Saturday, June 27, 2009 JOHANNESBURG: A goal by Dani Alves before the end of regulation time gave Brazil a 1-0 victory over host nation South Africa and a spot in the Confederations Cup final against the United States, the surprise of the tournament.The South African squad put up a valiant effort and was just one well executed play away from making its dream of victory a reality against a rival that seemed out-of-sorts for much of the match.The win sends Brazilians into the final against the United States, a team they handily defeated 3-0 in the round-robin phase of the tournament.The United States advanced to the final with a stunning 2-0 victory over Spain, ending the Iberian nation’s long winning streak dating back to last year’s Eurocup.Brazil is the defending champion of the Confederations Cup, which is played every four years and is held in the same country that will also host the following year’s World Cup.
BEIRUT: Thousands of people converged Saturday on central Beirut to mark the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Lebanese former premier Rafiq Hariri.Waving Lebanese flags and carrying pictures of the slain leader, men, women and children gathered under sunny skies in Martyr's Square where members of the parliamentary majority were to address the crowd. The rally comes as final preparations are underway in The Hague for the launch of the international tribunal set up to bring Hariri's killers to justice. It also comes as the country prepares for legislative elections in June that will pit Western-backed political parties against a Hezbollah-led alliance backed by Syria and Iran.Hariri died in a massive car bombing on February 14, 2005 that also killed 22 others. The assassination was widely blamed on then Lebanese power-broker Syria, which has denied any involvement. The attack on the Beirut seafront was one of the worst acts of political violence to rock Lebanon since t...
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