■ China
Amok students get their way
Thousands of university students ran amok in southwest China for days because school authorities cut off the power supply which prevented them from watching the World Cup, witnesses said yesterday. Chaos broke out in dormitories of Sichuan University in provincial capital Chengdu last week when school authorities imposed a blackout. "As soon as the power blackout began at midnight, students started to shout and throw things out of their dormitories," said one student who witnessed the scene. The protest lasted several days and ended when school authorities agreed to provide electricity all night long in dining rooms and other public areas, they said. No injuries or arrests were reported.
■ Germany
Homeless follow bottle trail
Cologne's canny homeless spent Tuesday stalking heavy-drinking Sweden and England fans, carefully retrieving their discarded beer bottles, which can be returned to supermarkets in exchange for a deposit. Their endeavor could help police keep the peace in the city packed with tens of thousands of fans, after several England supporters pelted police with glass bottles in the early hours. "I'm collecting them for the money and because I don't want my dog's paws to get hurt on all the broken glass," said one man in a doorway surrounded by crates of bottles.
■ Players
Superstitions alive and well
Soccer players are as superstitious as ever, be it putting one boot on before the other or going out last onto the pitch. Spanish coach Luis Aragones can't abide yellow -- not even flowers, while Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo likes to wear black. Raul is one of several players who kisses his wedding ring on scoring, and Argentina's Juan Roman Riquelme wears a medallion given him by daughter Florencia.
■ Fans
Don't sing for me, Argentina
Argentina prefer to stay mute, but the Mexicans and even the English sing with gusto. Statistics collectors Information Builders say none of the Argentines sang their national hymn pitchside ahead of their matches with Ivory Coast and Serbia and Montenegro. Serbia and Montenegro didn't sing up much either. The South Koreans and the Tunisians were other sides with not much visible desire to sing up, according to Information Builders, whereas the Mexicans, the English, the Italians, the Spanish and the players of Ecuador, Angola, Costa Rica, Brazil and Saudi Arabia all gave their tonsils an airing.
■ Hong Kong
Police raid betting syndicate
Police in Hong Kong yesterday arrested two men and seized betting slips worth more than US$1.5 million in a crackdown on an illegal World Cup betting syndicate. The early-morning swoop came as England and Sweden played out their crucial final match in the World Cup group stages in Germany. Police burst in on a flat in Tai Wai and a spokesman said the syndicate was believed to have been operating for about a month, taking hefty bets in the run-up to the World Cup. The raid followed the arrest of eight people in Hong Kong for alleged illegal World Cup gambling on the tournament's opening match between Germany and Costa Rica.
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