European champions Spain edged out hosts South Africa 3-2 in extra-time to avoid a second embarrassing defeat and finish third at the Confederations Cup in Rustenburg on Sunday. Midfielder Xavi Alonso netted the winner in the 107th minute when his curling free-kick evaded his own players, the South African defenders and unsighted goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune. It was a bitter blow for the home fans, whose side had been on the verge of earning a famous victory ahead ...

Big-spending English club Manchester City have made a "stratospheric" offer to Cameroon striker Samuel Eto'o, according to Barcelona president Joan Laporta. The 28-year-old, who has one year left on his contract with the Spanish and European champions, has long been linked with the Premier League club. He has previously said that a move to City did not interest him, but the club's billionaire owner Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan is determined to finance a deal for the player, who ...

In 1996, Spike Lee — director of films from Do the Right Thing to Malcolm X to the recent documentary Kobe Doin' Work — traveled to Brazil with Michael Jackson to produce the music video for his controversial song "They Don't Care About Us." He talked to TIME about his experiences, Michael Jackson's legacy and having the Gloved One as a houseguest. What's your favorite Michael Jackson song I was born in 1957; he was born in 1958. And ...

Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner has held power since 2003, and Sunday's midterm elections will prove pivotal to her hold on power. Much depends on how Fernandez's husband -- and predecessor -- Nestor Kirchner fares in his race for a deputy's seat in the nation's lower house. Even though he has not been in office since December 2007, some analysts say he remains the most influential political figure in the nation and the person who still makes most important ...

The Brazilian military said late Friday it is calling off the search for bodies of passengers and crew from the Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic earlier this month. It was unlikely that any more bodies would be found, the military said. So far, search teams have found 51 of the 228 people who died when Air France Flight 447 plunged into the sea June 1, according to the military. They have also found more than 600 parts ...

United States accident investigators are probing two recent failures of airspeed and altitude indications aboard Airbus A330s -- the same type of plane that crashed into the Atlantic nearly a month ago. The planes landed safely and there were no injuries or damage, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday. One flight was between the United States and Brazil in May and the other between Hong Kong and Japan in June. The probes were launched in the aftermath of the ...

The "prince" is taking the wheel of Toyota as the world's largest automotive manufacturer stands at a crossroads. Akio Toyoda, the grandson of company founder Kiichiro Toyoda, was formally approved as president of Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday by the company board. Toyoda, 53, has been with the company for 24 years. Nicknamed "the prince" by Japanese media, Toyoda is the first family member to run the company in 14 years. (His grandfather slightly altered the family name when christening ...

Eleven of the 50 bodies recovered from the crash of Air France Flight 447 this month over the Atlantic Ocean have been identified, Brazilian authorities said. They were five Brazilian men, five Brazilian women and a foreigner, according to a statement Sunday from the federal police and secretary of defense of Pernambuco. They did not release the foreigner's nationality. The June 1 crash killed 228 people. At the request of family members, none of the names of the bodies recovered ...

Brazil thrashed Italy 3-0 to send the world champions home from the Confederations Cup as the United States also reached the semifinals after beating Egypt 3-0 in the other Group B match on Sunday. The 2006 World Cup winners trailed 3-0 at halftime in Pretoria to a Kaka-inspired Brazil as a Luis Fabiano double and an Andrea Dossena own goal dealt them a hammer blow. Brazil could afford to take the foot off the pedal after the break, but Italy ...

Spain have drawn level with Brazil's record by going 35 matches unbeaten, after second-half goals from David Villa and Fernando Llorente gave them a 2-0 Confederations Cup victory over host nation South Africa in Bloemfontein. The result ensures the European champions comfortably reach the semifinals of the competition as group winners, while South Africa also progress to the last four after New Zealand and Iraq draw 0-0 in Saturday's other Group A match in Johannesburg. Vicente Del Bosque's side were ...