Indians Report About Pakistan Power.. PAKISTAN ZINDABAD

Germany-Spain clash in semi-final today

Updated at: 0941 PST, Wednesday, July 07, 2010 DURBAN: Aggressive Germany is going to meet a team – lucky so far – Spain in the semi-final clash of the biggest sporting event of all time, football World Cup today. The reigning European champion vs. the runner-up. One of the top scorers at this World Cup vs. No. 2 on the all-time list. The most dynamic team at this tournament vs. a squad that's yet to show its full brilliance. A three-time champion vs. a team craving its first title. Sounds like a great World Cup final. Too bad it'll be the semifinals when Germany and Spain face off Wednesday night at Moses Mabhida Stadium, with many expecting the winner to go on and be crowned world champion four days later. The Spain-Germany winner will play the Netherlands in the final. "This would have been a great final, actually," Germany's Lukas Podolski said Tuesday night. "We want revenge for 2008. When you are in a final you want to win. We still think about that defeat, and it still hurts. We want to reach the final and we'll do all we can to achieve that." There's a game in every World Cup that comes a round or two too soon, and Germany-Spain definitely qualifies. Spain has lost all of two games since November 2006, and it ended a 44-year major title drought when it beat Germany to win the European Championship in 2008. David Villa shares the scoring lead at this World Cup with Wesley Sneijder (five goals), and the Spanish defense hasn't allowed a goal in the knockout stage. Germany, meanwhile, made old rivals England and Argentina look downright silly in their knockout round games, routing them by a combined score of 8-1 to reach a third straight World Cup semifinal. Miroslav Klose has regained his old form and, with two goals against Argentina, moved into a tie with Gerd Mueller for second place on the all-time scoring list. But it's not just the stats that make this such a tantalizing matchup. Few teams can keep up when Germany and Spain are at their best, but each is the other's equal. "I don't think there are favorites at this stage," Spain's Andres Iniesta said. "What they say about us, we can also say the same thing about them. You can say they are a great team, a team that has players of a very, very high level. For that, it will be a well-deserved semifinal." Germany coach Joachim Loew has remade his team since that Euro 2008 loss, bringing in young players such as Mesut Oezil, Sami Khedira and Thomas Mueller who have given Germany the speed and sharpness it lacked. Despite their youth — with an average age under 25, this is the second-youngest team Germany has ever sent to a World Cup — the Germans are playing with discipline and a seamless chemistry that makes their plays unfold like a symphony. Their spacing in the midfield is awe-inspiring, their passing so exquisite it almost looks as if the ball is on an invisible wire from one player's foot to another's. As for the defense, it's simply scary. Whenever Lionel Messi or Carlos Tevez appeared on the verge of doing something in the quarterfinal, German defenders swarmed around to force a turnover or a bad shot. And when Germany is on the counterattack, look out. Germany will have a somewhat different look without Mueller, who has scored four goals like Klose but is suspended after picking up his second yellow card against Argentina. Then again, the Germans did OK when Klose was suspended, beating Ghana in the group stage. "It's probably the most complete team in the World Cup. A team that has changed since the 2008 final, with young and fresh faces," backup Spain goalkeeper Pepe Reina said. "It's the most dangerous rival at the moment." While Spain's team has changed little in the last two years, it hasn't had the same flair in South Africa that it did at Euro 2008. The Spanish were stunned by Switzerland in the group stage, and needed a late goal from Villa to beat Paraguay 1-0 in the quarters after both teams had penalty kicks saved. Make no mistake, though, Spain is still plenty dangerous. "I said before that Spain is the team with the most (best) organization, with the best attacking power, with the best firepower," Loew said. "They've been together for a very long time, also. They know each other inside out. As far as Spain's play is concerned, it hardly makes any mistakes ever." Spain also caught a break Tuesday, when Cesc Fabregas was able to work out with the rest of the team. Fabregas had taken a ball off the exact spot where his leg was broken in March during practice Monday night, but tests ruled out any bone injuries and coach Vicente del Bosque said he's available for the game. The Spanish acknowledge they have not been at their best in South Africa. But part of that has been because of their defensive-minded opponents, Villa said, and facing Germany should allow Spain get back to its free-flowing, fast-paced offense. "The Germans have played a brilliant World Cup so far," Iniesta said. "We're also at the top of our game, I think. It will be a game between two rivals who enjoy having the ball and I think it will be a beautiful battle." Even if it's not in the final.

Sorcerer's Apprentice world premiere in Times Square

Updated at: 1008 PST, Wednesday, July 07, 2010 NEW YORK: The mayor waved his magic wand this afternoon and deemed Tuesday "Sorcerer's Apprentice Day" in New York City. Mayor Michael Bloomberg made the proclamation as he welcomed Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and the rest of the cast of Disney's "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" to the film's world premier in Times Square Tuesday. Cheering fans lined the streets and photographers' bulbs flashed as the cast walked the red carpet, joined by the one and only Mickey Mouse. Cage, who has recently traded award-winning action roles for kid-centered flicks, told DNAinfo that acting with younger stars keeps him feeling youthful. "For me, I feel working with actors from these generations just keeps me relevant to my times," he said. "It's only going to keep my on my toes." He said that as he's gotten older, his career goals have also changed. "I'm trying to keep kids smiling. I'm taking my place by making this place a happier place. You can't do that with guns," he said. "I'm glad there's sorcerers here in the city now because we can use them around budget time," Bloomberg joked, earning a rare smile from a usually somber looking Cage. The Mayor also took the chance to applaud Disney for choosing the city as the Sorcerer's setting. "This is really great advertising for New York," he said.

nacking on nuts, seeds 'could keep Alzheimer's at bay'

Updated at: 0853 PST, Wednesday, July 07, 2010 STOCKHOLM: Snacking on nuts could help keep the mind sharp into old age, research suggests. A study has credited vitamin E - found in nuts, seeds and olive oil - with warding off Alzheimer's. Pensioners with the highest amounts of the 'anti-ageing' vitamin in their blood were around half as likely to develop the devastating disease as those with the least vitamin E in their bodies. The finding suggests that nuts and oils could provide a cheap and tasty way of keeping the mind healthy as the years advance. Alzheimer's affects some 400,000 Britons and around 500 new cases are diagnosed every day. The Swedish researchers measured vitamin E in samples of blood taken from 232 men and women. All were aged 80 or older at the start of the study and free of dementia. After six years, 57 had developed Alzheimer's, the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease reports. However, the disease was around half as common in those boasting the most vitamin E at the start of the study. Previous research into the subject has produced conflicting results but the researchers believe this could be because it mainly focused on one sub-type of vitamin E, rather than looking at it as a whole.

ncredible paper craft masterpieces of Taras Lesko

Updated at: 0855 PST, Wednesday, July 07, 2010 FRANKLIN: Taras Lesko is an incredibly talented designer who likes to create beautiful things both on his computer and with his own two hands. Though his graphic designs are nothing short of impressive, it’s his paper craft creations that really catch one’s eye. Taras spends months working on his paper craft models, drawing up the parts, cutting them out and putting them together. Now that doesn’t sound like anything special, but wait until you see what this guy make out of paper. The Freedom Gundam is, in my opinion, the coolest paper craft model in his personal portfolio. Inspired by the famous Gundam anime movie, Taras spent two months working on the 4-foot paper-craft Fredom Gundam. He ended up using 175 paper sheets and 500 individual parts. In 2009, Taras worked on the car racing video game Forza Motorsport 3, and being surrounded by all those beautiful sport cars, inspired him to create a paper craft model of the Audi R8, specifically designed to the game’s visual design. A big fan of the video-game Viewtiful Joe, on the PlayStation 2, Taras created a 3.5-foot-paper craft model of the game’s main character. He used 233 parts, cut out from 79 sheets of paper.