George Brandis calls for Julian Assange to be 'man enough' to deal with Swedish sexual assault allegations

Attorney-General George Brandis says WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange should be "man enough" to deal with the sexual assault allegations against him.

Overnight a Swedish court upheld an arrest warrant for the Australian, who has spent two years living in Ecuador's London embassy to avoid extradition.

Senator Brandis says Mr Assange should be prepared to defend himself.

"I think Mr Assange should be man enough to face the allegations against him of being a sexual predator," he said.

At a hearing in Stockholm District Court overnight, prosecutors demanded that the warrant issued for Mr Assange's arrest in late 2010 should be upheld.

The court agreed Mr Assange should still be pursued.

"All in all, the district court makes the assessment that the reasons for the arrest warrant offset the infringement and adverse effects the measure entails for Julian Assange," judge Lena Egelin said.

"He should therefore continue to be wanted for arrest in his absence."

According to Mr Assange's lawyers the arrest warrant should be repealed because it cannot be enforced while he is in Ecuador's embassy.

They also say the Swedish prosecutor should have considered the possibility of interviewing Mr Assange in London.

Mr Assange's defence team is reported as saying it will appeal the decision.

Swedish prosecutors want to question Mr Assange over sexual assault allegations made by two female former WikiLeaks volunteers.

Mr Assange denies the allegations and has been fighting a legal battle against extradition since his arrest in Britain in 2010.

Mr Assange says he fears Sweden could in turn extradite him to the United States to be tried for one of the largest leaks of classified information in US history.

FIFA World Cup 2014: Wounded Netherlands, Argentina eye Germany showdown; Sergio Aguero may play

With a rampant Germany awaiting in the final, Argentina and the Netherlands face selection dilemmas going into their World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.

The match, starting in Sao Paulo at 2000 GMT, will be a clash of the brilliance of Lional Messi and Arjen Robben. After Germany's 7-1 evisceration of Brazil, it will also be a new pressure cooker showdown between Europe and South America.

But Holland's captain and lead striker Robin van Persie is a doubt due to a stomach problem, while Argentina must do without influential midfielder Angel di Maria due to a thigh strain.

Dutch coach Louis van Gaal said it was touch-and-go whether Manchester United's van Persie would be able to line up at the Corinthians Arena.

"Tomorrow (Wednesday), I'll have to take all these decisions, not today," said the 62-year-old, whose side required penalties to overcome Costa Rica in the quarter-finals.

"We have more than 24 hours before the match and Robin van Persie is a very important player for us.

"In principle, my captains always play, but only if they're 100 percent."

Van Gaal also has doubts over senior centre-back Ron Vlaar, who has a knee injury. But midfield enforcer Nigel de Jong made a surprise return to training on Tuesday, a week after being ruled out of the tournament with a groin problem.

Holland's injury concerns mean that the submission of van Gaal's team-sheet will be awaited with even greater anticipation than usual.

He has flitted between a back three and a back four in the tournament, while his in-game tactical adjustments -- such as during the 2-1 win over Mexico in the last 16 -- earned him glowing praise from Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella.

- Rojo back, Aguero available -

"The Netherlands have a brilliant coach," Sabella said.

"He's able to vary his tactical schemes and has shown that throughout his career, which is not a bad thing at all. He seems like a very intelligent person."

Sabella has indicated that Benfica's Enzo Perez is likely to come in for Di Maria, who traipsed off in the first half of the 1-0 quarter-final win over Belgium.

Left-back Marcos Rojo is available again after suspension, but Sabella said that striker Sergio Aguero, who has been struggling with a muscular problem, will only play according to the "circumstances of the match".

The two teams will carry competing motivations into Wednesday's fixture. The winners will face Germany at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana in Sunday's final.

Two-time cup winners Argentina, who last reached the final in 1990, will be determined to pay appropriate homage to former great Alfredo Di Stefano, who died on Monday aged 88.

The Netherlands, meanwhile, are eager to rediscover their group-stage swagger and prove they are finally ready to claim football's greatest prize after agonising final defeats in 1974, 1978 and 2010.

The second of Holland's final losses came at the hands of Argentina, who won 3-1 as hosts in a Buenos Aires broiling with the menace of the country's military dictatorship.

It is, however, the only time in eight encounters that they have bettered Holland, who memorably won a 1998 World Cup quarter-final in Marseille, France thanks to a majestic goal by Dennis Bergkamp.

Wednesday's encounter has been billed as a shootout between Argentine superstar Messi and in-form Dutch winger Robben, who has scored three goals to Messi's four.

While Messi is bidding to leave his mark on a World Cup after painful quarter-final exits at his first two tournaments, Robben is desperate to exorcise the ghosts of Holland's 1-0 loss to Spain in the 2010 final.

World Cup 2014 : Germany fly high under Loew, sink Brazil 7-1 as hosts' dreams turn nightmare

Brazil's World Cup dream crumbled in spectacular fashion on Tuesday in a record 7-1 semi-final defeat. Here is is a blow-by-blow account of a Germany's night of triumph:

Germany striker Miroslav Klose reacts after scoring during the semi-final match between Brazil and Germany in Belo Horizonte during the 2014 Fifa World Cup. (AFP Photo)

ONE (Thomas Mueller 11')

Brazilians wondered how their team would cope without the injured Neymar, but the absence of captain Thiago Silva, such a reassuring presence at the back, was just as big a blow.

The Brazilian defence was hopelessly exposed at the opening goal, as Toni Kroos floated in a corner from the right and Thomas Mueller found himself completely unmarked at the back post to slot home his fifth goal of the tournament.

However, the movement by Mueller and the German players was intelligent as David Luiz, who should have been marking the goalscorer, found himself blocked off and unable to make a challenge.

TWO (Miroslav Klose 23')

The crumble really began as Fernandinho failed to cut out a pass from the German right, and Kroos and Mueller combined to cut through the middle of the Brazil defence.

Klose collected the ball inside the area and saw his shot from close range blocked by Julio Cesar, but he still reacted the quickest to convert the rebound.

The veteran striker confirmed himself as the greatest poacher in the history of the competition, scoring a record-breaking 16th World Cup goal to move one clear of the Brazilian Ronaldo, compounding the hosts' misery.

THREE (Toni Kroos 24')

Almost immediately after the restart, Germany scored again through a combination of poor defending and marvellous finishing.

Nobody cut out Philipp Lahm's low centre in from the German right, and even after Mueller mis-hit his shot, the ball came to Kroos.

The Bayern Munich man's connection, first-time on the half-volley with his left foot from the edge of the area, was marvellous and Julio Cesar could do nothing.

FOUR (Toni Kroos 26')

Fernandinho was hopelessly caught in possession just outside his own area, and Kroos and Sami Khedira took advantage to break into the area.

Khedira returned the ball to Kroos, who this time simply could not miss.

FIVE (Sami Khedira 29')

The culmination of an extraordinary first-half burst that will go down in history came as Mats Hummels sliced right through the heart of the Brazilian team, riding unchallenged deep into the opposition half.

Germany simply walked the ball into the net this time, with Mesut Ozil providing the assist and Khedira applying the finish.

SIX (Andre Schuerrle 69')

Brazil attacked after the break in a doomed attempt to rescue some pride, but they still had six defenders in their own area when Germany went on to add a sixth goal midway through the second half.

Schuerrle, who had replaced Klose 11 minutes earlier, still found himself in space in the box to convert Lahm's cutback, as Brazil were yet again found wanting on the left-hand side.

SEVEN (Andre Schuerrle 79')

Mueller turned provider this time to set up Schuerrle to score again, and his delightful control was followed by an arrowing left-foot shot on the half-volley that beat Julio Cesar and went into the net off the underside of the crossbar.

Oscar's late reply for the hosts was irrelevant, with Brazil already having succumbed to their greatest ever humiliation.