French Cuppa/ QUICKSIPS

Castro hails Iran

Cuban president Fidel Castro has congratulated the Iranian soccer team for its World Cup defeat of his country8217;s political arch-enemy the United States. But in brief comments to reporters late yesterday, the sports-loving Castro topped Brazil as the team most likely to win the Cup.

Tartan Army drinks deep

The Tartan Army drank Saint-Etienne dry after Scotland lost 0-3 to Morocco. Bars ran out of beer and emergency supplies had to be shipped in as some 8,000 Scottish fans drowned their sorrows, consuming a record 125,00O litres of beer. quot;Business was the best I have ever seen,quot; said a downtown bar owner. quot;My beer sales were 25 times normal.quot; Despite thealcohol-fuelled partying, local authorities were delighted to report no hooliganism.

Pass the pasta

Fritz Westermann, the chief chef to the hungry German squad, has to think of new ways to present the same dish every day. The players love pasta 8212; consuming 10 kgs of it a day. Westermann has come up with a string of dishes to delight the pasta-loving palate, including such creations as the Pasta Penalty8217; and the Spaghetti Libero.8217; If they reach the final, the Germans will have consumed more than 330 kgs of pasta during the tournament.