Ballack fined $89,000 :

LANDSHUT: Chelsea midfielder Michael Ballack was fined $89,000 on Wednesday for failing to declare to Germans customs a handbag he bought for his wife in Dubai. The Germany captain had tax evasion charges dropped and settled with the state court two days before the case was to go to trial. Ballack’s status as one of the world’s best paid soccer players proved costly as the fine for an infraction in Germany is determined by income. — AP

Greece down France :

SAITAMA: Greece held France to its lowest point total of the tournament in a 73-56 victory on Wednesday that moved it into the semi-finals for the third time in the last four basketball world championships. Greece (7-0) will meet the winner of the United States-Germany game on Friday. Entering the quarter-finals, Spain, Argentina and the United States were the undefeated teams garnering almost all of the attention. Like them, Greece didn’t lose any of its first six games, and its seventh win may have been its most impressive. — AP