Most Recent Posts

PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil (AP) — Substitute Andre Schuerrle and Mesut Ozil scored in extra time and Germany survived Algeria's aggressive play with a 2-1 win Monday to reach the World Cup quarterfinals for the ninth consecutive time.

All three goals came in extra time after Algeria dominated for long stretches during the opening 90 minutes.

"It was a victory of will power," Germany coach Joachim Loew said. "We had major problems in the first half to organize the way we played. We made simple mistakes, which invited the opponents to start counter attacks."

Germany finally took the lead when Thomas Mueller provided a cross from the left flank that was slightly behind Schuerrle. The Germany forward dragged his left leg and backheeled the ball into the far corner in the 92nd minute, leaving goalkeeper Rais Mbolhi with no chance.

Ozil added the second in the 120th and substitute Abdelmoumene Djabou pulled one back in injury time for Algeria.

Three-time champion Germany will next face 1998 winner France on Friday at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.

With the temperature a chilly 14 degrees Celsius (57 degrees Fahrenheit) and a light rain falling at times, the pace was high at the Estadio Beira-Rio but the goals didn't come until the end.

Ozil thought he had put the result out of reach when he pounded in a rebound after a shot from Schuerrle was cleared off the line by defender Esseid Belkalem, but Djabou volleyed in a minute later to make the last seconds count.

Perhaps inspired by the "Disgrace of Gijon" at the 1982 World Cup, when Germany and Austria supposedly conspired to oust Algeria in the group stage, the northern African nation outmatched Germany's intensity for long stretches in an entertaining match.

Algeria was playing in the second round of the World Cup for the first time and thought it had taken the lead before a goal from Islam Slimani was waved off for offside in the 17th, one of many opportunities for the Algeria striker.

At the start of the second half, Germany put Schuerrle on for Mario Goetze in an attacking midfield and came out better organized.

In the 55th, Germany captain Philipp Lahm unleashed a hard shot that an outstretched Rais did well to push wide with his fingertips.

Still, Algeria continued to produce dangerous counterattacks. In the 72nd, Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer had to come out of his area to head away the danger with Slimani chasing.

In the 88th, Germany's inability to find the target turned theatrical for a moment when Mueller appeared to fall during a free kick.

Then the goals came, the rain intensified, and Germany took control.

Still, Algeria was cheered by its fans at the final whistle, while the Germany supporters appeared more relieved than content.

___

Germany: Manuel Neuer; Shkodran Mustafi (Sami Khedira, 70), Per Mertesacker, Jerome Boateng, Benedikt Hoewedes; Philipp Lahm, Bastian Schweinsteiger (Christoph Kramer, 109), Mesut Ozil, Toni Kroos, Mario Goetze (Andre Schuerrle, 46); Thomas Mueller.

Algeria: Rais Mbolhi; Faouzi Ghoulam, Essaid Belkalem, Rafik Halliche (Madjid Bougherra, 97), Mehdi Mostefa, Aissa Mandi; Medhi Lacen; Islam Slimani, Sofiane Feghouli, Saphir Taider (Yacine Brahimi, 78); El Arabi Hilal Soudani (Abdelmoumene Djabou, 100).

___

Andrew Dampf can be followed at www.twitter.com/asdampf

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Police in New Orleans now say there were 10 people injured during a weekend gunfight on Bourbon Street.

Police updated the number Monday afternoon, reporting that they are now counting a man who had walked into a police station in a district neighboring the French Quarter Sunday afternoon, almost 12 hours after the shootings. The man said he had been shot on Bourbon Street that morning. He had a minor chest wound and refused medical attention.

Police are still searching for the two men who exchanged gunfire about 2:45 a.m. Sunday. Five people remain hospitalized, one in critical condition.

The identities and home towns of the victims haven't been released. Police said there were six woman and four men hit, ranging in age from 17 to 39.

CAIRO (AP) — By declaring the establishment of an Islamic caliphate, the extremist group that controls large swaths of Syria and Iraq is claiming to be the successor of the political and religious community established by the Prophet Muhammad.

The caliphate is a powerful ideal — the concept of a nation of Muslims worldwide ruled by Shariah law under a caliph who holds both spiritual and secular authority. There have been multiple caliphates over Islam's 1,400-year history, with the greatest Muslim empires ruling from Morocco to Central Asia.

The caliphate as an institution lost its authority centuries ago, becoming just a tool of secular rulers to give themselves religious backing. It was formally abolished in 1920 by Turkey's secular founder Mustafa Kamal Ataturk. And while many Muslims long for the unified community of the prophet's era, only a radical fringe are likely to see the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as its heir.

Here is a look at the history of the caliphate.

THE RIGHTLY GUIDED CALIPHS: The term caliphate comes from the Arabic word meaning succession, and the caliph is the title of those who assume the mantle of Muhammad as Muslims' spiritual and political leader. The first four leaders of the community who followed Muhammad in the 7th century are considered the purest expression of the caliphate — Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali.

Chosen by "shura" — or consultation among Muslims — they led the community in its dramatic expansion from the Arabian Peninsula to rule over North Africa and the Middle East.

But the succession also carried the seeds of dispute. Shiites believe Ali should have directly succeeded Muhammad and leadership should have stayed in his line of the family. The wars that resulted — eventually leading to Ali's death in 661— solidified the Sunni-Shiite split that is now being violently played out in parts of the Mideast.

UMAYYADS AND ABBASIDS: After Ali's death, the caliphate moved to the Umayyad dynasty ruling from Damascus, which turnedd the caliph into a hereditary position. The dynasty ruled for nearly 100 years until it was defeated by the Abbasids, who claimed descent from an uncle of Muhammad.

The Abbasid caliphs, ruling from Baghdad, presided over Islam's golden age, patronizing scientists, Islamic scholars, philosophers and poets — some of whom celebrated drinking, romance and other courtly pursuits in verses that would be brutally punished by today's ultraconservative Islamic State. But as the dynasty declined, often the caliph was reduced to a religious figurehead as other warring clans grabbed secular power.

Finally, the Mongols sacked Baghdad in 1258, ending the Abbasid dynasty. They are said to have killed the caliph at the time, al-Mustasim, by rolling him up in a carpet and trampling him with their horses.

It was a shattering blow to the already dwindling claim of a universal caliphate leading all Muslims. His heirs fled to Cairo, and while they kept the title of caliph, they were reduced to pawns of Egypt's Mamluk rulers.

OTTOMANS: As the Ottoman Empire became the pre-eminent Islamic power in the 15th and 16th centuries, its sultans claimed leadership of the entire Muslim world, eventually taking on the title of caliph, which was enshrined in the constitution in 1876. However, many Sunni scholars disputed their claim, arguing that the caliph must come from Muhammad's Arab tribe.

The Ottoman Empire was dismembered after World War I. Ataturk abolished the caliphate in 1924, removing the last caliph Abdulmecid II.

MODERN DREAMS: Nearly all Sunni political Islamist movements dream of the eventual resurrection of the caliphate, most by political means, though jihadi groups call for establishing it by violence. It has been the ultimate ambition of al-Qaida, but while its late leader Osama bin Laden could once claim leadership of the international jihadi movement, he never went so far as to declare himself caliph.

The Islamic State is hoping to rally extremists to its side. But even the militant camp is divided. Al-Qaida ejected the Islamic State from its network. Islamic militants in Syria have been battling the Islamic State since January, accusing it of hijacking the uprising against President Bashar Assad for its own transnational purposes.

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are mostly lower in early trading as the market appears set to end June with a modest gain.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 49 points, or 0.3 percent, to 16,803 shortly after the market opened Monday.

The Standard & Poor's 500 index slipped less than a point to 1,960. The Nasdaq composite edged up six points, or 0.1 percent, to 4,404.

The stock market ended last week with a slight loss. But that was a minor setback. The S&P 500 has managed a gain of 1.9 percent in June, despite rising oil prices and signs of tepid economic growth.

Paint maker PPG Industries rose 3 percent after announcing plans to buy Mexico's Comex Consorcio Comex for $2.3 billion.