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Brazil vs. Colombia latest
7/4/2014 1:00:43 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • World Cup kicked off June 12 with host Brazil beating Croatia
  • 32 teams are divided into eight groups of four teams
  • Top two teams in each group go to knockout stages
  • Final takes place on Sunday July 13 in Rio de Janeiro

Editor's note: How are you celebrating the World Cup? Join the global conversation on CNN's Facebook Pulse

(CNN) -- Friday's quarterfinals (kickoff times GMT):

Brazil v Colombia in Fortaleza (2000)

Germany 1-0 France (FT)

Mats Hummels (13 mins)

Schedule of matches (kickoff times GMT):

Thursday June 12

Group A: Brazil 3-1 Croatia in Sao Paulo

Friday June 13

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Group A: Mexico 1-0 Cameroon in Natal

Group B: Spain 1-5 Netherlands in Salvador

Group B: Chile 3-1 Australia in Cuiaba

Saturday June 14

Group C: Colombia 3-0 Greece in Belo Horizonte

Group D: Uruguay 1-3 Costa Rica in Fortaleza

Group D: England 1-2 Italy in Manaus

Group C: Ivory Coast 2-1 Japan in Recife

Sunday June 15

Group E: Switzerland 2-1 Ecuador in Brasilia

Group E: France 3-0 Honduras in Porto Alegre

Group F: Argentina 2-1 Bosnia Herzegovina in Rio de Janeiro

Monday June 16

Group G: Germany 4-0 Portugal in Salvador

Group F: Iran 0-0 Nigeria in Curitiba

Group G: Ghana 1-2 USA in Natal

Tuesday June 17

Group H: Belgium 2-1 Algeria in Belo Horizonte

Group A: Brazil 0-0 Mexico in Fortaleza

Group H: Russia 1-1 South Korea in Cuiaba

Wednesday June 18

Group B: Australia 2-3 Netherlands in Porto Alegre

Group B: Spain 0-2 Chile in Rio

Group A: Cameroon 0-4 Croatia in Manaus

Thursday June 19

Group C: Colombia 2-1 Ivory Coast in Brasilia

Group D: Uruguay 2-1 England in Sao Paulo

Group C: Japan 0-0 Greece in Natal

Friday June 20

Group D: Italy 0-1 Costa Rica in Recife

Group E: Switzerland 2-5 France in Salvador

Group E: Honduras 1-2 Ecuador in Curitiba

Saturday June 21

Group F: Argentina 1-0 Iran in Belo Horizonte

Group G: Germany 2-2 Ghana in Fortaleza

Group F: Nigeria 1-0 Bosnia Herzegovina in Cuiaba

Sunday June 22

Group H: Belgium 1-0 Russia in Rio de Janeiro

Group H: South Korea 2-4 Algeria in Porto Alegre

Group G: USA 2-2 Portugal in Manaus

Monday June 23

Group B: Netherlands 2-0 Chile in Sao Paulo

Group B: Australia 0-3 Spain in Curitiba

View my Flipboard Magazine.

Group A: Brazil 4-1 Cameroon in Brasilia

Group A: Croatia 1-3 Mexico in Recife

Tuesday June 24

Group D: Italy 0-1 Uruguay in Natal

Group D: Costa Rica 0-0 England in Belo Horizonte

Group C: Japan 1-4 Colombia in Cuiaba

Group C: Greece 2-1 Ivory Coast in Fortaleza

Wednesday June 25

Group F: Nigeria 2-3 Argentina in Porto Alegre

Group F: Bosnia Herzegovina 3-1 Iran in Salvador

Group E: Honduras 0-3 Switzerland in Manaus

Group E: Ecuador 0-0 France in Rio de Janeiro

Thursday June 26

Group G: Portugal 2-1 Ghana in Brasilia

Group G: USA 0-1 Germany in Recife

Group H: South Korea 0-1 Belgium in Sao Paulo

Group H: Algeria 1-1 Russia in Curitiba

Last-16 knockout matches:

Saturday June 28

Match 49: Brazil 1-1 Chile in Belo Horizonte (Brazil wins 3-2 on penalties)

Match 50: Colombia 2-0 Uruguay in Rio de Janeiro

Sunday June 29

Match 51: Netherlands 2-1 Mexico in Fortaleza

Match 52: Costa Rica 1-1 Greece in Recife (Costa Rica wins 5-3 on penalties)

Monday June 30:

Match 53: France 2-0 Nigeria in Brasilia

Match 54: Germany 2-1 Algeria in Porto Alegre (After extra time)

Tuesday July 1

Match 55: Argentina 1-0 Switzerland in Sao Paulo (After extra time)

Match 56: Belgium 2-1 USA in Salvador (After extra time)

Quarterfinals:

Friday July 4

Match 57: Germany 1-0 France in Rio de Janeiro

Match 58: Brazil v Colombia in Fortaleza (2000)

Saturday July 5

Match 59: Argentina v Belgium in Brasilia (1600)

Match 60: Netherlands v Costa Rica in Salvador (2000)

Semifinals

Tuesday July 8

Match 61: Germany v Winner Match 58 in Belo Horizonte (2000)

Wednesday July 9

Match 62: Winner Match 59 v Winner Match 60 in Sao Paulo (2000)

Third and fourth place playoff

Saturday July 12

Loser Match 61 v Loser Match 62 in Brasilia (2000)

Final

Sunday July 13

Winner Match 61 v Winner Match 62 in Rio de Janeiro (1900)

 

Germany defeats France
7/4/2014 1:00:04 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Germany books place in semifinal of World Cup
  • Mats Hummels scored the only goal of the game
  • Germany reaches fourth consecutive semifinal
  • Brazil faces Colombia in Fortaleza later Friday

How are you celebrating the World Cup? Join the global conversation on CNN Facebook Pulse

(CNN) -- It's a demon buried deep within the French psyche -- a demon which refuses to be exorcized.

A word which brings shivers down the spine and strikes a fear into the heart of the country's football fans.

In Rio de Janeiro, the ghosts of years past haunted France again -- the "Angstgegner" returned.

Germany, the "bogey team" as it is known in France, wrote another painful chapter into Les Bleus' World Cup history on Friday.

A 1-0 victory secured Germany's place in the semifinals for a record fourth consecutive tournament.

But unlike in 1982 and 1986, when Germany defeated the French in the last four on both occasions, this was not a battle of epic proportions.

There was not the drama, nor the controversy -- but the end result was the same.

Mats Hummels' 12th-minute goal gave Germany a lead it never looked like relinquishing against a French side which flattered to deceive.

In fact, it was almost an apologetic exit from Didier Deschamps' players -- so disappointing after the team's encouraging performances in the group stage.

At a tournament where there have been so many surprises, perhaps it was reassuring that there remains one constant.

Germany, whether it plays to its maximum or just within itself, seems to always get the result it craves.

Joachim Low's side will now face either host nation Brazil or Colombia in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday, while France returns home pondering what might have been.

The tears flowed for those draped in blue -- this was supposed to be the day where France finally gained revenge.

Some 32 years may have passed since the two countries met at the 1982 World Cup, but the painful memories remain.

At the time, France's World Cup hopes were in the balance with the game at 1-1 when Patrick Battiston ran on to meet Michel Platini's pass.

Battiston was the overwhelming favorite to reach the ball first -- and he did so, but as he approached, West Germany goalkeeper Toni Schumacher laid the Frenchman out cold with a brutal attack.

Battiston, shorn of three teeth and suffering damaged vertebrae, left the field on a stretcher, his limp hand held by a shaken Platini -- who feared his teammate might have even died.

Schumacher stood tall -- he wasn't red-carded, nor was he even cautioned. Instead, he saved two penalties in the shootout following a 3-3 draw as West Germany reached the final, before losing to Italy.

It was an achievement which preserved his name in notoriety, even securing him top spot in a poll held by a French newspaper for the most hated German -- a poll he won ahead of Adolf Hitler.

While the incident may not register on the German consciousness, it was repeated endlessly on televisions in the buildup to Friday's contest.

A game with a grudge -- it's hardly a new experience for Germany, which appears to encounter such fixtures on a regular basis.

View my Flipboard Magazine.

Its experience at this level is undisputed -- but a failure to win the World Cup in 24 years has not gone unnoticed.

In 2002, Rudi Voller's team was defeated in the final by Brazil -- since then there have been three consecutive semifinal defeats.

For so long German football has been admired, but with success comes expectation and, in terms of triumphs, "Die Mannschaft" has failed to deliver.

Perhaps this is the year where Low's side finally delivers.

Criticized after a 2-1 extra-time victory over Algeria in the last 16 at Brazil 2014, Germany began brightly against France and made light of the flu virus which had swept through its camp.

Just 12 minutes of the contest had elapsed when Hummels held off Raphael Varane to head home Toni Kroos' perfect delivery.

Given the number of spectacular strikes witnessed at this World Cup, Hummels' effort was remarkable for its simplicity.

France, temporarily dazed by conceding, began to assert itself with the impressive Mathieu Valbuena beginning to cause Germany problems.

The diminutive midfielder, so influential in the group stage as France breezed through with ease, came close to forging an equalizer with 11 minutes of the first half remaining.

Antoine Griezmann found space on the left and his pass allowed Valbuena to curl the ball towards goal only for Manuel Neuer to save and Karim Benzema to lash wildly at the rebound.

Benzema, who scored three times in his opening two games, then went close before the interval as Hummels blocked the forward's close-range header.

In 10 previous ties where it had trailed at halftime of a World Cup tie, France had lost on each and every occasion.

But this French side has already overcome the odds. That it qualified for the tournament at all was somewhat of a surprise given its dreadful performance in the playoff tie.

A 2-0 defeat by Ukraine in the first leg left Deschamps staring into the abyss -- a misery only averted by a miraculous 3-0 victory in the return leg four days later.

But a comeback against Germany, a team renowned for its ruthlessness and ability to dominate its opponents is a far more difficult proposition.

Deschamps' decision to replace a defensive midfielder in Yohan Cabaye with striker Loic Remy signaled his side's intentions.

His pace, in addition to the threat posed by Griezmann and Benzema, appeared to trouble a Germany defense which was never managed to give impression of being wholly convincing.

But whenever France did manage to get in behind its opponents, Neuer provided a formidable presence, denying Blaise Matuidi from close range.

As both teams began to suffer in the heat, the action moved from end to end, with Germany twice failing to put the result beyond doubt

Then, with the contest entering its final throes, Benzema's effort -- from a position where he would be expected to score -- was palmed away by Neuer in almost nonchalant fashion.

As the final whistle blew, heads fell, tears followed and French players were left with an all too familiar feeling -- the "Angstgegner" had struck again.

Read: Brazil vs. Colombia latest

Read: How women are watching the World Cup

 

Colombia: No joyful gunfire thanks
7/4/2014 10:23:17 AM

Colombian officials take steps to prevent celebratory violence and gunfire as Colombia faces Brazil in the World Cup.

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Rubber bullets and Molotov cocktails fly in Jerusalem
7/4/2014 1:22:05 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: More than 60 people injured in fighting in Jerusalem after Palestinian teen's funeral
  • Family buries slain teenager after funeral held at East Jerusalem mosque
  • Israel tightens security around Jerusalem
  • Police investigating whether boy's death in retaliation for killings of three Israeli teens

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Clashes broke out Friday between Palestinians and Israeli security forces after the funeral of a Palestinian teenager abducted and killed in Jerusalem this week.

More than 60 people were injured in fighting in parts of Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, a group that said it was involved in evacuating injured Palestinians. It said the injuries mostly involved rubber bullets fired at the upper body and chest.

Israeli police said 13 officers were slightly injured in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat, where Palestinian protesters were throwing rocks at police, who responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas.

Police have said they are investigating whether the Palestinian youth's death was an act of retaliation for the killings of three Israeli teens, whose bodies were discovered Monday in a field in the West Bank.

The killings of the Palestinian and Israeli teenagers have ratcheted up tensions in a region where peace talks fell apart earlier this year.

Ahead of the Palestinian boy's funeral, Israeli police significantly stepped up security around Palestinian areas of the city, putting up checkpoints and shutting off access to the Shuafat neighborhood where the slain teen, Mohammad Abu Khedair, lived.

Carried in by dozens of people, the 16-year-old's body was brought to a mosque there for the funeral. After the ceremony, his remains were taken by his family for burial in a nearby cemetery.

The sound of sirens and gunfire filled the streets of the Palestinian suburb as fighting again erupted.

A CNN team on the ground saw about 30 Israeli riot police firing rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades in the direction of Palestinian protesters, who were throwing stones and Molotov cocktails toward the police.

CNN's Ben Wedeman was slightly injured when a rubber bullet hit him in the forehead Friday afternoon. He continued to report from the site after medics attended to him.

The clashes went on for several hours until the mood calmed a little around 6 p.m. local time. The violence may pick up again later Friday evening after Muslims break their Ramadan fast.

Well over 1,000 Palestinians gathered for the funeral despite strict Israeli security measures that have limited movement around Jerusalem, including in the Old City.

The funeral coincided with the first Friday prayers held during the Ramadan period when emotions are often heightened.

Violence first broke out after news of Abu Khedair's death Wednesday, and it also flared overnight in parts of the city and the West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said 27 Palestinian youths were injured in the overnight unrest. It wasn't immediately clear if any Israelis were hurt.

At least four rockets were fired at Israel on Friday afternoon, two of which were intercepted by Iron Dome missile defense batteries above Ofakim, the Israel Defense Forces said. One landed near Ofakim, and another hit an open area in the Eshkol region, the IDF said.

A Palestinian farmer is in critical condition after Israeli fire hit him on his farm east of Gaza, according to Palestinian medical sources in Gaza on Friday. Palestinian security sources said that four rockets were fired from the same location.

Forced into car

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Thursday to find the perpetrators responsible for the boy's killing, an act he described as "a despicable crime."

Israeli authorities are still trying to determine who killed Abu Khedair and why, Netanyahu said.

Abu Khedair was heading from his home to a mosque for prayers around 4 a.m. Wednesday when three men forced him into a car and drove off, his father, Hussain Abu Khedair, said.

The boy's body was found about an hour later in a forest in West Jerusalem.

Israeli police have said they are looking into the possibility that his death was related to a family dispute as well as the alternative theory that it was a revenge killing.

"The investigation is continuing. We are still looking at the possibility to determine if we are talking about a criminal incident or a nationalistic incident," Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said.

Arrests after Israelis kidnapped

Since the June 13 abduction of the Israeli teens -- Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frankel -- on their way home from school, Israel has arrested hundreds of activists from Hamas, the militant Islamic organization it blames for the kidnapping.

Israeli forces have also destroyed the homes of the two main suspects it has identified in the Israeli teenagers' abduction.

WAFA, the Palestinian state news agency, reported Wednesday that 15 Palestinians have been killed during that time. The figure includes six killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank, three in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, two dead of heart attacks after West Bank raids, plus the recently slain Palestinian teenager.

Hamas has praised the kidnappings of the Israelis but denied that it was responsible for what happened. It warned that if Netanyahu "brings a war on Gaza, the gates of hell will open to him."

Rockets, airstrikes

This week's unrest comes as Israelis and Palestinians continue to trade blows over longstanding issues. There have been rocket attacks and airstrikes.

The IDF said 40 rockets were launched toward Israel from Gaza on Thursday. One soldier had minor wounds and some homes were damaged, the IDF said.

Israel conducted at least eight airstrikes early Thursday.

Three hit a Hamas intelligence building in Gaza City, while at least one struck a Qassam training camp in Beit Hanoun.

Palestinian medical sources reported at least 10 people injured, one of them seriously.

The IDF said the airstrikes, aimed at 15 Hamas targets, were in response to the firing of more than 20 rockets into Israel since Wednesday.

Opinion: Teens' killing hurts Israelis, bad for Palestinians

Opinion: Slain teens call for justice, not escalation

CNN's Ben Wedeman reported from Jerusalem. Steve Almasy in Atlanta and Laura Smith-Spark in London reported and wrote. CNN's Michael Schwartz, Kareem Khadder, Jethro Mullen, Pierre Meilhan and Amir Tal contributed to this report.

 

Brazil keeps dream alive
7/4/2014 5:09:34 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Brazil beats Colombia in World Cup quarterfinal in Fortaleza
  • Goals from Thiago Silva and David Luiz secure 2-1 victory
  • James Rodriguez scores late penalty to reduce deficit
  • Brazil's star striker Neymar may miss semifinal against Germany

Editor's note: How are you celebrating the World Cup? Join the global conversation on CNN Facebook Pulse

(CNN) -- There were goals, there was choreographed dancing, there were moments of great footballing beauty, but Colombia -- one of the teams to excite most at this thrilling World Cup finals -- is going home after Friday's quarterfinal defeat at the hands of Brazil in Fortaleza.

Strikes from the center-back pairing of captain Thiago Silva and David Luiz put Brazil into an unassailable lead and, despite a late penalty by James Rodriguez, the tournament host held on to win 2-1.

There was concern, however, for Brazil's star striker Neymar, who was stretchered off in what seemed like considerable pain in the game's closing moments.

The result marks the first time Brazil has reached the semifinal stage since winning the title in Japan and South Korea in 2002, and sets up an intriguing clash against Germany on Tuesday -- a repeat of that year's final.

"I think Neymar won't be able to play," coach Luiz Felipe Scolari told reporters after the game. "If we are able to beat Germany it might be he can play in the final.

"He has been sent to a private clinic for a serious of exams as he was kneed on his lower back and was crying out with pain. I can guarantee it won't be easy for him to recover based on what the doctor told us and the pain he is in."

Germany overcame France in the day's earlier quarterfinal in Rio de Janeiro thanks to an early goal from defender Mats Hummels.

In the sweaty evening heat of the Estadio Castelao, however, it was another pair of defenders who were the unlikely heroes.

Silva opened the scoring after seven minutes, tucking home a Neymar corner with his knee, and the Paris Saint-Germain star was then in thick of it once more at the other end moments later, blocking a shot from Juan Cuadrado.

Silva was criticized heavily after apparently refusing to take the sixth penalty in Brazil's round of 16 shootout victory over Chile last Saturday.

He was all action here, however. Marshaling the back line and flying into tackles when required.

But a yellow card midway through the second half means he will be suspended and miss the semifinal.

The Colombia players composed themselves as the first half progressed, coming more into the game despite the rough-house treatment handed out to star player James Rodriguez.

On at least four occasions the Monaco star was subject to the stray boot of Brazil's midfield enforcer Fernandinho.

Still, the home team continued to have the better chances.

Hulk and Fred came close with a snap-shot that Colombia keeper David Ospina palmed away and a header that flashed over respectively.

The second half commenced at a far slower pace and there was little of note until Silva was booked for blocking a kick out from Ospina.

Colombia did have the ball in the net after 66 minutes as Mario Yepes bundled the ball over the line after a scramble in the Brazilian box. But a linesman's offside flag cut short the nascent celebrations.

Moments later there was a goal, although it was to come at the other end.

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Hulk was fouled by Rodriguez 35 yards from goal and Luiz stepped up to crash a spectacular free-kick beyond the despairing Ospina.

It was a remarkable strike that dipped and swerved as it arrowed into the top corner of the net.

There seemed no way back for Colombia now. But "Los Cafeteros" were handed a lifeline with 12 minutes to go after goalkeeper Julio Cesar scythed down substitute Carlos Bacca.

Rodriguez did the honors from the penalty spot, sending Cesar the wrong way to score his sixth goal of the tournament -- two more than closest rivals Neymar, Lionel Messi and Thomas Muller.

All of a sudden, the game was back on. Colombia pressed and threw caution to the wind with Yepes playing as an auxiliary striker.

But when one final corner kick delivery drifted beyond Cesar's goal in the 95th minute there was time left for little else.

Scolari's side has now overcome the barrier that has proved too high at the last two World Cup tournaments.

However, Brazil has not yet looked like a team certain to become world champion for a record-extending sixth time -- as its demanding public expects -- despite having world-class talents like Neymar, Silva and Oscar.

Yet somehow they find themselves only a game away from next Sunday's final.

Stuttering performances and the occasional stroke of good fortune against Croatia and Mexico in the group stages and once more against Chile has hardly inspired confidence in "A Selecao."

Poor showings from the likes of strikers Hulk and Fred have been singled out for particular scorn, although the former put in a solid performance against Colombia.

Much was also made in the Brazilian media of 2002's winning coach Scolari -- a man who prides himself on being a father figure to his players -- bringing in a psychologist to speak to his team after many broke down in tears during the national anthems and once again after the dramatic penalty kicks victory over Chile.

View my Flipboard Magazine.

Was this team soft and mentally weak? Are the expectations of 200 million football-mad Brazilians proving oppressive and too much to bear?

"Big Phil" truculently replied earlier this week that journalists who didn't like his methods could "go to hell."

Whether said reporters took heed or not, surely lack of maturity is not an accusation that can be leveled against Brazil now.

The men in yellow were nothing if not committed, controlled and tactically astute, biting into tackles and closing down with an intensity that ruffled their opponents.

Several gestured towards the crowd throughout the contest to increase the noise and crank up the pressure.

Colombia, by comparison, can hardly have been accused of being afraid.

Jose Pekerman's team has played with a style and confidence throughout the tournament that has been a joy to watch for neutral observers.

The delight the entire squad takes in their choreographed dancing celebrations, meanwhile, speaks to the relaxed vibe created by the coach, previously a World Cup quarterfinalist with his native Argentina in 2006.

Tellingly, however, Colombia has only ever beaten Brazil twice and never in Brazil -- a run that extends all the way back to 1945 and the formative years of the Copa America.

That record will now last at least until the two sides meet next in qualification for the next World Cup in the coming years.

Still, today's Colombia players will be heading back homes as heroes, the bright hope of a new generation as the country itself moves on from a dark past.

It was 20 years ago this week that defender Andres Escobar was murdered in Medellin upon returning from the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. where he scored a cruel own-goal.

Thankfully, those dark days are largely gone and Colombian hopes will be high when the campaign for Russia 2018 begins.

Brazil, however, is still involved in 2014 and will be going to the semifinals in Belo Horizonte.

Read: Germany defeat France to make semis

 

All the World Cup goals
7/4/2014 5:35:26 PM

Colombia's James Rodriguez scores a second-half penalty against Brazil during a World Cup quarterfinal match Friday, July 4, in Fortaleza, Brazil. But Brazil held on to win 2-1 and advance to the semifinals. Click through the gallery to see all the goals scored so far in the World Cup.

 

Hundreds of fuel trucks burn: Taliban claim attack
7/5/2014 3:57:54 AM

Smoke and flames rise from burning fuel trucks following an overnight attack by Taliban militants.
Smoke and flames rise from burning fuel trucks following an overnight attack by Taliban militants.

(CNN) -- More than 400 trucks carrying fuel and oil were burning on roads west of Kabul, Afghanistan, police spokesman Hashmatullah Stanekzai said Saturday.

Emergency crews tried to contain the damage, he said.

Residents and local news reporters posted images online of a line of red fire and burning trucks on the night horizon.

The Taliban claimed in a statement that their fighters had attacked a parking depot used by trucks delivering supplies to NATO.

 

Is Afghanistan the next Iraq?
7/5/2014 3:55:45 AM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Anish Goel: The dilemma faced by the U.S. with Iraq could happen in Afghanistan
  • He says: A weak Iraqi government with a poorly trained Army faces a fierce insurgency
  • When U.S. troops leave Afghanistan, will government be able to stop Taliban, he asks

Editor's note: Anish Goel is a senior South Asia fellow at the New America Foundation. He previously served in the White House's National Security Council as senior director for South Asia and is director of geopolitical affairs for Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) -- The current chaos in Iraq is tragic in almost every way. In retrospect, it is easy to conclude Iraq was not nearly ready enough to assume control of its own security situation when the United States made the decision to withdraw forces in December 2011. The wisdom of that decision will long be debated, but having made it, the United States is now understandably reluctant to undo it.

Even as the Obama administration sorts through a galaxy of unattractive options, none of which is guaranteed to provide stability, it would be well-advised not to overlook one of the biggest strategic lessons of the Iraqi deterioration. That would be the warning signal it provides for another country headed down the same disturbing path: Afghanistan.

While Iraq and Afghanistan are of course vastly different in terms of demographics, history and terrain, the parallels emerging between them in terms of security implications and political process are too important to ignore.

Anish Goel
Anish Goel

An extremist militant group rising quickly and taking over large swaths of the country. A government focusing more on retribution and vengeance than reconciliation and governance. And a supposedly well-trained army essentially disintegrating in the face of real conflict. All of these characteristics describe the situation in Iraq, but all may be equally descriptive of Afghanistan in only a few short years.

Similar to Iraq, Afghanistan has an ethnic, well-organized and well-funded insurgent group poised to retake significant amounts of territory once U.S. troops leave.

There can be no doubt that the Taliban, having seized power once before in Kabul, is only biding its time until it can do so again. Much like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, the Taliban takes advantage of the limits of federal influence and governs by fear and aggression. It is only a matter of time before the Taliban, newly emboldened by the recent prisoner swap that freed five militants, takes control of southern Afghanistan and challenges Kabul's authority.

Compounding this situation is the shaky and corrupted political process under way, which makes Iraq look like a well-functioning democracy. In a variation of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's sectarian tendencies, outgoing Afghan President Hamid Karzai has done little to unite Afghanistan's many tribal factions during his 12 years in office, instead often fomenting discontent.

While both of the leading presidential candidates have pledged to focus on unity, there is little reason to believe that either will make it a priority. Ominously, one candidate has already boycotted the electoral process before the results of the June 14 run-off election even being announced. As a result, Afghanistan could become even more politically divided than Iraq is today.

Perhaps the biggest wild card in Afghanistan's future is the Afghan National Army. Much like the Iraqi army, the Afghan army will be charged with maintaining the security situation once the United States departs. And much like the Iraqis, the Afghans have been trained by the United States. As we heard in Iraq, the training of the Afghans will be sufficient preparation to defend the country from any threats that may arise.

While the Afghans may be courageous soldiers, there have been numerous reports of lackluster performances. So much so that their abilities in actual combat situations remain uncertain. In addition, Afghanistan has never had a real national fighting force, meaning there are few examples and fewer role models for current soldiers to emulate.

As a national army, the Afghans came from a much less mature and much less professional starting point than the Iraqis. As illustrated in Iraq, without the right training and leadership, soldiers may not be willing to defend against insurgents, despite an enormous numerical advantage.

Given all this, it is not difficult to look at the situation in Iraq and see Afghanistan's future. Indeed, with a resurgent Taliban, political instability in Kabul, an untested army and if the United States continues with its plan to drawdown forces at the end of 2014, especially without an agreement in place for the retention of American security personnel, a future similar to Iraq's may be inevitable.

View my Flipboard Magazine.

However, unlike Iraq, this bleak Afghan future need not necessarily become reality. The United States still has an opportunity to avoid making the same mistakes it made in Iraq.

To accomplish this, the United States needs to redouble its efforts at training the Afghan army to develop it into a legitimate fighting force. It needs to put diplomatic pressure on the new president as soon as he takes office to embark on a unification and reconciliation process. And most important, it needs to plan for a withdrawal based on appropriate benchmarks and conditions, not on a political timetable.

Such a change in strategy would undoubtedly be domestically unpopular. But sometimes, unpopularity is a necessary price for avoiding a far worse alternative in the future.

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Palestinian teen was burned alive, autopsy reveals
7/5/2014 8:00:33 AM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • 16-year old Palestinian Mohammed Abu Khedair was burned alive, prosecutor says
  • Spokesman for Israeli PM says Israel is aggressively investigating the killing
  • Videos show Khedair's cousin, a U.S. citizen, being attacked in Jerusalem by men in uniform
  • He was visiting his Palestinian relatives for the first time in over a decade

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Mohammed Abu Khedair, a Palestinian teenager who was abducted and killed in Jerusalem this week, died from being burned alive and hit with a blunt object to the head, according to Palestinian General Prosecutor Mohammed al-Auwewy, sourcing the medical autopsy.

Al-Auwewy said the autopsy discovered traces of smoke inside the lungs of the 16-year-old , meaning that it was inhaled during the burning.

Mark Regev, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said his country is aggressively investigating the killing. "We'll get to the bottom of it and catch those responsible," he told CNN on Saturday.

The teenager's death sparked widespread outrage among Palestinians and clashes with Israeli security forces broke out during his funeral on Friday.

More than 60 people were injured in fighting in parts of Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, a group that said it was involved in evacuating injured Palestinians. It said the injuries mostly involved rubber bullets fired at the upper body and chest.

Israeli police said 13 of their officers were slightly injured in clashes in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat, where Palestinian protesters were throwing rocks at police, who responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas.

Clashes erupt after Palestinian teenager's funeral in Jerusalem

U.S. cousin of Khedair beaten in Jerusalem, relatives say

In a separate incident, two videographers recorded men in the uniform of Israeli security forces holding down and pummeling a teenager in Shuafat. Relatives say he is a U.S. citizen from Florida and a cousin of Abu Khedair.

The victim, Tariq Khdeir, 15, is a high school sophomore in Tampa, family members there said. He was visiting his Palestinian relatives in Jerusalem for the first time in over a decade when he was attacked and detained outside the home of his cousin, who was kidnapped and killed on Wednesday.

The two videos, which were posted independently, say the beating occurred on Thursday.

CNN's Ben Wedeman confirmed that the videos appeared to show an area near the home of the killed teen.

One neighbor shot a video of the beating and distributed it to family and a television station. Another video was shot from the other side of the street and posted to YouTube.

Khdeir's parents and other relatives watched it and told CNN that it's their teenage son. Relatives released pictures of the teenager with bruises and large swellings on his lips and nose.

The men delivered more than 20 blows to the youth over a period of two minutes. He did not appear to be struggling and police carried away his limp body afterward.

Both videos start after the incident began, and it's not clear why Khdeir was attacked.

Regev, Netanyahu's spokesman, said he had seen the videos on CNN.

"I think people who have that video should take it straight to the Israeli police," he said. "There is a separate department in our Ministry of Justice who will investigate that sort of thing."

Regev said he did not know the details of this case. "That should not happen," he said. "Obviously it is forbidden under Israeli law to beat up a suspect who is in handcuffs."

Abducted, killed Palestinian teenager described as kind, beloved

Calls for U.S. to intervene

The U.S. State Department said it's aware of the reports of Khdeir's detention, but it cannot comment due to privacy considerations.

The teen was visiting Shuafat when the attack occurred, his aunt and uncle said. The relatives did not want to be named for fear of reprisals against the family in Shuafat.

An Israeli police spokesman confirmed security forces have been operating in Shuafat, but declined to provide additional details when asked about the beating videos and the American teen in custody.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations urged the United States to help free the teen.

"It is the duty of American officials to intervene and secure the release of an American citizen who was so viciously attacked," said Hassan Shibly, executive director of CAIR-Florida.

Opinion: Slain teens call for justice, not escalation

Netanyahu says of slain teens: 'May God avenge their blood'

 

Mourners carry 'dawn martyr'
7/5/2014 8:02:34 AM

Dozens were injured as Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces clashed. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports from Jerusalem.

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Immigration protests mark July 4
7/4/2014 5:13:11 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Murrieta mayor calls parts of earlier protest "unfortunate" and "deplorable"
  • NEW: "World has never been able to see how compassionate our community is," he adds
  • NEW: Residents fear officials would dump migrants in community, mayor says
  • Police stand between the two factions of demonstrators to stop shoving

Murrieta, California (CNN) -- On a holiday marking the birth of a nation of immigrants, protesters and counterprotesters began a new round of angry demonstrations Friday in a California town that was scheduled to receive new busloads of migrants arrested for entering the country illegally.

The small Southern California city of Murrieta, named after a Spaniard whose family set up a sheep ranch there in 1873, is now a national flashpoint in the U.S. immigration crisis: Protesters are denouncing the federal transfer of detained migrants to their town for processing at a local U.S. Border Patrol office.

Demonstrators successfully blockaded busloads from entering the town earlier this week.

A second convoy of federal buses carrying migrants to a U.S. Border Patrol station in Murrieta was expected Friday, and Murrieta resident Jason Woolley joined protesters to express his outrage about illegal border crossings. A surge of undocumented Central American immigrants has created a federal crisis, and some of them are supposed to be processed in Murrieta.

"There's a right way and a wrong way to come into this country. If you are going to come in the wrong way, we're not going to stand for it. That's just how it is," Woolley said. "There (are) thousands and millions of other people who've done it the right way. But for people to just come in here and ask for a free handout, that's my money."

Erica Suarez of Long Beach defended the immigrants' rights to due process -- and noted how the United States was built by immigrants.

"It's not a us versus we situation. It's a we. It's everybody together," said Suarez, who described herself as an undocumented student.

Police arrested at least one protester Friday morning. No further details were immediately available.

Exchange of hard words

The protests have been emotionally charged, with racial slurs uttered against Latinos defending the rights of the arrested immigrants, some of whom may be refugees, the immigration rights advocates say.

But on Independence Day, protesters held placards saying, "It's not about race. It's about law."

Others said, "No human is illegal," and "No white supremacy."

Police secured the road so the entry to the Border Patrol office was clear, though a smaller group of protesters found a way to camp on the side of the road.

A quarter of a mile away, a yellow police line held back the larger demonstration of dozens of protesters, and by Friday afternoon, police put up a second yellow tape and stood between the two factions of demonstrators to stop their pushing and shoving.

Protesters chanted, "USA! USA!"

Counterprotesters chanted, "La raza unida jamas seran vencida," which translates as "The (Latino) race united will never be defeated."

Apparently supporting them, men and women in Indian costumes trimmed with feathers danced to a drumbeat.

Police warned participants not to fight. Some of them suffered heat exposure in the 100-degree sunshine and found relief under a tent.

"We don't want anyone to get hurt. There's children here," a police officer told protesters.

Both sides waved American flags, but one demonstrator held a shredded U.S. flag, angering an adversary who yelled: "Absolute disgrace!"

Counterprotester Dara Glanzer didn't mind spending the Fourth of July in a protest that was hot by any standard.

"It's Independence Day -- for whom and why," Glanzer said. "This is a refugee crisis that we're dealing with.... If these people were from say, Ukraine, trying to get here from the violence that ruptured the Ukraine, maybe these people would be for that."

Murrieta's concerns and compassion

Residents object to how U.S. agents may "dump" the Central American immigrants into their community once their processing is completed, a practice that was true in the past, said Murrieta Mayor Alan Long.

Both sides of the protest, he said, seek a legal, efficient process for the overflow of arrested migrants.

"We're sending people in inhumane conditions and dispersing them across the nation," Long said.

On Tuesday, the federal government began busing 140 migrants for processing in Murrieta every 72 hours, raising concerns about operational capacity, Long said. The initial federal plan called for 500 people, which was lowered to 300, but the city strongly opposed those plans.

"The concern we have is the sustainability of 140 every 72 hours," Long said. "We don't see this stopping any time soon."

Long said earlier this week that his city "continues to object to the transfer of illegal immigrants to the local Border Patrol office." A subsequent protest in agreement became raucous Tuesday; a counterprotester was spat upon. Long described portions of that protest as "unfortunate" and "deplorable."

The city had offered U.S. officials a mobile health clinic to help them provide health screenings and inoculations for the migrants, but the federal approval process would have been too long.

"The world has never been able to see how compassionate our community is because we never got there," Long said.

The first protest

Federal officials weren't disclosing arrival times Friday for the immigrants or even the cities receiving them, citing safety concerns in light of Tuesday's protests in Murrieta. The town became a battleground over immigration that day as angry crowds chanted, "Go back home," and forced buses carrying immigrants to turn around.

Counterprotesters squared off with demonstrators, leading to a shouting match over the nation's immigration system.

As chaos ensued, federal officials rerouted the 140 undocumented immigrants to U.S. processing centers at least 80 miles away, in the San Diego and El Centro areas.

A tide of Central Americans illegally entering the United States has overwhelmed a system already buckling under the weight of the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Unlike undocumented Mexican migrants, who are often immediately deported, the United States detains and processes Central Americans, who are eventually released and given a month to report to immigration offices.

Protests and tension

Many never show up and join the undocumented population, according to the National Border Patrol Council, the union representing Border Patrol agents.

The immigrants rejected by Murrieta protesters were initially held in Texas, where U.S. facilities are overflowing, forcing detainees to be sent to other states for processing.

The government doesn't have the room to shelter the children with adults: There's only one family immigration detention center, in Pennsylvania. To assist the unaccompanied children, the Obama administration opened shelters last month on three military bases because federal facilities more designed for adults were overrun with minors.

Tuesday's busloads didn't include any unaccompanied minors, said Murrieta Police Chief Sean Hadden. The children on the buses were apparently in the company of relatives or other adults, said an official with the National Border Patrol Council.

Immigration rights advocates denounced the protesters.

"It is deplorable that people espousing anti-immigrant hate language created unnecessary tension and fear for immigrant mothers and their children," said Pedro Rios, a community representative of the San Diego Immigrant Rights Consortium. "Even more concerning is that elected officials in the city of Murrieta instigated this tension. Mothers and their children on these buses have suffered through enough trauma."

Journey from Texas

The U.S. government earlier flew the 140 Central American immigrants from south Texas to San Diego. Federal agents were busing them to Murrieta for processing at the Border Patrol station when the standoff took place Tuesday.

After the buses turned around, the immigrants were taken to a U.S. Border Patrol station in San Diego, said Ron Zermeno of the National Border Patrol Council.

The United States is struggling to accommodate an influx of undocumented immigrants, particularly a wave of unaccompanied children from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. The U.S. government doesn't have enough beds, food or sanitary facilities.

Authorities estimate 60,000 to 80,000 children will cross the border without parents this year in what the White House has called an "immediate humanitarian crisis."

CNN's Kyung Lah contributed from Murrieta. CNN's Michael Martinez wrote and reported from Los Angeles, and Faith Karimi from Atlanta.

 

Putin: Happy Fourth of July, Obama!
7/4/2014 7:34:50 AM

Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G20 summit in 2012 in Los Cabos, Mexico.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G20 summit in 2012 in Los Cabos, Mexico.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Russia's Vladimir Putin says he wants to see the "successful development" of the relationship
  • He says U.S.-Russia relations should be based on mutual respect and understanding
  • Ukraine crisis has heightened tensions between Russia and the United States

Moscow (CNN) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he hoped for better ties with the United States in a July Fourth message to his U.S. counterpart, Barack Obama.

The Independence Day wishes come at a time when relations between the two nations are at their lowest ebb since the Cold War, fueled by tensions over Russia's actions in Ukraine.

According to the Kremlin website, Putin "expressed a hope for the successful development of the relationship between both countries, based on equal rights and utilitarianism, despite all the difficulties and disagreements they are facing at the moment."

Putin also said that since the two nations are responsible for global security, they "should cooperate in the interests of not just their own people, but the entire world."

He urged the building of a bilateral relationship based on "mutual respect" and understanding of each other's interests.

Moscow has repeatedly complained that the West has not taken its legitimate interests in Ukraine into consideration or treated it as an equal partner.

The White House gave a muted response to Putin's gesture.

"We've seen the message but have no particular comment," said National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden.

The United States and European Union have imposed targeted economic sanctions on Russian individuals and companies in response to Moscow's actions in Ukraine.

Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in March despite condemnation from the West. Its amassing of troops along the border with Ukraine has led to heightened tensions.

The EU and the United States have repeatedly warned Moscow that more economic sanctions could be imposed if it doesn't act to defuse the crisis.

In a bid to end the pro-Russia separatist unrest roiling the east of his country, Ukraine's new President Petro Poroshenko has proposed a peace plan that calls for the rebels to lay down their arms and engage in talks. He also urged the strengthening of Ukraine-Russia border controls, the freeing of hostages and changes to the Ukrainian Constitution to decentralize power.

NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen urged Moscow last week "to create conditions for the implementation of the peace plan, to end its support for separatist troops, and to stop the flow of weapons and fighters across its border."

Read: Obama, Putin come face to face in France at D-Day event

Read: Ukraine begins military offensive as cease-fire ends

CNN's Alla Eshchenko reported from Moscow, and Laura Smith-Spark wrote in London. CNN's Athena Jones contributed to this report.

 

Rolf Harris jailed for abusing girls
7/4/2014 8:11:38 AM

Longtime children's entertainer Rolf Harris arrives last week at Southwark Crown Court in London.
Longtime children's entertainer Rolf Harris arrives last week at Southwark Crown Court in London.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Brother of youngest victim says his sister still lives with the consequences of abuse
  • Rolf Harris took advantage of the trust placed in him as a celebrity, judge says
  • Harris is sentenced to five years and nine months in prison
  • The entertainer, 84, was found guilty of 12 charges of sexual abuse

London (CNN) -- Children's entertainer Rolf Harris was sentenced Friday to five years and nine months in prison for a string of indecent assaults against women and girls.

The 84-year-old was found guilty Monday in a London court of 12 charges of sexually abusing women and girls.

The offenses that Harris committed against four women took place as far back as 1970.

The Australian-born musician and artist, who painted a portrait of Queen Elizabeth II for the British monarch's 80th birthday in 2006, had been charged under Operation Yewtree, which is investigating allegations of decades of abuse by public figures, including the late TV entertainer Jimmy Savile.

Dozens more women who said they had been abused by Harris, including several in Australia, alerted police during the trial, Britain's Press Association news agency said.

Sentencing Harris at Southwark Crown Court, the judge, Nigel Sweeney, said there were several aggravating factors.

"You took advantage of the trust placed in you, because of your celebrity status, to commit the offenses," he said.

"In every case the age gap between you and your victim was a very considerable one. You clearly got a thrill from committing the offenses whilst others were present or nearby. Whilst such others did not realize what you were doing, their presence added to the ordeal of your victims."

The abuse "had a significant adverse effect" on the victims, he said, while Harris has shown no remorse at all for his crimes.

Harris will likely serve half his sentence in prison before being released on probation.

The brother of the entertainer's youngest victim spoke of his sister's ordeal in a statement read on his behalf outside court. He also thanked police for their efforts to bring Harris to justice.

"My sister has had only eight years of her life without this incident going round in her head, and that was her first eight," he said.

"After these cameras have been dismantled and the media circus has rolled on to another town, it will still be with her as it will with the other girls."

Victims' courage praised

Speaking outside court after the sentencing, Detective Mick Orchard told reporters: "The court has today heard about the impact these crimes have had on those involved. Once again I would like to thank all the victims for their courage in coming forward."

The Crown Prosecution Service's Jenny Hopkins said after the verdict that Harris had "used his status and position as a world famous children's entertainer to sexually assault young girls over a period spanning 18 years."

She added that "each victim, unknown to the others, described a similar pattern of behavior -- that of a man acting without fear of the consequences."

Harris was once one of Britain's best-loved children's entertainers. He had a string of hits in the 1960s, including "Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport," "Jake the Peg" and "Two Little Boys." He had a decades-long television career at the BBC and received several honors, including the Order of the British Empire.

Read: Entertainer Rolf Harris found guilty of abusing women, girls

CNN's Brooke Bowman, Lindsay Isaac and Peter Wilkinson contributed to this report.

 

Myanmar: Curfew after deadly clashes
7/4/2014 5:30:32 AM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Two people are dead after violent clashes between Buddhists and Muslims in Myanmar
  • Radical Buddhist monks appeared to play a role in inciting mobs, says rights researcher
  • Myanmar has had numerous outbursts of anti-Muslim violence in recent years
  • The violence threatens the country's fledgling transition from decades of military rule

(CNN) -- Authorities have imposed a curfew in Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city, following nights of deadly communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims.

Two people have been killed and 14 injured since rioting erupted Tuesday, Col. Aung Kyaw Moe, Mandalay's Region border affairs and Security Minister tells CNN.

The rioting began when a mob began attacking a tea shop owned by a Muslim man accused of raping a Buddhist woman, and continued the following night.

The newspaper said eight separate conflicts took place in the region over two nights, involving gangs of as many as 450 people, some armed with weapons including swords, firearms, knives, rods and "incendiary materials," citing officials.

One of the victims was Muslim and one Buddhist, officials said. Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist country, with Muslims estimated to account for about 5% of the population.

Myanmar has witnessed several outbreaks of violence targeting Muslims in recent years as the country emerges from decades of authoritarian military rule, threatening the country's fragile political reforms.

Extremist Buddhist nationalist elements, such as the 969 Movement, have been accused of fanning the flames of hatred, and pushing for discriminatory laws, including a proposed ban on interfaith marriage.

Fears of new unrest as Myanmar ponders monk-backed interfaith marriage ban

Radical Buddhist monks, including the 969 Movement's spiritual leader, Ashin Wirathu, appeared to have played "a pivotal role" in contributing to the latest unrest, said David Mathieson, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch.

Anger against the Muslim tea shop owner, a Muslim, had escalated after Wirathu had circulated a report of the alleged rape on his Facebook page, and called for a harsh government response to "jihadist Muslims."

There had been a significant monk presence among the mob, said Mathieson.

"The area where this happened is 5-10 minute drive from where Wirathu's monastery is," he said. "This really is his heartland."

Activists in Myanmar have campaigned against online hate speech on social media, particularly anti-Muslim rhetoric which they blame for contributing to the violence against the minority.

Religious violence has left hundreds of people dead and close to 150,000 homeless since unrest broke out in in the western state of Rakhine in June 2012, with the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority bearing the brunt of the violence. Outbreaks of anti-Muslim violence have occurred elsewhere in the country.

Aung said nine people had been arrested over the violence. Five were Muslim and four Buddhist, he said.

Aung San Suu Kyi's silence on the Rohingya

Nien Chan contributed to this report.

 

Brazil into semis
7/5/2014 1:59:19 AM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Brazil beats Colombia in World Cup quarterfinal in Fortaleza
  • Goals from Thiago Silva and David Luiz secure 2-1 victory
  • James Rodriguez scores late penalty to reduce deficit
  • Brazil's star striker Neymar may miss semifinal against Germany

Editor's note: How are you celebrating the World Cup? Join the global conversation on CNN Facebook Pulse

(CNN) -- There were goals, there was choreographed dancing, there were moments of great footballing beauty, but Colombia -- one of the teams to excite most at this thrilling World Cup finals -- is going home after Friday's quarterfinal defeat at the hands of Brazil in Fortaleza.

Strikes from the center-back pairing of captain Thiago Silva and David Luiz put Brazil into an unassailable lead and, despite a late penalty by James Rodriguez, the tournament host held on to win 2-1.

There was concern, however, for Brazil's star striker Neymar, who was stretchered off in what seemed like considerable pain in the game's closing moments.

The result marks the first time Brazil has reached the semifinal stage since winning the title in Japan and South Korea in 2002, and sets up an intriguing clash against Germany on Tuesday -- a repeat of that year's final.

"I think Neymar won't be able to play," coach Luiz Felipe Scolari told reporters after the game. "If we are able to beat Germany it might be he can play in the final.

"He has been sent to a private clinic for a serious of exams as he was kneed on his lower back and was crying out with pain. I can guarantee it won't be easy for him to recover based on what the doctor told us and the pain he is in."

Germany overcame France in the day's earlier quarterfinal in Rio de Janeiro thanks to an early goal from defender Mats Hummels.

In the sweaty evening heat of the Estadio Castelao, however, it was another pair of defenders who were the unlikely heroes.

Silva opened the scoring after seven minutes, tucking home a Neymar corner with his knee, and the Paris Saint-Germain star was then in thick of it once more at the other end moments later, blocking a shot from Juan Cuadrado.

Silva was criticized heavily after apparently refusing to take the sixth penalty in Brazil's round of 16 shootout victory over Chile last Saturday.

He was all action here, however. Marshaling the back line and flying into tackles when required.

But a yellow card midway through the second half means he will be suspended and miss the semifinal.

The Colombia players composed themselves as the first half progressed, coming more into the game despite the rough-house treatment handed out to star player James Rodriguez.

On at least four occasions the Monaco star was subject to the stray boot of Brazil's midfield enforcer Fernandinho.

Still, the home team continued to have the better chances.

Hulk and Fred came close with a snap-shot that Colombia keeper David Ospina palmed away and a header that flashed over respectively.

The second half commenced at a far slower pace and there was little of note until Silva was booked for blocking a kick out from Ospina.

Colombia did have the ball in the net after 66 minutes as Mario Yepes bundled the ball over the line after a scramble in the Brazilian box. But a linesman's offside flag cut short the nascent celebrations.

Moments later there was a goal, although it was to come at the other end.

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Hulk was fouled by Rodriguez 35 yards from goal and Luiz stepped up to crash a spectacular free-kick beyond the despairing Ospina.

It was a remarkable strike that dipped and swerved as it arrowed into the top corner of the net.

There seemed no way back for Colombia now. But "Los Cafeteros" were handed a lifeline with 12 minutes to go after goalkeeper Julio Cesar scythed down substitute Carlos Bacca.

Rodriguez did the honors from the penalty spot, sending Cesar the wrong way to score his sixth goal of the tournament -- two more than closest rivals Neymar, Lionel Messi and Thomas Muller.

All of a sudden, the game was back on. Colombia pressed and threw caution to the wind with Yepes playing as an auxiliary striker.

But when one final corner kick delivery drifted beyond Cesar's goal in the 95th minute there was time left for little else.

Scolari's side has now overcome the barrier that has proved too high at the last two World Cup tournaments.

However, Brazil has not yet looked like a team certain to become world champion for a record-extending sixth time -- as its demanding public expects -- despite having world-class talents like Neymar, Silva and Oscar.

Yet somehow they find themselves only a game away from next Sunday's final.

Stuttering performances and the occasional stroke of good fortune against Croatia and Mexico in the group stages and once more against Chile has hardly inspired confidence in "A Selecao."

Poor showings from the likes of strikers Hulk and Fred have been singled out for particular scorn, although the former put in a solid performance against Colombia.

Much was also made in the Brazilian media of 2002's winning coach Scolari -- a man who prides himself on being a father figure to his players -- bringing in a psychologist to speak to his team after many broke down in tears during the national anthems and once again after the dramatic penalty kicks victory over Chile.

View my Flipboard Magazine.

Was this team soft and mentally weak? Are the expectations of 200 million football-mad Brazilians proving oppressive and too much to bear?

"Big Phil" truculently replied earlier this week that journalists who didn't like his methods could "go to hell."

Whether said reporters took heed or not, surely lack of maturity is not an accusation that can be leveled against Brazil now.

The men in yellow were nothing if not committed, controlled and tactically astute, biting into tackles and closing down with an intensity that ruffled their opponents.

Several gestured towards the crowd throughout the contest to increase the noise and crank up the pressure.

Colombia, by comparison, can hardly have been accused of being afraid.

Jose Pekerman's team has played with a style and confidence throughout the tournament that has been a joy to watch for neutral observers.

The delight the entire squad takes in their choreographed dancing celebrations, meanwhile, speaks to the relaxed vibe created by the coach, previously a World Cup quarterfinalist with his native Argentina in 2006.

Tellingly, however, Colombia has only ever beaten Brazil twice and never in Brazil -- a run that extends all the way back to 1945 and the formative years of the Copa America.

That record will now last at least until the two sides meet next in qualification for the next World Cup in the coming years.

Still, today's Colombia players will be heading back homes as heroes, the bright hope of a new generation as the country itself moves on from a dark past.

It was 20 years ago this week that defender Andres Escobar was murdered in Medellin upon returning from the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. where he scored a cruel own-goal.

Thankfully, those dark days are largely gone and Colombian hopes will be high when the campaign for Russia 2018 begins.

Brazil, however, is still involved in 2014 and will be going to the semifinals in Belo Horizonte.

Read: Germany defeat France to make semis

 

Germany beats France to semifinal
7/5/2014 3:48:49 AM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Germany books place in semifinal of World Cup
  • Mats Hummels scored the only goal of the game
  • Germany reaches fourth consecutive semifinal
  • Next plays Brazil, which beats Colombia 2-1 later Friday

How are you celebrating the World Cup? Join the global conversation on CNN Facebook Pulse

(CNN) -- It's a demon buried deep within the French psyche -- a demon which refuses to be exorcized.

A word which brings shivers down the spine and strikes a fear into the heart of the country's football fans.

In Rio de Janeiro, the ghosts of years past haunted France again -- the "Angstgegner" returned.

Germany, the "bogey team" as it is known in France, wrote another painful chapter into Les Bleus' World Cup history on Friday.

A 1-0 victory secured Germany's place in the semifinals for a record fourth consecutive tournament.

But unlike in 1982 and 1986, when Germany defeated the French in the last four on both occasions, this was not a battle of epic proportions.

There was not the drama, nor the controversy -- but the end result was the same.

Mats Hummels' 12th-minute goal gave Germany a lead it never looked like relinquishing against a French side which flattered to deceive.

In fact, it was almost an apologetic exit from Didier Deschamps' players -- so disappointing after the team's encouraging performances in the group stage.

At a tournament where there have been so many surprises, perhaps it was reassuring that there remains one constant.

Germany, whether it plays to its maximum or just within itself, seems to always get the result it craves.

Joachim Low's side will now face host nation Brazil -- which beat Colombia -- in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday, while France returns home pondering what might have been.

The tears flowed for those draped in blue -- this was supposed to be the day where France finally gained revenge.

Some 32 years may have passed since the two countries met at the 1982 World Cup, but the painful memories remain.

At the time, France's World Cup hopes were in the balance with the game at 1-1 when Patrick Battiston ran on to meet Michel Platini's pass.

Battiston was the overwhelming favorite to reach the ball first -- and he did so, but as he approached, West Germany goalkeeper Toni Schumacher laid the Frenchman out cold with a brutal attack.

Battiston, shorn of three teeth and suffering damaged vertebrae, left the field on a stretcher, his limp hand held by a shaken Platini -- who feared his teammate might have even died.

Schumacher stood tall -- he wasn't red-carded, nor was he even cautioned. Instead, he saved two penalties in the shootout following a 3-3 draw as West Germany reached the final, before losing to Italy.

It was an achievement which preserved his name in notoriety, even securing him top spot in a poll held by a French newspaper for the most hated German -- a poll he won ahead of Adolf Hitler.

While the incident may not register on the German consciousness, it was repeated endlessly on televisions in the buildup to Friday's contest.

A game with a grudge -- it's hardly a new experience for Germany, which appears to encounter such fixtures on a regular basis.

View my Flipboard Magazine.

Its experience at this level is undisputed -- but a failure to win the World Cup in 24 years has not gone unnoticed.

In 2002, Rudi Voller's team was defeated in the final by Brazil -- since then there have been three consecutive semifinal defeats.

For so long German football has been admired, but with success comes expectation and, in terms of triumphs, "Die Mannschaft" has failed to deliver.

Perhaps this is the year where Low's side finally delivers.

Criticized after a 2-1 extra-time victory over Algeria in the last 16 at Brazil 2014, Germany began brightly against France and made light of the flu virus which had swept through its camp.

Just 12 minutes of the contest had elapsed when Hummels held off Raphael Varane to head home Toni Kroos' perfect delivery.

Given the number of spectacular strikes witnessed at this World Cup, Hummels' effort was remarkable for its simplicity.

France, temporarily dazed by conceding, began to assert itself with the impressive Mathieu Valbuena beginning to cause Germany problems.

The diminutive midfielder, so influential in the group stage as France breezed through with ease, came close to forging an equalizer with 11 minutes of the first half remaining.

Antoine Griezmann found space on the left and his pass allowed Valbuena to curl the ball towards goal only for Manuel Neuer to save and Karim Benzema to lash wildly at the rebound.

Benzema, who scored three times in his opening two games, then went close before the interval as Hummels blocked the forward's close-range header.

In 10 previous ties where it had trailed at halftime of a World Cup tie, France had lost on each and every occasion.

But this French side has already overcome the odds. That it qualified for the tournament at all was somewhat of a surprise given its dreadful performance in the playoff tie.

A 2-0 defeat by Ukraine in the first leg left Deschamps staring into the abyss -- a misery only averted by a miraculous 3-0 victory in the return leg four days later.

But a comeback against Germany, a team renowned for its ruthlessness and ability to dominate its opponents is a far more difficult proposition.

Deschamps' decision to replace a defensive midfielder in Yohan Cabaye with striker Loic Remy signaled his side's intentions.

His pace, in addition to the threat posed by Griezmann and Benzema, appeared to trouble a Germany defense which was never managed to give impression of being wholly convincing.

But whenever France did manage to get in behind its opponents, Neuer provided a formidable presence, denying Blaise Matuidi from close range.

As both teams began to suffer in the heat, the action moved from end to end, with Germany twice failing to put the result beyond doubt

Then, with the contest entering its final throes, Benzema's effort -- from a position where he would be expected to score -- was palmed away by Neuer in almost nonchalant fashion.

As the final whistle blew, heads fell, tears followed and French players were left with an all too familiar feeling -- the "Angstgegner" had struck again.

Read: Neymar injured in Brazil victory

Read: How women are watching the World Cup

 

Jerusalem riots as teen buried
7/5/2014 2:09:36 AM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: More than 60 people injured in fighting in Jerusalem after Palestinian teen's funeral
  • Family buries slain teenager after funeral held at East Jerusalem mosque
  • Israel tightens security around Jerusalem
  • Police investigating whether boy's death in retaliation for killings of three Israeli teens

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Clashes broke out Friday between Palestinians and Israeli security forces after the funeral of a Palestinian teenager abducted and killed in Jerusalem this week.

More than 60 people were injured in fighting in parts of Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, a group that said it was involved in evacuating injured Palestinians. It said the injuries mostly involved rubber bullets fired at the upper body and chest.

Israeli police said 13 officers were slightly injured in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat, where Palestinian protesters were throwing rocks at police, who responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas.

Police have said they are investigating whether the Palestinian youth's death was an act of retaliation for the killings of three Israeli teens, whose bodies were discovered Monday in a field in the West Bank.

The killings of the Palestinian and Israeli teenagers have ratcheted up tensions in a region where peace talks fell apart earlier this year.

Ahead of the Palestinian boy's funeral, Israeli police significantly stepped up security around Palestinian areas of the city, putting up checkpoints and shutting off access to the Shuafat neighborhood where the slain teen, Mohammad Abu Khedair, lived.

Carried in by dozens of people, the 16-year-old's body was brought to a mosque there for the funeral. After the ceremony, his remains were taken by his family for burial in a nearby cemetery.

The sound of sirens and gunfire filled the streets of the Palestinian suburb as fighting again erupted.

A CNN team on the ground saw about 30 Israeli riot police firing rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades in the direction of Palestinian protesters, who were throwing stones and Molotov cocktails toward the police.

CNN's Ben Wedeman was slightly injured when a rubber bullet hit him in the forehead Friday afternoon. He continued to report from the site after medics attended to him.

The clashes went on for several hours until the mood calmed a little around 6 p.m. local time. The violence may pick up again later Friday evening after Muslims break their Ramadan fast.

Well over 1,000 Palestinians gathered for the funeral despite strict Israeli security measures that have limited movement around Jerusalem, including in the Old City.

The funeral coincided with the first Friday prayers held during the Ramadan period when emotions are often heightened.

Violence first broke out after news of Abu Khedair's death Wednesday, and it also flared overnight in parts of the city and the West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said 27 Palestinian youths were injured in the overnight unrest. It wasn't immediately clear if any Israelis were hurt.

A Palestinian farmer is in critical condition after Israeli fire hit him on his farm east of Gaza, according to Palestinian medical sources in Gaza on Friday. Palestinian security sources said that four rockets were fired from the same location.

Forced into car

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Thursday to find the perpetrators responsible for the boy's killing, an act he described as "a despicable crime."

Israeli authorities are still trying to determine who killed Abu Khedair and why, Netanyahu said.

Abu Khedair was heading from his home to a mosque for prayers around 4 a.m. Wednesday when three men forced him into a car and drove off, his father, Hussain Abu Khedair, said.

The boy's body was found about an hour later in a forest in West Jerusalem.

Israeli police have said they are looking into the possibility that his death was related to a family dispute as well as the alternative theory that it was a revenge killing.

"The investigation is continuing. We are still looking at the possibility to determine if we are talking about a criminal incident or a nationalistic incident," Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said.

Arrests after Israelis kidnapped

Since the June 13 abduction of the Israeli teens -- Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frankel -- on their way home from school, Israel has arrested hundreds of activists from Hamas, the militant Islamic organization it blames for the kidnapping.

Israeli forces have also destroyed the homes of the two main suspects it has identified in the Israeli teenagers' abduction.

WAFA, the Palestinian state news agency, reported Wednesday that 15 Palestinians have been killed during that time. The figure includes six killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank, three in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, two dead of heart attacks after West Bank raids, plus the recently slain Palestinian teenager.

Hamas has praised the kidnappings of the Israelis but denied that it was responsible for what happened. It warned that if Netanyahu "brings a war on Gaza, the gates of hell will open to him."

Rockets, airstrikes

This week's unrest comes as Israelis and Palestinians continue to trade blows over longstanding issues. There have been Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes.

On Friday the Israeli air force struck three Hamas targets in southern Gaza, the IDF said in a statement. At least 14 rockets and mortars were fired from the Palestinian territory, according to the IDF. Ten of them hit Israeli territory while three were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system and one landed in Palestinian territory, the IDF said.

Opinion: Teens' killing hurts Israelis, bad for Palestinians

Opinion: Slain teens call for justice, not escalation

CNN's Ben Wedeman reported from Jerusalem. Steve Almasy in Atlanta and Laura Smith-Spark in London reported and wrote. CNN's Michael Schwartz, Kareem Khadder, Jethro Mullen, Pierre Meilhan and Amir Tal contributed to this report.

 

Mourners carry 'dawn martyr'
7/4/2014 6:33:14 PM

Dozens were injured as Palestinian protesters and Israeli forces clashed. CNN's Ben Wedeman reports from Jerusalem.

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Ebola plan agreed: Can it work?
7/4/2014 3:21:17 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Uganda announces extra screening for people arriving from Ebola-affected nations
  • African nations agree on a joint strategy to try to stop spread of Ebola virus
  • "It's time for concrete action to put an end to the suffering and deaths," health official says
  • Traditional practices around care for the sick and funerals aid in Ebola's spread, WHO says

(CNN) -- With their countries facing an Ebola epidemic of "unprecedented" proportions, the health ministers of 11 African nations have agreed to a joint strategy to try to stem its deadly advance.

As part of the plan, the World Health Organization will set up a "sub-regional control center" in Guinea -- one of the three West African nations at the heart of the outbreak -- to help coordinate the response.

The strategy was announced late Thursday at the end of a two-day summit in Ghana that brought together ministers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Uganda with health experts, Ebola survivors and WHO representatives.

It also calls for better surveillance and reporting of cases, the mobilization of community and political leaders to improve awareness and understanding, and greater cross-border communication.

WHO has previously warned that "drastic action" is needed to halt the spread of the virus, which can kill up to 90% of those infected.

Addressing the closing session, Dr. Luis Gomes Sambo, WHO regional director for Africa, welcomed the move.

"It's time for concrete action to put an end to the suffering and deaths caused by Ebola virus disease and prevent its further spread," he said.

WHO reports there have been 759 cases, including 467 deaths, in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia as of June 30.


'Enormous' impact

The impact of the outbreak, which began in March, "has been enormous in terms of loss of human lives and negative socioeconomic effects," Sambo said.

The disease's spread "is in great extent associated with some cultural practices and traditional beliefs" that run counter to preventive health measures, he said.

According to a WHO statement, such traditional practices foster "mistrust, apprehension and resistance" in local populations regarding health workers' efforts.

These include the hiding and treatment at home of Ebola victims and funerals at which mourners touch the body of the deceased. "These are very high-risk practices leading to extensive exposures to Ebola virus in the community," the statement said.

Sambo added, "The extensive movement of people within and across borders has facilitated rapid spread of the infection across and within the three countries."

He also paid tribute to those on the front lines of the fight against the deadly disease, saying health workers have been "disproportionately affected," with more than 60 cases and 32 deaths reported among their ranks.

What you need to know about Ebola

Uganda takes steps

Uganda's health authorities, who took part in the summit in Ghana, announced new measures Friday to screen people arriving from Ebola-affected countries.

"All border posts have been told to intensify disease surveillance check points," Ugandan Health Minister Ruhakana Rugunda said.

"Special focus is on anyone with travel history of the past three months from the three West African countries of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia."

Although no travel ban is in place, Ugandan residents have also been urged to limit nonessential travel to those three countries.

Rugunda said Uganda, which has experience in dealing with Ebola outbreaks, most recently in 2012, had been asked by WHO to provide technical assistance in the latest battle to contain the virus.

Internal, external hemorrhaging

Ebola is a violent killer. The symptoms, at first, mimic the flu: headache, fever, fatigue. What comes next sounds like something out of a horror movie: significant diarrhea and vomiting while the virus shuts off the blood's ability to clot.

As a result, patients often suffer internal and external hemorrhaging. Many die in an average of 10 days.

People are traveling without realizing they're carrying the deadly virus. It can take between two and 21 days after exposure for someone to feel sick.

The good news is that Ebola isn't as easily spread as one might think. A patient isn't contagious -- meaning they can't spread the virus to other people -- until he or she is showing symptoms.

The disease is transmitted by direct contact with the blood and body fluids of infected animals or people, according to WHO.

The scientist who discovered the Ebola virus in the 1970s, Dr. Peter Piot, told CNN's Christiane Amanpour this week that the situation is "unprecedented."

"One, (this is) the first time in West Africa that we have such an outbreak," he said. "Secondly, it is the first time that three countries are involved. And thirdly, it's the first time that we have outbreaks in capitals, in capital cities."

Officials believe the wide footprint of this outbreak is partly because of the proximity between the jungle where the virus was first identified and cities such as Conakry, Guinea's capital, which has a population of 2 million and an international airport.

Complicating matters, the countries hit hardest by the epidemic have major medical infrastructure challenges.

There is no cure for Ebola, but in theory, the disease should be easy to fight since close contact is needed to become infected, Piot said.

Simple hygienic measures such as washing with soap and water, not reusing syringes and avoiding contact with infected corpses are sufficient to stop spread of the disease, Piot said.

"This is an epidemic of dysfunctional health systems," he added. "Fear of the virus, and the lack of trust in government, in the health system, is as bad as the actual virus."

Get the fast facts on Ebola

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CNN's Mick Krever, Danielle Dellorto, Miriam Falco and Jen Christensen contributed to this report. Journalist Samson Ntale in Kampala also contributed.

 

Boko Haram women arrested
7/4/2014 8:41:14 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Women were recruiting for militant group, government says
  • This effort involved finding women for marriage
  • Boko Haram blamed for recurring violence in Nigeria

(CNN) -- Authorities have arrested three women who have been secretly recruiting members for the female wing of the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Nigeria's Defense Ministry said Friday.

"The arrested trio suspects were luring ladies, especially widows and young girls, by enticing them with male suitors who are mainly members of their terror group, for marriage," said Col. Onyema Nwachukwu, director of defense information.

"Before their arrest, they were on a mission to take additional briefing from the leadership of the terror group," said Nwachukwu.

The suspects, identified as Hafsat Usman Bako, Zainab Idris and Aisha Abubakar, were arrested while traveling to the town of Madagali.

Officials say one of the women, Hafsat Bako, was married to a member of the terrorist group who was killed by the military. "Hafsat continued with the terror group, specializing in surreptitious recruitment of members into their fold," said the ministry.

The arrests were made after a recent suicide bombing attempt on a military facility in the state of Gombe, carried out by a female suspect who blew herself up.

Boko Haram has been terrorizing Nigeria's Borno state in recent years and thousands have fled the violence. In April, the terrorist group abducted more than 200 schoolgirls in Chibok. The girls are still missing.

CNN's Nana Karikari-apau contributed to this report.

 

8 trapped in Honduras gold mine
7/4/2014 5:40:25 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Eleven miners trapped by landslide on Wednesday night near El Corpus, Honduras
  • Three rescued Friday morning
  • Status of eight other miners is not immediately known

El Corpus, Honduras (CNN) -- Three of 11 miners who were trapped in a Honduran gold mine this week were rescued Friday morning, freed nearly two days after a landslide blocked their path out.

After rescuers brought the three out of the mine near the town of El Corpus, live footage shown on Honduran network Televicentro showed ambulances driving them away.

Scores of Red Cross volunteers, firefighters and others have been trying to free the miners since a landslide blocked a tunnel late Wednesday, El Corpus Mayor Luis Rueda said.

Information on the conditions of the three freed miners and the eight who remained in the mine wasn't immediately available.

Rescuers take part in the operation to free three laborers trapped in a collapsed mine.
Rescuers take part in the operation to free three laborers trapped in a collapsed mine.

The miners freed Friday had long been in contact with rescuers, who were able to give them water early in the rescue effort, the Red Cross said.

Before the rescue, Rueda told CNN that efforts to reach the miners were progressing "slowly and with difficulty," in part because there were risks of another landslide.

Fire department spokesman Oscar Triminio also told reporters that rescuers were not using heavy machinery, because the mine was unstable.

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Kindergarten teacher stabbed
7/4/2014 8:42:49 PM

People gather in front of the Albi, France, school Friday after a kindergarten teacher was fatally stabbed in class.
People gather in front of the Albi, France, school Friday after a kindergarten teacher was fatally stabbed in class.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Teacher, 34, stabbed at school in Albi, France, education minister says
  • Suspect is mother of a new student at the school, official says
  • French President Francois Hollande: Officials will look after children who witnessed killing

Paris (CNN) -- A woman stabbed and killed a French kindergarten teacher in her classroom as students watched Friday morning -- the last day of school before summer break, the French education minister said.

The teacher, 34, identified only as Fabienne, was stabbed in front of her students, allegedly by a parent of a child who attends the school in Albi in southwestern France, Education Minister Benoit Hamon told reporters at a news conference.

A suspect was taken into custody, Hamon said. He didn't name the suspect or talk of a possible motive, but said she was the mother of a child who'd been attending the school only for a month and a half.

"It is my role, and it is the role of the government, to ensure that in the future we better protect our schools and shield (them) from violence," Hamon said.

Fabienne was married with two young children and was a "fantastic teacher," Hamon said.

French President Francois Hollande expressed dismay and said public servants would look after the children who witnessed the killing, according to his office.

A psychiatric unit has been set up to assist people in the community, Hamon said.

Albi is about 40 miles (65 kilometers) northeast of Toulouse.

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CNN's Jason Hanna contributed to this report.

 

Rent a World Cup friend
7/4/2014 3:55:53 PM

CNN's Isa Soares discovers that for a price, you can now rent a friend to enjoy the sights of Brazil with.

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Teen buried -- then riots across Jerusalem
7/4/2014 2:55:35 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: More than 60 people injured in fighting in Jerusalem after Palestinian teen's funeral
  • Family buries slain teenager after funeral held at East Jerusalem mosque
  • Israel tightens security around Jerusalem
  • Police investigating whether boy's death in retaliation for killings of three Israeli teens

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Clashes broke out Friday between Palestinians and Israeli security forces after the funeral of a Palestinian teenager abducted and killed in Jerusalem this week.

More than 60 people were injured in fighting in parts of Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, a group that said it was involved in evacuating injured Palestinians. It said the injuries mostly involved rubber bullets fired at the upper body and chest.

Israeli police said 13 officers were slightly injured in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat, where Palestinian protesters were throwing rocks at police, who responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas.

Police have said they are investigating whether the Palestinian youth's death was an act of retaliation for the killings of three Israeli teens, whose bodies were discovered Monday in a field in the West Bank.

The killings of the Palestinian and Israeli teenagers have ratcheted up tensions in a region where peace talks fell apart earlier this year.

Ahead of the Palestinian boy's funeral, Israeli police significantly stepped up security around Palestinian areas of the city, putting up checkpoints and shutting off access to the Shuafat neighborhood where the slain teen, Mohammad Abu Khedair, lived.

Carried in by dozens of people, the 16-year-old's body was brought to a mosque there for the funeral. After the ceremony, his remains were taken by his family for burial in a nearby cemetery.

The sound of sirens and gunfire filled the streets of the Palestinian suburb as fighting again erupted.

A CNN team on the ground saw about 30 Israeli riot police firing rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades in the direction of Palestinian protesters, who were throwing stones and Molotov cocktails toward the police.

CNN's Ben Wedeman was slightly injured when a rubber bullet hit him in the forehead Friday afternoon. He continued to report from the site after medics attended to him.

The clashes went on for several hours until the mood calmed a little around 6 p.m. local time. The violence may pick up again later Friday evening after Muslims break their Ramadan fast.

Well over 1,000 Palestinians gathered for the funeral despite strict Israeli security measures that have limited movement around Jerusalem, including in the Old City.

The funeral coincided with the first Friday prayers held during the Ramadan period when emotions are often heightened.

Violence first broke out after news of Abu Khedair's death Wednesday, and it also flared overnight in parts of the city and the West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said 27 Palestinian youths were injured in the overnight unrest. It wasn't immediately clear if any Israelis were hurt.

At least four rockets were fired at Israel on Friday afternoon, two of which were intercepted by Iron Dome missile defense batteries above Ofakim, the Israel Defense Forces said. One landed near Ofakim, and another hit an open area in the Eshkol region, the IDF said.

A Palestinian farmer is in critical condition after Israeli fire hit him on his farm east of Gaza, according to Palestinian medical sources in Gaza on Friday. Palestinian security sources said that four rockets were fired from the same location.

Forced into car

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Thursday to find the perpetrators responsible for the boy's killing, an act he described as "a despicable crime."

Israeli authorities are still trying to determine who killed Abu Khedair and why, Netanyahu said.

Abu Khedair was heading from his home to a mosque for prayers around 4 a.m. Wednesday when three men forced him into a car and drove off, his father, Hussain Abu Khedair, said.

The boy's body was found about an hour later in a forest in West Jerusalem.

Israeli police have said they are looking into the possibility that his death was related to a family dispute as well as the alternative theory that it was a revenge killing.

"The investigation is continuing. We are still looking at the possibility to determine if we are talking about a criminal incident or a nationalistic incident," Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said.

Arrests after Israelis kidnapped

Since the June 13 abduction of the Israeli teens -- Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frankel -- on their way home from school, Israel has arrested hundreds of activists from Hamas, the militant Islamic organization it blames for the kidnapping.

Israeli forces have also destroyed the homes of the two main suspects it has identified in the Israeli teenagers' abduction.

WAFA, the Palestinian state news agency, reported Wednesday that 15 Palestinians have been killed during that time. The figure includes six killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank, three in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, two dead of heart attacks after West Bank raids, plus the recently slain Palestinian teenager.

Hamas has praised the kidnappings of the Israelis but denied that it was responsible for what happened. It warned that if Netanyahu "brings a war on Gaza, the gates of hell will open to him."

Rockets, airstrikes

This week's unrest comes as Israelis and Palestinians continue to trade blows over longstanding issues. There have been rocket attacks and airstrikes.

The IDF said 40 rockets were launched toward Israel from Gaza on Thursday. One soldier had minor wounds and some homes were damaged, the IDF said.

Israel conducted at least eight airstrikes early Thursday.

Three hit a Hamas intelligence building in Gaza City, while at least one struck a Qassam training camp in Beit Hanoun.

Palestinian medical sources reported at least 10 people injured, one of them seriously.

The IDF said the airstrikes, aimed at 15 Hamas targets, were in response to the firing of more than 20 rockets into Israel since Wednesday.

Opinion: Teens' killing hurts Israelis, bad for Palestinians

Opinion: Slain teens call for justice, not escalation

CNN's Ben Wedeman reported from Jerusalem. Steve Almasy in Atlanta and Laura Smith-Spark in London reported and wrote. CNN's Michael Schwartz, Kareem Khadder, Jethro Mullen, Pierre Meilhan and Amir Tal contributed to this report.

 

Was teen's death a revenge killing?
7/3/2014 8:41:03 AM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Mohammad Abu Khedair woke up early to go to a mosque for Ramadan prayers
  • Instead, the 17-year-old was abducted, then killed in his hometown of Jerusalem
  • A friend recalls Abu Khedair, who would have graduated high school next year, as kind
  • "Everyone loves him," his mother says of a boy who "never gets into trouble at all"

(CNN) -- Like so many other Muslims during Ramadan, Mohammad Abu Khedair woke up early to recharge, physically and spiritually.

His first order of business was to eat a big meal, to sustain him through the day until he could break the seasonal Muslim fast at sunset. The next was to head to a mosque in his middle-class Palestinian neighborhood of Shuafat in Jerusalem for prayers.

But he never made it.

Three people in a car came upon the 17-year-old as Abu Khedair walked between his home and mosque around 4 a.m. Wednesday, then forced him inside, according to authorities and family members.

Mohamad Abu Khedair, 17, was kidnapped and killed Wednesday morning in Jerusalem.
Mohamad Abu Khedair, 17, was kidnapped and killed Wednesday morning in Jerusalem.

About an hour after his abduction, the teen's body was discovered in a forest elsewhere in Jerusalem.

The Palestinian state news agency WAFA blamed the kidnapping and killing on "settlers," saying Abu Khedair's body "was charred and bore signs of violence." Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told the Jerusalem Post the teen had significant burn marks.

Abduction, killing heightens tensions

It was a horrible end for someone who friends and family remembered fondly on Wednesday.

His friend, Hussam Abed, described him as a kind youngster.

Suha Abu Khedair, the late teenager's mother, noted that he would have graduated from high school next year.

"He's not a kid who gets into trouble at all," she told Reuters. "Everyone loves him. All his friends love him."

Abu Khedair hadn't fully made his mark on the world. He was still a student, after all, albeit one on summer vacation at the time of his killing.

What would his future have held? His family will never know. Instead, all they can do is mourn, remember him and think of what might have been.

Opinion: Teens' killing hurts Israelis, bad for Palestinians

Opinion: Slain teens call for justice, not escalation

 

Neymar ruled out due to injury
7/4/2014 8:37:21 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: Argentinian star Lionel Messi says: "I hope you recover very soon, friend!"
  • Neymar fractured a vertebra during Brazil's World Cup win, team doctor says
  • He is out for World Cup semifinal and, if Brazil beats Germany, the final
  • One Brazilian fan says, "It's like we have lost today"

(CNN) -- Brazil is into the World Cup semifinals.

But its brightest star is out.

Neymar fractured his vertebra Friday night during his team's World Cup quarterfinal win over Colombia and will miss the remainder of the football tournament, team doctor Rodrigo Lasmar told reporters after the game.

The 22-year-old got kneed in the back during a second-half collision with a Colombian player. He rolled on the ground afterward, then cried in apparent pain while being taken off the field on a stretcher.

"It's not serious in the sense that it doesn't need surgery, but he'll need to immobilize it to recover," said Lasmar, according to a story on the official website of FIFA, which runs the World Cup. "Unfortunately, he's not going to be able to play."

His loss is a huge blow for Brazil, which entered the World Cup with steep expectations given its traditional excellence in the sport -- its won more championships than any other country -- and the fact it is hosting the tourney for the first time since 1950.

As one woman dressed in a Brazilian national team jersey told CNN on Friday night in Rio de Janeiro, "It's like we have lost today."

"It's terrible, terrible. I'm so sad," she added regarding Neymar's injury. "But let's go on."

Many in Brazil still have a bitter taste from that World Cup decades ago, when the host lost in the finals to Uruguay.

It's not like the next game would have been easy regardless. In the semifinal Tuesday, Brazil will face Germany, which is undefeated in the tournament and handily toppled France earlier Friday. The final game will take place July 13.

Neymar is not the only one unavailable for the semifinal: Thiago Silva, the squad's captain, will also miss the game after getting his second yellow card on Friday -- which automatically rules him out of his next game.

Neymar has been the face of his team in his native Brazil and around the world. He has scored four goals, more than anyone else on his team and anyone in the tournament besides Colombia's James Rodriguez. (Argentina's Lionel Messi and Germany's Thomas Mueller also have four goals, like Neymar.)

A standout with the Brazilian club Santos, Neymar moved last summer to one of the world's richest, most successful clubs in FC Barcelona.

Messi, his teammate there, was among those who offered their regrets that Neymar is out of the World Cup and their best wishes for a speedy recovery.

The legendary Argentinian posted Friday night on his Facebook page: "Neymar, I hope you recover very soon, friend!"

CNN's Harry Reekie, Fred Pleitgen and Mayra Cuevas contributed to this report.

 

Brazil keeps dream alive
7/4/2014 7:54:45 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Brazil beats Colombia in World Cup quarterfinal in Fortaleza
  • Goals from Thiago Silva and David Luiz secure 2-1 victory
  • James Rodriguez scores late penalty to reduce deficit
  • Brazil's star striker Neymar may miss semifinal against Germany

Editor's note: How are you celebrating the World Cup? Join the global conversation on CNN Facebook Pulse

(CNN) -- There were goals, there was choreographed dancing, there were moments of great footballing beauty, but Colombia -- one of the teams to excite most at this thrilling World Cup finals -- is going home after Friday's quarterfinal defeat at the hands of Brazil in Fortaleza.

Strikes from the center-back pairing of captain Thiago Silva and David Luiz put Brazil into an unassailable lead and, despite a late penalty by James Rodriguez, the tournament host held on to win 2-1.

There was concern, however, for Brazil's star striker Neymar, who was stretchered off in what seemed like considerable pain in the game's closing moments.

The result marks the first time Brazil has reached the semifinal stage since winning the title in Japan and South Korea in 2002, and sets up an intriguing clash against Germany on Tuesday -- a repeat of that year's final.

"I think Neymar won't be able to play," coach Luiz Felipe Scolari told reporters after the game. "If we are able to beat Germany it might be he can play in the final.

"He has been sent to a private clinic for a serious of exams as he was kneed on his lower back and was crying out with pain. I can guarantee it won't be easy for him to recover based on what the doctor told us and the pain he is in."

Germany overcame France in the day's earlier quarterfinal in Rio de Janeiro thanks to an early goal from defender Mats Hummels.

In the sweaty evening heat of the Estadio Castelao, however, it was another pair of defenders who were the unlikely heroes.

Silva opened the scoring after seven minutes, tucking home a Neymar corner with his knee, and the Paris Saint-Germain star was then in thick of it once more at the other end moments later, blocking a shot from Juan Cuadrado.

Silva was criticized heavily after apparently refusing to take the sixth penalty in Brazil's round of 16 shootout victory over Chile last Saturday.

He was all action here, however. Marshaling the back line and flying into tackles when required.

But a yellow card midway through the second half means he will be suspended and miss the semifinal.

The Colombia players composed themselves as the first half progressed, coming more into the game despite the rough-house treatment handed out to star player James Rodriguez.

On at least four occasions the Monaco star was subject to the stray boot of Brazil's midfield enforcer Fernandinho.

Still, the home team continued to have the better chances.

Hulk and Fred came close with a snap-shot that Colombia keeper David Ospina palmed away and a header that flashed over respectively.

The second half commenced at a far slower pace and there was little of note until Silva was booked for blocking a kick out from Ospina.

Colombia did have the ball in the net after 66 minutes as Mario Yepes bundled the ball over the line after a scramble in the Brazilian box. But a linesman's offside flag cut short the nascent celebrations.

Moments later there was a goal, although it was to come at the other end.

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Hulk was fouled by Rodriguez 35 yards from goal and Luiz stepped up to crash a spectacular free-kick beyond the despairing Ospina.

It was a remarkable strike that dipped and swerved as it arrowed into the top corner of the net.

There seemed no way back for Colombia now. But "Los Cafeteros" were handed a lifeline with 12 minutes to go after goalkeeper Julio Cesar scythed down substitute Carlos Bacca.

Rodriguez did the honors from the penalty spot, sending Cesar the wrong way to score his sixth goal of the tournament -- two more than closest rivals Neymar, Lionel Messi and Thomas Muller.

All of a sudden, the game was back on. Colombia pressed and threw caution to the wind with Yepes playing as an auxiliary striker.

But when one final corner kick delivery drifted beyond Cesar's goal in the 95th minute there was time left for little else.

Scolari's side has now overcome the barrier that has proved too high at the last two World Cup tournaments.

However, Brazil has not yet looked like a team certain to become world champion for a record-extending sixth time -- as its demanding public expects -- despite having world-class talents like Neymar, Silva and Oscar.

Yet somehow they find themselves only a game away from next Sunday's final.

Stuttering performances and the occasional stroke of good fortune against Croatia and Mexico in the group stages and once more against Chile has hardly inspired confidence in "A Selecao."

Poor showings from the likes of strikers Hulk and Fred have been singled out for particular scorn, although the former put in a solid performance against Colombia.

Much was also made in the Brazilian media of 2002's winning coach Scolari -- a man who prides himself on being a father figure to his players -- bringing in a psychologist to speak to his team after many broke down in tears during the national anthems and once again after the dramatic penalty kicks victory over Chile.

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Was this team soft and mentally weak? Are the expectations of 200 million football-mad Brazilians proving oppressive and too much to bear?

"Big Phil" truculently replied earlier this week that journalists who didn't like his methods could "go to hell."

Whether said reporters took heed or not, surely lack of maturity is not an accusation that can be leveled against Brazil now.

The men in yellow were nothing if not committed, controlled and tactically astute, biting into tackles and closing down with an intensity that ruffled their opponents.

Several gestured towards the crowd throughout the contest to increase the noise and crank up the pressure.

Colombia, by comparison, can hardly have been accused of being afraid.

Jose Pekerman's team has played with a style and confidence throughout the tournament that has been a joy to watch for neutral observers.

The delight the entire squad takes in their choreographed dancing celebrations, meanwhile, speaks to the relaxed vibe created by the coach, previously a World Cup quarterfinalist with his native Argentina in 2006.

Tellingly, however, Colombia has only ever beaten Brazil twice and never in Brazil -- a run that extends all the way back to 1945 and the formative years of the Copa America.

That record will now last at least until the two sides meet next in qualification for the next World Cup in the coming years.

Still, today's Colombia players will be heading back homes as heroes, the bright hope of a new generation as the country itself moves on from a dark past.

It was 20 years ago this week that defender Andres Escobar was murdered in Medellin upon returning from the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. where he scored a cruel own-goal.

Thankfully, those dark days are largely gone and Colombian hopes will be high when the campaign for Russia 2018 begins.

Brazil, however, is still involved in 2014 and will be going to the semifinals in Belo Horizonte.

Read: Germany defeat France to make semis

 

Riots across Jerusalem mark Palestinian teen's funeral
7/4/2014 10:08:11 PM

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: More than 60 people injured in fighting in Jerusalem after Palestinian teen's funeral
  • Family buries slain teenager after funeral held at East Jerusalem mosque
  • Israel tightens security around Jerusalem
  • Police investigating whether boy's death in retaliation for killings of three Israeli teens

Jerusalem (CNN) -- Clashes broke out Friday between Palestinians and Israeli security forces after the funeral of a Palestinian teenager abducted and killed in Jerusalem this week.

More than 60 people were injured in fighting in parts of Jerusalem, according to the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, a group that said it was involved in evacuating injured Palestinians. It said the injuries mostly involved rubber bullets fired at the upper body and chest.

Israeli police said 13 officers were slightly injured in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat, where Palestinian protesters were throwing rocks at police, who responded by firing rubber bullets and tear gas.

Police have said they are investigating whether the Palestinian youth's death was an act of retaliation for the killings of three Israeli teens, whose bodies were discovered Monday in a field in the West Bank.

The killings of the Palestinian and Israeli teenagers have ratcheted up tensions in a region where peace talks fell apart earlier this year.

Ahead of the Palestinian boy's funeral, Israeli police significantly stepped up security around Palestinian areas of the city, putting up checkpoints and shutting off access to the Shuafat neighborhood where the slain teen, Mohammad Abu Khedair, lived.

Carried in by dozens of people, the 16-year-old's body was brought to a mosque there for the funeral. After the ceremony, his remains were taken by his family for burial in a nearby cemetery.

The sound of sirens and gunfire filled the streets of the Palestinian suburb as fighting again erupted.

A CNN team on the ground saw about 30 Israeli riot police firing rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades in the direction of Palestinian protesters, who were throwing stones and Molotov cocktails toward the police.

CNN's Ben Wedeman was slightly injured when a rubber bullet hit him in the forehead Friday afternoon. He continued to report from the site after medics attended to him.

The clashes went on for several hours until the mood calmed a little around 6 p.m. local time. The violence may pick up again later Friday evening after Muslims break their Ramadan fast.

Well over 1,000 Palestinians gathered for the funeral despite strict Israeli security measures that have limited movement around Jerusalem, including in the Old City.

The funeral coincided with the first Friday prayers held during the Ramadan period when emotions are often heightened.

Violence first broke out after news of Abu Khedair's death Wednesday, and it also flared overnight in parts of the city and the West Bank.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said 27 Palestinian youths were injured in the overnight unrest. It wasn't immediately clear if any Israelis were hurt.

A Palestinian farmer is in critical condition after Israeli fire hit him on his farm east of Gaza, according to Palestinian medical sources in Gaza on Friday. Palestinian security sources said that four rockets were fired from the same location.

Forced into car

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged Thursday to find the perpetrators responsible for the boy's killing, an act he described as "a despicable crime."

Israeli authorities are still trying to determine who killed Abu Khedair and why, Netanyahu said.

Abu Khedair was heading from his home to a mosque for prayers around 4 a.m. Wednesday when three men forced him into a car and drove off, his father, Hussain Abu Khedair, said.

The boy's body was found about an hour later in a forest in West Jerusalem.

Israeli police have said they are looking into the possibility that his death was related to a family dispute as well as the alternative theory that it was a revenge killing.

"The investigation is continuing. We are still looking at the possibility to determine if we are talking about a criminal incident or a nationalistic incident," Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said.

Arrests after Israelis kidnapped

Since the June 13 abduction of the Israeli teens -- Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar and Naftali Frankel -- on their way home from school, Israel has arrested hundreds of activists from Hamas, the militant Islamic organization it blames for the kidnapping.

Israeli forces have also destroyed the homes of the two main suspects it has identified in the Israeli teenagers' abduction.

WAFA, the Palestinian state news agency, reported Wednesday that 15 Palestinians have been killed during that time. The figure includes six killed by Israeli troops in the West Bank, three in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, two dead of heart attacks after West Bank raids, plus the recently slain Palestinian teenager.

Hamas has praised the kidnappings of the Israelis but denied that it was responsible for what happened. It warned that if Netanyahu "brings a war on Gaza, the gates of hell will open to him."

Rockets, airstrikes

This week's unrest comes as Israelis and Palestinians continue to trade blows over longstanding issues. There have been Palestinian rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes.

On Friday the Israeli air force struck three Hamas targets in southern Gaza, the IDF said in a statement. At least 14 rockets and mortars were fired from the Palestinian territory, according to the IDF. Ten of them hit Israeli territory while three were intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system and one landed in Palestinian territory, the IDF said.

Opinion: Teens' killing hurts Israelis, bad for Palestinians

Opinion: Slain teens call for justice, not escalation

CNN's Ben Wedeman reported from Jerusalem. Steve Almasy in Atlanta and Laura Smith-Spark in London reported and wrote. CNN's Michael Schwartz, Kareem Khadder, Jethro Mullen, Pierre Meilhan and Amir Tal contributed to this report.

 

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