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Torres strike gives Spain final victory

(CNN) — A first-half goal from Liverpool striker Fernando Torres proved enough to give Spain a 1-0 victory over Germany in the Euro 2008 final in Vienna, ending their 44-year wait for a major tournament success.

Spain’s only previous major honor came when they won the 1964 European Championships on home soil. But that trophy drought ended in the 33rd minute when Torres outmuscled Germany defender Philipp Lahm from Xavi’s inch-perfect pass, before dinking the ball over on-coming goalkeeper Jens Lehmann.

Germany had enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges and could have gone ahead as early as the third minute after a mistake from right-back Sergio Ramos.

The Real Madrid defender passed the ball straight to Miroslav Klose, but the Bayern Munich striker’s touch was poor and he ran the ball out.

Most of Germany’s early attacking play came down their left and captain Michael Ballack, who passed a late fitness test on a calf injury to take his place in the side, burst through from midfield in the seventh minute only to over-hit his cross.

A minute later, Germany again threatened and midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger tried his luck from long-range, but goalkeeper Iker Casillas saved comfortably.

Gradually Spain began to find their feet, enjoying more possession with their intricate one-touch passing game — and this nearly paid dividends in the 14th minute.

Xavi produced a superb pass to his Barcelona teammate Andres Iniesta who had burst into the left-hand side of the area. Iniesta’s cross deflected off Christophe Metzelder, forcing Jens Lehmann into an instinctive save to push the ball away.

Then, just eight minutes later, Spain went even closer to breaking the deadlock when Ramos’ cross from the right was met by a superb towering header from Torres, only for the ball to strike the base of the post with Lehmann beaten.

Torres’ pace and power was causing all sorts of problems and his goal, after Xavi’s pass had completely dissected a static German defense, was just reward for Spain’s first-half dominance.

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U.N. health agency to open Baghdad headquarters

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — The World Health Organization, one of United Nations’ most important agencies, is opening a permanent office in Baghdad, a move that underscores recent security improvements in Iraq’s capital.

The special representative of the U.N. secretary-general for Iraq, Staffan de Mistura, made the announcement Saturday.

WHO’s representative in Iraq, Nae’ema Al-Gasseer, will be permanently based in the Iraqi capital.

The move comes nearly five years after the U.N. headquarters in Iraq was bombed, killing 22 people and curtailing a lot of the agency’s work. One of those killed in the strike was the chief of the U.N. mission in Iraq, Sergio Vieira de Mello.

In the post-Saddam Hussein era, the U.N. has lent support to Iraqi elections and the political process, as well as reconstruction.

WHO has performed vaccination campaigns in Iraq and has dealt with outbreaks such as cholera and avian influenza.

We will continue to provide more support to the Iraqis through our programs in many areas of activity, de Mistura said.

Al Qaeda in Iraq claims Anbar attack

Militants affiliated with an al Qaeda in Iraq group claimed responsibility Saturday for a recent attack against tribal sheikhs, according to a statement posted on Islamist Web sites.

The Islamic State of Iraq, a propaganda front for al Qaeda in Iraq, said that a strike Thursday in the Anbar province town of Karma targeted awakening elements, a grass-roots movement that opposes al Qaeda in Iraq.

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Spain face Germany in Euro showdown

(CNN) — Football fans are gathering in Vienna ahead of Sunday’s eagerly anticipated European Championship final between Germany and Spain.

The three-week Euro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland has already delivered plenty of drama, excitement and hugely entertaining football, raising hopes that the title showdown will serve up a suitably thrilling finale.

The match also offers an intriguing contest between two football-obsessed nations with very different records of success.

Germany are chasing a record fourth European Championship title to go with those they won in 1996, 1980 and 1972. With three World Cups to their name as well, the German national side have a reputation as pragmatic and perennial challengers for major honors, most recently reaching the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup.

The Spanish, by contrast, have long been considered the sport’s biggest underachievers. Home to two of the world’s greatest clubs in Real Madrid and Barcelona and one of Europe’s strongest leagues, it is 24 years since Spain last reached a major final, losing to France in the 1984 European Championships.

The country’s single international success came in the same competition as hosts in 1964 and the current squad’s run to the final has captured the nation’s imagination, CNN’s Madrid bureau chief Al Goodman said. Watch how expectations are growing in Madrid

Spain go into the final as slight favorites; unbeaten in 21 matches and the tournament’s most prolific team with 11 goals in five matches, Spanish coach Luis Aragones’ side beat world champions Italy on penalties in the quarterfinals and produced a performance of stylish swagger to overcome Russia 3-0 in the semis.

This the best group of players I have seen in the past five tournaments and they deserve the title, Spanish journalist Guillem Balague told CNN. Watch journalists discussing their expectations for the final

Germany have struggled through, losing to Croatia in the group stages and surviving a tough semifinal against Turkey. But German coach Joachim Loew’s resilient is expected to raise its game for the final, as it did in an impressive 3-2 quarterfinal win over Portugal.

The tournament has been a rollercoaster for Germany: terrible against Croatia, fantastic against Portugal, lucky against Turkey, so everybody is confident that the next game will be good again… We are relaxed. For Germany it is just another big final journalist Arne Richter told CNN.

Both sides have suffered significant injury problems ahead of the final. Spain will definitely be without the tournament’s top scorer, David Villa, who injured a thigh muscle in Thursday’s semifinal. Aragones has hinted that Cesc Fabregas is likely to start in his place in a reinforced midfield.

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Pakistan launches Taliban offensive

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) — Pakistan launched an offensive against the Taliban on Saturday, the biggest military push against militants in Pakistan’s northwestern tribal region since a civilian government took power in March.

Army spokesman Gen. Athar Abbas said the operation occurred in the Khyber section of the tribal region, west of Peshawar, the capital of the North-West Frontier Province. And it comes as the new administration announced that it would get tough with radicals in the region.

There had been reports that Peshawar was being threatened by militants. Although Abbas said the reports were exaggerated, the military determined that the conditions in the area necessitated action.

Troops cleared three militant outposts and pushed the insurgents west, Abbas said. There were no immediate reports of militant resistance or any casualties.

The area is not far from the Afghan-Pakistan border.

The Taliban militant movement has a strong presence in the tribal region and in neighboring Afghanistan, and there also have been numerous attacks on that restive border in recent weeks.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates said this week that he hopes a newly announced Pakistani effort to clamp down on Islamic militants in its northwestern tribal districts will improve the situation in Afghanistan.

What has happened is that as various agreements have been negotiated or were in the process of negotiation with various groups by the Pakistani government … the pressure was taken off of these people and these groups, and they’ve therefore been more free to be able to cross the border and create problems for us, he said at the Pentagon.

Meanwhile, the the U.S.-led coalition in Afghanistan reported that 32 militants had been killed two days ago during Afghan and coalition operations in southern Afghanistan.

The fighting occurred in Uruzgan province and the report comes amid Pentagon warnings of a resilient insurgency by the Taliban.

Afghan and coalition forces were ambushed Thursday during a patrol. They returned fire and called in airstrikes that killed three militants.

Soon after, the militants again attacked the patrol. The forces then killed 29 insurgents.

During this engagement, insurgents attempted to disguise themselves in women’s clothing in order to escape, the coalition said.

A child and two police officers were wounded.

This is the latest report of fighting across Afghanistan, where there has been an uptick in Taliban militant activities in the south, the east, and the Afghan-Pakistan border region.

On Friday, a coalition service member was killed in Farah province. The death toll of U.S. and allied troops killed in Afghanistan in June has reached 40, the highest monthly toll of the war.

Also, NATO’s International Security Assistance Force were attacked in Paktika and Kunar provinces. Strikes in Kunar killed two civilians and wounded 11 others. Insurgents in both Pakistan and Afghanistan fired rockets at the Paktika base, but there were no casualties reported.

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Child prostitutes sell themselves on Craigslist

SACRAMENTO, California (CNN) — For more than two years, undercover cops on the Sacramento Police Department’s vice squad have been working one of the most draining beats: trying to crack down on online child prostitution.

Police have nabbed nearly 70 girls under the age of 18 since 2005. Most of the girls were released to foster or group homes. Those are just the official figures; investigators think there are many more child prostitutes out there.

It is no easy task.

We’re asking these girls to do a big thing … which is to stop what they’re doing, said Sgt. Pam Seyffert of the Sacramento Police Department. Stop what’s working for them. Surviving is basically what they’re doing.

Sacramento police are working with the FBI as part of a nationwide campaign to combat underage prostitution called Innocence Lost. The goal of the program, which is now in almost 30 U.S. cities, is to decriminalize the girls and concentrate on catching the pimps who control them.

It really makes me angry, Seyffert said. I think everybody on the team has different reactions to it, but I just flat out get really angry that some guy thinks he can take this girl and basically deprive her of her freedom.

It is not uncommon for the officers on the unit to put in 30-hour shifts. Oftentimes, their work is heart-wrenching.

Child prostitution is even tougher on the parents of these girls. Roslyn and Sergio’s daughter had been missing for more than two weeks. They waited for hours at police headquarters in hopes that their daughter would be found.

Vice squad officers found her in a downtown apartment with Bruce William Carter, a 21-year-old man who police said had posed on the Internet holding fistfuls of cash. He pleaded not guilty to charges of statutory rape and was held in lieu of $35,000 bail.

The couple’s daughter, who had just turned 17, was detained but not arrested.

It hurt, said Roslyn, who appeared weary and a bit shell-shocked. Because you don’t want to see your children involved in things like this. You don’t realize how dangerous the Internet is. Now, we got to keep her away from the Internet.

Police say most of the ads appear on Craigslist, the popular and free Internet classifieds site, under a category named Erotic Services. Even though Craigslist has posted a bold disclaimer warning against human trafficking and the exploitation of children, law enforcement officials said it doesn’t seem to deter girls from posting the ads or men who are searching for sex.

But why would a girl sell her body online?

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