Crying for the moon

The night before the world premiere of Poet Li Bai at Colorado's Central City Opera, producer Martha Liao told her opera-singing husband Tian Haojiang: "I have been thinking more of the composer Guo Wenjing than you these past two years." Liao, president and co-founder of Asian Performing Arts, which co-comissioned the landmark opera, was only joking to her beloved who sings the title role, maybe to relieve some of the tension, which was rising from this time-consuming and sometimes nail-biting realization of this ambitious cross-culture project.

Little nations want to drink from Cup too

PARIS: Georgia and Samoa grabbed consolation World Cup wins on Wednesday as rugby's underclasses demanded a bigger share of the game's riches.

Brazilians dazzle US to make Cup final

HANGZHOU, China: Brazil shocked the top-ranked United States 4-0 yesterday in a dazzling display that set up a World Cup final with defending champion Germany.

Yankees make playoffs again, Tigers lose their stripes

NEW YORK: The New York Yankees clinched their 13th consecutive playoff appearance with a crushing 12-4 road victory against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Wednesday.

Ireland's Best in hospital

BORDEAUX, France: Ireland World Cup prop Simon Best was admitted to hospital here on Wednesday after suffering a loss of feeling down his right side.

IN BRIEF (Page 20)

Sports

The need for speed

SHANGHAI: While some teenagers might be talking about their favorite types of bicycles, Zhang Zhendong, 15, is driving his go-kart around a training track at full speed.

Bacon, eggs, beer and a touchdown

About 10 million American TV-viewers tuned in as more than 70,000 crazy fans packed Bill Walsh Field in San Francisco. And then there was me, an audience of one in an empty bar in Beijing.

Reviews

Films

Life Pulse

Exposing the suffering

A Chinese soldier knocked over the meal a young Japanese nurse brought to him. "What are you Japanese doing here, you're the losers!" he shouted.