky, personality-deficient toys into living, lovable movie stars. It’s the best animated feature since — well, Frozen, but you know what we mean.

3.Jodorowsky’s Dune

In the 1970s, nutsy auteur Alexander Jodorowsky planned a lavish movie of Frank Herbert’s Dune novels. It never got made, but this enthralling documentary shows that, at 83, Jodorowsky still has the power of a mad artist.

 4.Captain America: The Winter Soldier

“Hail HYDRA!” whisper U.S. Senators loyal to Marvel Comics’ favorite Nazi social club. Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, turns Edward Snowden with way more muscles in this superior sequel — a thrill ride into paranoia.

5. Only Lovers Left Alive

Two-thousand-year-old vampires in love: that’s the super-suave duo played by Tilda Swinton and Tom Hiddleston, in Jim Jarmusch’s weirdly sweet love story for the ages.

6.Noah

Darren Aronofsky turns God’s first zookeeper into a survivalist who gets the Creator’s cleansing, destructive message in dreams. Russell Crowe lends a loopy magnificence to this dead-serious, madly ambitious Biblical epic.

7. Night Moves

From Crowe the eco-freak to Jesse Eisenberg the eco-terrorist. Instead of building an ark, he wants to blow up a dam. Kelly Reichardt’s political parable boils with silent rage and explodes with the violence of ideals gone wrong.

8. Edge of Tomorrow

Tom Cruise, nearly 52 but still G.I.-Joe fit, is a soldier who must keep reliving — and redying in — a bloody battle with alien monsters in Europe. Private Ryan meets Groundhog Day in the early summer’s smartest action fantasy.

9.Stranger By the Lake

Gay men take their anonymous pleasures at a French lakeside where a killer awaits. The tension has an icy grip in this gay spin on Rear Window, this Blowup on the beach.

10. 300: Rise of an Empire

My feta movie: Greek cheese and sleaze. Seven years after the homoerotic 300, cool, luscious Eva Green makes war a game both sexes can play, on nearly equal terms.

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Israel hits key Hamas targets in Gaza offensive

Jerusalem – The Israeli army on Wednesday intensified its offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, striking Hamas sites and killing at least 8 people on the second day of a military operation it says is aimed at quenching rocket fire against Israel, reports UNB.
The offensive has set off the heaviest fighting between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas since an eight-day battle in November 2012. Militants unleashed rocket salvos deep into Israeli territory, and Israel mobilized thousands of forces along the Gaza border for a possible ground invasion into the Palestinian territory.
Since the offensive began Tuesday, Israel has attacked more than 400 sites in Gaza, killing at least 32 people. The strikes from air and sea came after militants fired more than 160 rockets at Israel, including one that reached the northern Israeli city of Hadera for the first time. The city is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Gaza.
The army said it attacked more than 160 sites in Gaza early Wednesday, including 118 concealed rockets launching sites, six Hamas compounds – including naval police and national security compounds – 10 militant command centers, weapons storage facilities and 10 tunnels used for militant activity and to ferry supplies in from Egypt. The border between Gaza and Egypt has effectively been closed for months.
Gaza health official Ashraf Al-Kedra said Wednesday’s airstrikes killed one militant in south Gaza, as well as an Islamic Jihad operative, his mother, and four siblings in northern Gaza.
Another man was killed on a motorcycle, but his identity was not immediately known.
Only four rockets were fired from Gaza toward Israel overnight, the army said, a significant decline from the large number that hit Israeli cities the night before, setting off air raid sirens in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other areas of the country.
By early Wednesday, air raid sirens sounded in Tel Aviv and Israel’s south early Wednesday, and the army said two rockets were apparently intercepted above the central Israeli city by an anti-missile battery.

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It's Messi v Robben

The Netherlands are one win away from a second straight World Cup final while opponents Argentina head into Wednesday's last-four clash looking to end their 24-year wait for a place in the biggest game of all.
Two teams with a rich tradition and an abundance of motivation should produce a close game, characterised by tight marking, disciplined defence and threats on the break as they bid to reach the July 13 final at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana.
But for all the expectation, all the history and all the focus on the tactical approaches of Alejandro Sabella and Louis van Gaal, the clash at the Corinthians arena is likely to come down to how two individuals seize the moment.
With both teams set to pack the midfield, regardless of what formal formation they field, Argentine Lionel Messi and Dutchman Arjen Robben will be charged with producing thrilling moments of skill that could decide who heads to Rio for the final.
The narrative around the 27-year-old Messi's stature in the game has long suggested that the four-time World Player of the Year needs to take his country to a World Cup triumph to enter the list of the game's true greats.
Whether that assessment is fair or not, Messi is certainly doing his best to prove that he deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as compatriot Diego Maradona and Brazil's Pele.
The forward has four goals, all in the group stage, but his contribution has gone well beyond finding the back of the net.
Messi has always had the ability, for Barcelona and Argentina, to drop away from the opposing back-line and run at defences from deep, but in the quarter-final win over Belgium he played almost as a classic playmaking number 10.
In this withdrawn role, Messi successfully controlled the tempo of the game, slowing it down when needed and probing for spaces for striker Gonzalo Higuain to exploit.
So often the virtuoso who provides the dramatic crescendo to an attack, Messi has evolved in this tournament into the conductor of the orchestra.
The absence of Angel Di Maria on the right through injury is a blow for Argentina because the Real Madrid winger has provided the other main attacking threat for Sabella's team.
It will be interesting to see whether the Argentine coach goes with the defence-minded Enzo Perez, who replaced Di Maria against the Belgians, or goes for a more attacking option.
His Dutch counterpart Van Gaal has been willing to adjust his lineup and formation for each game, but the one constant is the reliance on Robben to terrorise defences with his high-speed dribbling.
While much attention has focused on the tricky winger's tendency to go down easily in seeking penalties, that has distracted somewhat from the way his pace, directness and shooting have been the main focus of the Dutch attacks.
Van Gaal's side have cut it fine on the route to the semi-finals though - they needed penalties to get past Costa Rica in the quarter-finals having only beaten Mexico by a controversial last-minute penalty in the previous round.
They will need striker Robin van Persie to recapture his form from the group stage to give the Argentina defence something else to ponder apart from Robben's direct threat.
The two teams have met four times before in the World Cup, including in the 1978 final which Argentina won 3-1 after extra time on home soil. That was their only win over the Dutch at the finals having lost twice and drawn once in the other matches.

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Messi, Van Gaal may be a meeting of mastery

Lionel Messi (C) warms up during a training session at Arena Corinthians on July 08, 2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Argentina will face The Netherlands as part of a 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Semi Final match on July 09. Photo: Getty Images

There is a hoary old truism about the effects of a spectacular World Cup, a suggestion that after each tournament in the Americas a portion of that summer’s newborns will be named after one of the stars – hence all the Müllers, Diegos, Bonieks, Stevehodges and all the rest currently wandering around Latin America. When it comes to Brazil 2014 the star rankings on this front seemed pretty clear a week ago. Get ready for a new generation of Jameses and Lionels, and Neymar juniors. The World Cup of the glory boy No10s is here: all hail the new individualism, Barney Ronay writes in The Guardian.

Things have shifted a little since then. After the mutual assured destruction of Brazil’s quarter-final defeat of Colombia, a night when not one but two poster-boy No10s were kicked out of the World Cup, it is tempting to argue the field now looks alarmingly clear.

Also when it comes to a sense of outright historical ascent only Lionel Messi is still sitting on the shoulder at the final bend, perfectly placed to burst away from the pack and write his name all over this World Cup in perpetuity. Except, he is not quite alone there. With the shifting of the pack another, rather unexpected, figure has emerged as a candidate for the tournament’s dominant influence. Enter: Louis van Gaal.

Depending on how the next five days go Holland’s manager has a fair shot at emerging by the end as the most influential single participant at this World Cup. A tournament that had seemed likely to be decided by a shimmy between the lines from some magenta-booted princeling could yet end up being defined by the spectacle of a 62-year-old Dutchman pointing and waving and glowering on the touchline. South American registry offices you have been warned. It is spelt “Louis” – or “Aloysius” if you prefer.

Either way it seems possible the most important one-on-one duel left at this World Cup is the one between Van Gaal and Messi – Lionel versus Louis – at the Arena Corinthians on Wednesday night when Holland play Argentina in the second semi-final.

Head coach, Louis van Gaal speaks to his players during the Netherlands training session at the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil held at the Estadio Paulo Machado de Carvalho Pacaembu on July 8, 2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Photo: Getty Images

Not only is Messi the most convincing obstacle still standing in the way of a first European triumph in South America, Van Gaal himself has just kept on coming at this tournament, his nudges and tactical shifts a tangible feature in Holland’s run to this stage – so much so that should Van Gaal uncover the managerial grail and successfully still Messi’s influence it is not impossible to imagine him turning up on the touchline at the final in a Mozart wig waving around a conductor’s baton.

With Ottmar Hitzfeld departing at the last-16 stage, Van Gaal is the only remaining big beast of European club management at this World Cup, not to mention the last proven elite tactician, too. Luiz Felipe Scolari is a motivator and a personality manager. Alejandro Sabella looks like a safe pair of hands with a genius on his plate. Jogi Löw dresses like a genius and talks like a genius: he just does not actually have the medals of a genius. Over to you then, Louis.

It is a classic club management challenge – stop the opposition’s best player, while also leaving yourself a chance of winning – that shines an interesting light on Van Gaal. Manchester United’s new manager has described himself as a process trainer, a manager with a set of ideas that will of necessity take time to seep through his team and attach to all its working parts. The intention is not to tinker at the edges but to create a style so coherent and well-grooved that what the opposition do in reply is almost irrelevant.

Tournament football is of course very different. It is a matter of reacting and adjusting, getting out the string and Sellotape mid-match, a challenge from the Mourinho-esque pragmatist’s school (José Mourinho would make a fascinating World Cup manager). For Van Gaal, this tournament has been a series of miniatures where he would normally aim for the big, sweeping masterpiece. It must be said, however, he has looked throughout like a man enjoying himself to an almost indecent degree, as though this is, in fact, the closest he is ever likely to get to a genuine summer holiday.

Against Spain that bespoke deep-set, direct-football approach – a page from Herbert Chapman’s notebook 80 years ago – was a stunning success. Against Australia Van Gaal had the satisfaction of tweaking his formation in adversity and wrestling the match back Holland’s way.Against Chile a counterattacking plan worked well. Even against Costa Rica, a thrilling mess of a match, Van Gaal found a way of standing out, just as Messi has for Argentina. His Tim Krul intervention stole the headlines, even if it was not quite a stroke of instinctive genius but pre-planned logic based on Krul’s extra reach.

Lionel Messi (C) warms up during a training session at Arena Corinthians on July 08, 2014 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Argentina will face The Netherlands as part of a 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil Semi Final match on July 09. Photo: Getty Images

And now to São Paulo and that remote control one-on-one with Messi. In a way it is a test of Van Gaal’s notorious tactical and personal egotism. Is he willing to bend his approach to one man, to acknowledge that Messi, not Louis van Gaal is the defining presence here? (The answer is yes of course). There was an interesting rehearsal of sorts last year when Holland played Portugal in a friendly and Van Gaal was faced with basically the same conundrum as Wednesday night: how to limit Cristiano Ronaldo’s influence without compromising his own style.

Ominously, at this foul-obsessed World Cup, Holland fouled Ronaldo quite a lot that night, to the extent he eventually squared up to Bruno Martins Indi, who was booked for another tactical trip. At times three Portugal players surrounded Ronaldo, who reacted in the second half as Messi did against Belgium, by dropping off and letting other players use the space created (he also scored the 87th-minute equaliser).

The suggestion is that both teams may try something similar at the Arena Corinthians, in what might well be a slow-burner. Messi has had this effect at times in Brazil, his mere presence, like a shark slowly circling the swimming pool, inducing a mood of wariness. Van Gaal gave Daley Blind special responsibility for Alexis Sánchez against Chile and will probably do the same to Messi, with whoever is closest detailed to double team where possible. How Van Gaal would like to have his midfield foot soldiers Nigel de Jong and Kevin Strootman, available for this match.

Wary of Arjen Robben, Argentina may well also sit deep and look to break through Messi and Ezequiel Lavezzi. Either way there is a personal duel here – off-field tactician versus on-field schemer – that shows both men in an interesting light. Messi has had a fine World Cup but his influence was more deterrent than destructive weapon in the quarter-finals. He has scored in Brazil against Bosnia, Iran and Nigeria but his best moment to date is the brilliant assist against Switzerland in a match that might have quite easily seen Argentina eliminated. If Messi is really to influence the World Cup decisively this is the moment to do it.

Strip away Holland’s pedigree in reaching World Cup late stages and it must be said, on paper, they are chasing this game from the start. This is Van Gaal’s own gift to Brazil 2014, a team of three stars and a supporting cast that is willing to bend utterly to the instructions of its touchline No10. There have already been plenty of fascinating comings-together at this World Cup.

Louis versus Lionel could end up being a contest to match the best of them.

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Barzil's despair and famous World Cup humiliations

Brazilian players in despair after their 1-7 defeat by Germany on Wednesday. Photo: Getty Images

As World Cup hosts, Brazil could be forgiven for struggling to handle the weight of expectation placed on their shoulders in Tuesday's semi-final, Andrew Wychrij writes in Goal.com.
However, few would have predicted a remarkable first-half collapse against Germany.
Joachim Low's side scored five goals in just 18 minutes on the way to securing a 7-1 win, silencing the Belo Horizonte crowd and ended Brazilian hopes of lifting the trophy for a sixth time.
That said, Luiz Felipe Scolari's Selecao are far from the first side to endure the disgrace of a thrashing at international football's most prestigious event.

Germany 8-0 Saudi Arabia, 2002
Germany recorded their biggest ever World Cup win with an 8-0 thumping of a desperately poor Saudi Arabia. Miroslav Klose scored a hat-trick, as Michael Ballack, Carsten Jancker, Thomas Linke, Oliver Bierhoff and Bernd Schneider all joined in the rout. Germany had 15 shots on target; their opponents had none.
The defeat set the tone for both teams’ tournaments, as Rudi Voller's side went on to be beaten 2-0 in the final by Brazil and the Saudis exited at the group stages after losing to Cameroon and the Republic of Ireland.
The 8-0 scoreline represented the worst loss by a team in the World Cup since 1982 and the largest margin of defeat without scoring a goal since 1974.
Saudi Arabia’s -12 goal difference was the third worst goal in World Cup history, equalling El Salvador’s showing in 1982. Head coach Nasser Al Johar was sacked following the tournament.

Hungary 8-3 West Germany, 1954
From 1950, Hungary boss Gusztav Sebes instilled a ruthless streak in the Magyars' game. Their attacking 3-2-1-4 formation saw them play 50 games between 1950 and 1956, winning 42, drawing 7 and losing just once.
Hungary had begun their World Cup campaign in Switzerland with a 9-0 defeat of South Korea and found West Germany barely more of a contest in their second game.
The Mighty Magyars lived up to their formidable reputation by thrashing an admittedly unseeded and weakened West German side. Sandor Kocsis scored four, ending the World Cup as top scorer with eleven, Nandor Hidegkuti got two and Ferenc Puskas and Jozsef Toth added the remainder.
Hungary have long held a place in the pantheon of the greatest teams to ever play the game and demonstrated that in Switzerland, only blemishing that impression with a defeat in the final to the previously vanquished West Germany.

West Germany 6-1 Austria, 1954
After wobbling against Hungary, West Germany only managed to escape the group stages after a 7-2 play-off win over Turkey. However, Sepp Herberger’s side had apparently been rejuvenated after their earlier humiliation.
Following a 2-0 defeat of Yugoslavia in the quarter-finals, the West Germans turned their attention to their neighbours Austria and dished out an impressive display. Inspired by Max Morlock, they completed a reversal in fortunes by scoring six with Hans Schafer, Ottmar Walter, two penalties from Fritz Walter and one from Morlock himself.
They progressed to the final where it appeared that the Hungarians were an unstoppable force en route to the Jules Rimet trophy. However, West Germany triumphed against their illustrious opponents, despite being 2-0 down after only eight minutes. The ‘Miracle of Bern’ as the game came to be known saw a historic 3-2 turnaround as the West Germans won their first ever World Cup.

Yugoslavia 9-0 Zaire, 1974
Zaire entered the World Cup in West Germany with high hopes. Promoted and bankrolled by Zairean dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, the Leopards were African Cup of Nations champions and the first sub-Saharan side to make it to the prestigious arena of the World Cup.
However, after an opening 2-0 defeat to Scotland, Zaire conspired to put in an awful display. 3-0 down after less than 20 minutes, an ignoble loss was likely to be on the cards. Dusan Bajevic starred as he grabbed three goals for the Blues and consigned the team coached by his fellow countryman, Blagoje Vidinic, to a heavy loss in Gelsenkirchen.
Zaire’s miserable tournament was brought to an end after a 3-0 defeat to Brazil, leaving them without a point, without a goal and a goal difference of -14, an all-time low that only South Korea’s -16 in 1954 have managed to do worse than. Zaire’s 1974 remains a low point for African football in the tournament.

Argentina 6-0 Peru, 1978
On the face of it, Argentina’s 6-0 thumping of Peru in 1978 could be heralded as one of the most incredible results in the tournament’s history. The reality, however, was considerably murkier.
The Peruvians were reigning Copa America champions and the Albiceleste needed an improbable 4-0 win to reach a World Cup final on home soil. The second-round game in Rosario saw them surpass even that milestone. Mario Kempes and Leopoldo Luque scored twice and Alberto Tarantini and Rene Houseman grabbed one each as the South Americans sealed a miraculous victory on the way to defeating the Netherlands in the final.
Far from being regarded as a humbling defeat, the game is a far more serious humiliation amid accusations that Argentinian dictator Jorge Videla and Peru’s then-president Francisco Bermudez had struck a deal. The game has been mired in controversy ever since, considered by some as the World Cup’s biggest ever fix.

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World Cup fate depends on Messi: Maradona

Argentina's coach Diego Maradona (L) looks dejected in front of Argentina's striker Lionel Messi after they lost the 2010 World Cup quarter-final football match Argentina vs. Germany on July 3, 2010 at Green Point stadium in Cape Town. Germany qualified for the semi-finals. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Argentina legend Diego Maradona believes his nation's World Cup fate rests entirely on the shoulders of Lionel Messi ahead of their semi-final against the Netherlands, reports Goal.com.

The Albiceleste have made it to the final four for the first time since 1990 and Maradona feels they have the Barcelona star to thank for their successful tournament so far.

Messi has scored four times in five appearances and faces yet more pressure to perform following an injury to Angel Di Maria, but Maradona is confident he will produce the goods.

"It's because of Messi that we have reached the last four for the first time since 1990 and one more will take us a step closer to our goal. But it won't be easy," Maradona told Times of India.

"A lot will obviously depend on Messi, who will remain the world's best player irrespective of the result.

Echoes of Maradona as Messi shines brightest http://t.co/GS1u4jqbzU #bbcworldcup #goalsontoastpic.twitter.com/FO0NPuFbau

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) July 6, 2014

"Is the pressure of carrying the hopes of a nation overpowering? International sport is all about that. When you lose a match of such magnitude, the country mourns. When you win, it erupts in joy. They dance, laugh, sing and cry. All for a mere win in a football match. South Americans are crazy about football and their footballers.

"No one knows it better than Messi. Because he doesn't play club football at home, watching him is a TV experience in Argentina.

"After failing to get past the quarter-finals in 2006 and 2010 with him in the side, his deeds this time have raised expectations."

Argentina last won the World Cup in 1986, when they beat West Germany 3-2 in the final.

Published: 7:00 pm Wednesday, July 09, 2014

Last modified: 7:15 pm Wednesday, July 09, 2014

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NATO looks at combat readiness after Russian ‘aggression’

WASHINGTON / Kiev: NATO is drawing up plans to ensure its members can respond more quickly to crises in the aftermath of Russia’s “aggression” in Ukraine, the alliance’s chief said Monday. Ukraine’s defense minister says the government will only restart cease-fire negotiations with pro-Russian insurgents in the country’s east once the rebels lay down their weapons, reports AP/AFP.
Valery Heletey’s statement, posted online Tuesday, comes amid growing confidence among government forces after they drove the insurgent militia from their stronghold of Slovyansk.
Last week, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko promised cease-fire talks no later than that Saturday, but a series of military successes by the Ukrainian army may have changed minds in Kiev. Instead, on Saturday, Ukrainian troops routed the rebels in Slovyansk, forcing hundreds of insurgents to regroup in the regional capital, Donetsk.
A 10-day cease-fire that ended in late June was punctuated by frequent clashes and provided no progress in reaching a negotiated settlement.
Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the transatlantic alliance would review a proposed readiness “action plan” at an upcoming summit in September in Britain and also predicted European members were poised to reverse a long decline in military spending dating back to the Cold War.
“Obviously Russia’s aggression against Ukraine will put a lot of emphasis on the need for a strong, collective defense,” Rasmussen said during a visit to the US capital.
“That’s why at the summit I hope we will adopt a readiness action plan which will improve our ability to respond swiftly,” he told an audience at a Washington think tank, the Atlantic Council.
“We are looking closely at how we deploy our forces for defense and deterrence. What combination of forces we need. Where they should be deployed. And their readiness,” he said.

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Turkey PM vows to take combat against foe to new level

ANKARA : Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday vowed to take the fight against an ally-turned-foe Muslim cleric to a new level if he is elected president in August 10 elections, reports AFP.
“If elected president, I will take the fight against the parallel structure to the next level,” Erdogan told lawmakers of his ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) in parliament.
Erdogan has long accused followers of Pennsylvania-based cleric Fethullah Gulen of establishing a “parallel structure within the state” by using its sway in Turkey’s police and the judiciary and of concocting a vast corruption scandal in December to unseat his government.
His comments came after local media reported Monday that Turkish police have ordered a major new investigation into the Gulen movement.
In a written order sent to the police departments in 30 provinces, the movement is accused of working to overthrow Erdogan’s Islamic- rooted government and seize control of the state by forcibly abolishing the constitutional order.
Erdogan appears to be stepping up the fight against Gulen as he heads into the presidential elections which he is widely expected to win in the first round.
The Turkish premier also voiced concern that some within his own party failed to demonstrate the courage to fight against what he called “treacherous network”.
“We see some pockets of resistance in the fight against the parallel structure that threatens our national security … Unfortunately, there are also those among us who fail to show the necessary reaction,” said Erdogan.
“We see some

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Experts in talks with Syria over chemical weapons

United Nations – The head of the international effort to rid Syria of its chemical weapons said Monday the next step is investigating possible discrepancies in Syria’s declaration of its stockpile, as well as the destruction of its production facilities, reports AP.
Sigrid Kaag briefed the U.N. Security Council by videoconference less than a week after the last of hundreds of tons of chemical weapons declared by Syria were loaded onto a U.S. cargo ship for destruction at sea.
“There is still a lot of outstanding business, including the destruction of production facilities, hangers, garages, etc., that need to be destroyed,” Britain’s U.N. Ambassador Mark Lyall Grant said as he went into the briefing. “There is also the question of the discrepancies in the original declaration, and that is something that we are pursuing with (the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons) and that will be raised again with OPCW this week.”
Syria’s mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
Western diplomats said Kaag, head of the joint U.N.-OPCW mission, told them that technical experts from the OPCW were talking to Syria about discrepancies between the weapons the country has acknowledged possessing and what the evidence on the ground has shown.
The diplomats spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not allowed to discuss the closed briefing publicly.
Syria agreed to surrender its arsenal last fall when the U.S. threatened missile strikes in retaliation for a chemical attack on a rebel-held suburb of Damascus. The attack is believed to have killed more than 1,000 people.
Last week, the last 1,300 tons of the arsenal Syria has declared were transferred onto the U.S. cargo vessel MV Cape Ray. The ship moved into international waters and on Monday began the two-month process of destroying the chemicals.
The material handed over by Syria included mustard gas and precursors to the nerve gas sarin. But questions remain over whether Syrian President Bashar Assad is hiding undeclared poison gases or attacking rebels with chlorine – a toxic industrial gas that is not specifically classified as a chemical weapon.

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Eight wounded in Tanzanian tourist town restaurant blast

ARUSHA, Tanzania – Eight people were wounded, one seriously, in a bomb blast in a restaurant late Monday in the northern Tanzanian town of Arusha Tuesday.
“No one died but eight people were wounded, one is in a serious condition,” top Tanzanian police officer Issaya Mngulu told AFP.
“It was an improvised explosive device thrown through a window.”
The attack took place at an upmarket Indian restaurant popular with foreigners and wealthy Tanzanians in the centre of town.
It was not clear if any of those wounded were foreigners.
The floor of the restaurant was covered in blood, with overturned chairs amid broken glass, an AFP reporter said.
No one has claimed responsibility, but two people have been arrested following the attack, Mngulu said, saying both were Tanzanians but giving no further details.
Arusha is a key town for Tanzania’s tourist industry, a major source of foreign currency for the eastern African country.

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Japan’s Abe declares peace goals in historic Australia visit

SYDNEY : Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared Tuesday his determination to pursue peace in Asia, as he signalled closer defence ties with Australia and prepared to rubber-stamp an ambitious free-trade agreement, reports AP.
Abe used an historic address to a joint sitting of Australia’s parliament to say that Japan “is now determined to do more to enhance peace in the region and peace in the world”.
“It is to put that determination into concrete action that Japan has chosen to strengthen its ties with Australia,” Abe, the first Japanese leader to address Australia’s parliament, said.
“Our countries both love peace. We value freedom and democracy and we hold human rights and the rule of law dear,” he said, calling the relationship between the two countries “special”.
The two countries were to sign an agreement allowing for the transfer of Japanese defence equipment and technology to Australia, just days after Tokyo declared its powerful military had the right to go into battle in defence of allies.
The military declaration irked China, Australia’s largest trading partner, which has a fractious relationship with Japan including tensions over hotly contested islands in the East China Sea.
Abe said his country’s push to “change its legal basis for security” was so it could work with other nations and “build an international order that upholds the rule of law”.
“Our desire is to make Japan a country that is all the more willing to contribute to peace in the region and beyond,” he said in his address, which was delivered in English.
“It is for this reason that Japan has raised the banner of proactive contribution to peace.
“In everything we say and do, we must follow the law and never fall back onto force or coercion. When there are disputes, we must always use peaceful means to find solutions.”

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Obama urges calm in Afghan presidential election

TBT International Desk: President Barack Obama has taken the unusual step of intervening in a foreign election, asking both candidates in Afghanistan’s disputed presidential race to allow the process for investigating fraud claims to go forward and threatening a cutoff in U.S. aid if “extra-constitutional measures” are taken.

Obama called the leading candidate, Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai, on Tuesday, the day after he spoke to Ghani’s opponent, Abdullah Abdullah. The White House said Obama told both candidates that the U.S. expects fraud allegations to be thoroughly reviewed, urging the two men to seek a resolution that doesn’t undermine Afghanistan’s fragile national unity.

“He also noted that there is no justification for resorting to violent or extra-constitutional means, which would result in the end of U.S. assistance to Afghanistan,” the White House said in a statement.

The firm warning appeared to be directed mostly at Abdullah, who told thousands of supporters on Tuesday that he will declare victory, amid calls from some of his supporters for Abdullah to form a “parallel government.”

Abdullah claims massive electoral fraud is behind the preliminary results from a runoff vote that put him a million votes behind Ghani. He said Tuesday he doesn’t accept the results of the fraudulent vote.

White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the process of judging the fraud allegations must be allowed to conclude.

“The preliminary results are not final or authoritative and may not predict the final outcome,” he said.

It is unusual for a U.S. president to speak to foreign political candidates during an election, but Obama thought it was important to reach out given the seriousness of the situation and the U.S. interest in maintaining stability in Afghanistan, the White House said.

The Afghan Independent Election Commission released preliminary election results Monday showing Ahmadzai well in the lead but said no winner could be declared because millions of ballots were being audited for fraud. Ahmadzai had about 56 percent of the vote to Abdullah’s 44 percent.

The results announced Monday marked a sharp turnaround from the first round of voting on April 5, when Abdullah got the most votes, with 46 percent to Ahmadzai’s 31.6 percent. But Abdullah failed to win the majority needed to avoid last month’s runoff.

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Tuesday that the fraud allegations were concerning. He urged both sides to work with Afghanistan’s electoral authorities “to find a solution that ensures a credible outcome of the presidential election.”

Rasmussen commented after an Oval Office meeting with Obama during which they discussed planning for an upcoming NATO summit in Wales in September, along with Ukraine and Afghanistan, among other topics. It was Rasmussen’s final visit to the White House before he steps down later this year as head of the international military alliance.

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James Franco’s poems: hard to forgive

Culture Desk

James Franco

North Korea recently condemned the actor James Franco’s upcoming film, The Interview, as ‘an act of terrorism and war’. Let’s hope they don’t find out about his poems. Franco’s debut collection, Directing Herbert White, is being published by Faber, reports The Telegraph.
James Franco is widely known for being the king of all that is weird. Even though the star has written several poems on Heath Ledger, and others, the quality of his poems has nevertheless created debate in the world media. The 127 Hours star has recently created considerable buzz with his somewhat amateurish poetry.
Introducing a poetry reading during the Chicago Humanities Festival, Franco said that his work was ‘trying to say something in addition to what’s on the surface.’ A morbid obsession with doomed celebrity is a running theme. Inevitably, more than one poem alludes to Heath Ledger.

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Pink Floyd to return with new album in October

Culture Desk

Members of Pink Floyd.

The kings of psychedelic rock are ready to re-emerge from the abyss, as Pink Floyd, one of the most renowned bands of all time, are all set to release an album this October, reports BBC Online. The content of the album will contain ‘never-before-heard material’, as is said by lyricist Polly Samson.
Titled The Endless River, it will be based on sessions of the band’s last studio album, The Division Bell, which was released 20 years ago.
The music will feature multi-instrumentalist Rick Wright, a founder member of Pink Floyd, who died in 2008.
Writing on Twitter, Samson called the record Rick Wright’s Swansong and described it as ‘very beautiful’.
The writer, who is married to Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, previously contributed lyrics to The Division Bell and Gilmour’s solo album On An Island.
Pink Floyd later confirmed the album’s release in a statement.
‘It is an album of mainly ambient and instrumental music based on the 1993/4 Division Bell sessions which feature David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright,’ it said.
‘The album is produced by David Gilmour with Phil Manzanera, Youth and recording engineer Andy Jackson. Work is still in progress, but more details to come at the end of the summer.’
Backing singer Durga McBroom-Hudson, who has toured with Gilmour and Pink Floyd, gave further details of the recording on Facebook.
‘Yes, there is a new Pink Floyd album coming out and I’m on it!’ she wrote, posting a photo of the recording sessions.
Prompted for more information by fans, she revealed that The Endless River consisted of ‘all unreleased songs’ that had originally been planned for a side project called ‘The Big Spliff’.
‘It was originally to be a completely instrumental recording, but I came in last December and sang on a few tracks,’ she said.
‘David then expanded on my backing vocals and has done a lead on at least one of them.’
‘I don’t know if there will be a tour or not yet,’ she added. ‘Stay tuned.’
The group, who have sold 250 million albums, last performed at the Live 8 concert in London in 2005.
Singer and bassist Roger Waters, who quit in 1985, continues to tour with productions based around the band’s concept albums The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon.

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