A powerful Paraguay side beat toothless Slovakia 2-0 in Bloemfontein on Sunday to leave the South Americans on the brink of qualification for the World Cup knockout phase.

Cameroon became the first team to be knocked out of the World Cup after a 2-1 defeat to Denmark on Saturday, a result which also ensured Group E leaders Holland became the first country to reach the l

Embattled BP boss Tony Hayward has handed off the daily management of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, as the British energy firm was assailed by its partner for “reckless” conduct. BP chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg said chief executive Hayward, a Briton, was handing over the running of the containment efforts to another top BP official, Bob Dudley, an American.

Wild rumours of more violence flew through Kyrgyzstan’s ravaged south Saturday, stoking tensions in a region on edge after the worst ethnic clashes since the collapse of the Soviet Union. “On Saturday, the Army will clean out the Uzbek districts,” warned a hotel owner who gave his name only as Bakha. “The Kyrgyz state will attack us to carry out a genocide,” predicted Bakhtiyar Akhmedov, an Uzbek man living in a district where makeshift barricades still stand outside homes.

Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers got within touching distance of personal landmarks before lunch, as South Africa continued to plunder West Indies in the second Test on Saturday here.

Paraguay head into their clash with Slovakia in Bloemfontein on Sunday knowing a win would take them to the brink of qualification for the second round.
All the teams in Group F are currently level-pegging but the South American side have their toughest game out of the way — at least on paper — with a 1-1 draw against defending world champions Italy in their Cape Town opener.

Ghana edged clear at the top of World Cup Group D after an exciting 1-1 draw with 10-man Australia at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium on Saturday.
The Ghanaians moved a point above Germany and Serbia after fighting off a determined bid by the Australians, who lost striker Harry Kewell to a red card in a sensational first-half penalty incident.

England’s star players are struggling to cope with the pressure of a World Cup according to coach Fabio Capello who is hoping they can pull themselves together for the crunch match against Slovenia.

Wesley Sneijder fired the Netherlands to a comfortable 1-0 win over Japan and pole position in World Cup Group E here on Saturday.
After seeing off Denmark 2-0 in their opening match, the Dutch now sit atop their group on a maximum six points from two games, with Japan on three points having b

Serbia stunned Germany 1-0 here on Friday in a pulsating World Cup tie marked by a cluster of yellow cards, Miroslav Klose’s sending off and Germany’s Lukas Podolski missing a second-half penalty.