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Stroke of luck keeps Liverpool revival on track

LIVERPOOL (AFP) – John Pantsil's second half own goal helped Liverpool to a nervous 1-0 win over Fulham at Anfield on Wednesday.

It was Liverpool's first back-to-back victories since beating Bolton and Chelsea almost three months ago as Kenny Dalglish savoured his first win at Anfield in his second spell as Liverpool manager.

Roy Hodgson left Fulham to take over at Liverpool in the pre-season but he is already a distant memory following his sacking and the re-installation of Reds legend Dalglish as his successor.

Liverpool's 3-0 win at Wolves last weekend proved that Dalglish can get the best out of the same squad Hodgson failed to inspire in his brief reign and they are now back up to seventh in the table.

They were helped by the return of captain Steven Gerrard who had missed Liverpool's last three games after being sent off against Manchester United in an FA Cup loss at Old Trafford which marked Dalglish's return.

Any Liverpool side is stronger with Gerrard in it and this one was no different while Fulham also looked better with recent signing Steven Sidwell making his full debut after Dickson Etuhu failed a fitness test.

Liverpool thought they had taken a fifth minute lead when Raul Meireles slipped Fernando Torres through on goal, but he was incorrectly called offside after slipping the ball past Fulham keeper David Stockdale.

Dalglish's team were by far the brighter side in the opening stages and Stockdale had to be at his very best to palm away a brilliant Meireles header following a fine Martin Kelly cross as the home side looked to make their superior possession count.

Stockdale was again in fine form after 25 minutes as he superbly flicked a Glen Johnson strike over the crossbar and Fulham did not really threaten until the 29th minute when they should have taken the lead.

Andy Johnson wriggled free down the left and found Mousa Dembele totally unmarked in Liverpool's box, but rather than converting past Pepe Reina, he shot straight at the Spanish keeper to give Liverpool a huge let-off.

After the interval, Liverpool finally found the breakthrough they craved as they took the lead thanks to a huge slice of luck.

A Torres shot deflected off Brede Hangeland onto the post and then Pantsil clumsily tried to clear but could only slice into his own net.

That killed Fulham's momentum, even though Liverpool did not go on to dominate in the manner they would have liked.

Pantsil soon became involved in an altercation with Gerrard and then Daniel Agger after totally losing his temper but it was an injection of aggression that was needed for Mark Hughes's men.

In fact they ended the game as the better side and would have perhaps earned a point on a different occasion.

In a tense and scrappy ending and with most of Anfield desperately calling for the final whistle, Fulham threw everything they had at Liverpool but to no avail.

Meireles did well to nod a Hangeland header off his own line as Fulham camped out in Liverpool's box while the home team did everything they could to clear the ball from danger.

In injury-time, Dembele missed his second glorious chance of the game as the ball fell to his feet just three yards out but Reina managed to smother the ball clear as Liverpool held on.

Nintendo 3DS hits Europe and US in March

SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) – Japanese videogame titan Nintendo on Wednesday announced that the hotly anticipated glasses-free 3-D version of its DS handheld gaming gadget will hit Europe and the United States in March.

Nintendo 3DS devices will be priced at $250 in the United States and at comparable prices in European markets, according to the firm.

"Nintendo 3DS is a category of one -- the experience simply doesn't exist anywhere else," said Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime.

"You have to see Nintendo 3DS to believe it. And it's like nothing you've ever seen before."

The gaming gadgets feature the trademark dual screens (DS), but only one of them can be controlled by touch with a stylus because "it turns out a touch screen and a 3-D screen don't get along very well," Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said while unveiling 3DS at a major US videogame show last year.

Nintendo 3DS devices are built with twin cameras on the outside so users can also take pictures in 3-D.

3-D movies are also watchable on the gadgets, according to Iwata.

Nintendo 3DS has built-in motion sensors that the Japanese videogame giant hopes will inspire software makers.

More than 30 games tailored for play on the 3DS will be released by early June, according to Nintendo.

French videogame maker Ubisoft announced on Wednesday that it will have eight titles including "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" and "Rayman" available for the 3DS in the first half of this year.

"Ubisoft's creative teams have developed a rich and diverse line-up of games that take advantage of the amazing innovations that Nintendo has designed with its new handheld platform," said Ubisoft chief executive Yves Guillemot.

Other third party studios readying 3DS games for release include LucasArts, Capcom, Electronic Arts, Konami, Namco Bandai, and Square Enix.

Nintendo said that its own creations for 3DS play will include "The Legend of Zelda" and "Mario Kart."

The 3DS will make its world debut in Japan on February 26. It will be available in Europe on March 25 and in the United States on March 27.

Nintendo reportedly will ship about 1.5 million units in the first month after debut in an effort to avoid the huge shortages seen with the launch of earlier versions.

The company has warned that children up to six should not use the gadget because it could have an adverse effect on eyesight development.

The hugely popular Nintendo DS series has sold more than 130 million units worldwide since its release in 2004 and its new 3-D version has already drawn keen interest from media and gamers.

In 2006 massive demand for the new DS Lite overwhelmed the company's ability to buy materials and electronics parts while producing quality products.

For months fans around the world could not find stores that had the consoles, while Internet auction sites offered the gadgets at inflated prices.

Dow, S&P edge lower; F5 earnings hurt Nasdaq

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Stocks fell on Thursday as lackluster tech and materials earnings failed to live up to heightened expectations, threatening to short-circuit a seven-week run.

Declines were milder than on Wednesday, when a sharp drop pulled the market off two-year highs. Morgan Stanley posted stronger-than-expected revenue to help the banking (MS.N) sector rise modestly. Morgan Stanley rose 4.6 percent to $29.02.

But F5 Networks (FFIV.O) plunged 21.4 percent to $109.15 and pulled the Nasdaq lower after the network equipment maker forecast weak second-quarter revenue.

"The tug of war continued during the course of the day with techs and financials -- the two big behemoths in terms of bellwethers for the market -- slugging it out all day," said Joseph Benanti, managing director of Rosenblatt Securities in New York.

"We had a lot of movement on hot news that will subside. Cloud stocks are important, but they are not going to drive all technology. And the financials are a bigger sector to follow and are starting to hold their own."

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc (FCX.N) lost 3.7 percent to $110.90 after the copper producer trimmed its sales forecast and said costs would rise.Natural resources stocks also came under pressure after data showing high growth in China stoked fears the country may need to tighten credit in order to check inflation.

The Dow Jones industrial average (.DJI) dipped 2.49 points, or 0.02 percent, to 11,822.80. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index (.SPX) fell 1.66 points, or 0.13 percent, to 1,280.26. The Nasdaq Composite Index (.IXIC) lost 21.07 points, or 0.77 percent, to 2,704.29.

Underscoring how overbought the market has become in recent weeks, stocks failed to react to positive jobs and housing market data that pointed to a strengthening recovery.

U.S. crude oil futures posted a third consecutive lower settlement. The expiring February crude contract settled at $88.86 per barrel, down 2.2 percent, which was the biggest percentage slide since prices fell 2.37 percent on January 4.

Alcoa Inc (AA.N), shed 0.5 percent to $15.98, while Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM.N) slipped 0.6 percent to $77.75.

In another example of how investors reacted to the market's elevated earnings expectations, Parker Hannifin Corp (PH.N) shares fell 6.1 percent to $85.51. The company, which makes industrial control systems, beat earnings forecasts, but the stock slid as investors faulted the size of the beat.

The latest data indicated that two weak spots in the U.S. economy -- housing and jobs -- appear to be on the mend. U.S. existing home sales jumped more than expected in December despite bad weather as the housing sector struggled to recover from a severe slump, according to a report from the National Association of Realtors.

Earlier in the day, the Labor Department reported that U.S. initial jobless claims posted their biggest weekly decline in nearly a year.

Volume was above average with about 8.9 billion shares traded on the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange and Nasdaq, topping last year's estimated daily average of 8.47 billion.

Declining stocks outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a ratio of 18 to 11, while on the Nasdaq, 19 stocks fell for every seven that rose.

(Reporting by Chuck Mikolajczak; Editing by Jan Paschal)

G-20 Clean Energy Investment Over the Next Decade Could Reach $2.3 Trillion

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2010 – WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pew Charitable Trusts on December 8 will release new data forecasting clean power sector investments among G-20 members over the next 10 years. The report will model three different policy scenarios to determine growth: љ

Business-as-usual: no change from current policies; Copenhagen: policies to implement the pledges made at the 2009 international climate negotiations in Copenhagen; and Enhanced clean energy: maximized policies designed to stimulate increased clean energy investment.WHAT: Telepress conference: The Pew Charitable Trusts' report on G-20 clean power investment over the next decade

WHEN: Wednesday, December 8, 2010 at 9:30 a.m. EST

WHO:

Phyllis Cuttino, Director, Pew Climate and Energy Program

Ethan Zindler, Head of Policy Analysis, Bloomberg New Energy Finance

WHERE:

U.S. Toll-Free Number: 1-800-351-4898

Germany Toll-Free Number: 08001824508

Passcode: 309807

Passcode: 309807

U.K. Toll-Free Number: 08000288223

France Toll-Free Number: 0800906627

Passcode: 309807

Passcode: 309807

Italy Toll-Free Number: 800781737

Passcode: 309807

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UConn beats South Florida 19-16 for BCS bowl berth

TAMPA, Fla. – Dave Teggart had four field goals, including a career-long 52-yarder with 17 seconds to play, as Connecticut clinched the Big East's automatic Bowl Championship Series berth Saturday night with a 19-16 win over South Florida.

Lawrence Wilson had an interception return for a touchdown and Teggart kicked three field goals, including one from 50 yards early in the fourth, to put Connecticut (8-4, 5-2) up 16-6.

Two plays after South Florida linebacker Sam Barrington recovered a fumble by Jordan Todman at the UConn 30, Bobby Eveld pulled the Bulls within 16-13 on a 28-yard TD pass to Dontavia Bogin 6 1/2 minutes into the fourth.

Maikon Bonani knotted it at 16 on his 22-yard kick with 1:16 left to complete an 11-play, 74-yard drive.

UConn, which won five straight conference games after starting 0-2 in league play, went 2-4 on the road this year. Todman, who came in averaging 148.1 yards rushing a game this season, picked up 93 yards on 33 carries.

Eveld started for South Florida (7-5, 3-4) in place of B.J. Daniels, who hurt his right leg during a 23-20 overtime win on Nov. 27 at Miami. The freshman went 22 for 41 for 195 yards, with a touchdown pass and three interceptions.

Daniels has a combined 13 passing and rushing touchdowns this season.

South Florida took a 3-0 lead on its first possession when Bonani made a 42-yard field goal. Teggart tied it at 3 on his 40-yard field goal nine minutes into the game.

The Huskies went up 10-3 when Wilson returned a deflected pass 55 yards for a touchdown with 1:11 left in the second. It came one play after South Florida's Jon Lejiste stopped a UConn drive with an interception at the South Florida 7.

Teggart extended the Huskies' advantage to 13-3 with a 22-yard field goal midway through the third. Bonani cut the Bulls' deficit to 13-6 late in the third on his successful kick from 38 yards out.

South Florida lost for the second time in its last six games.

Bulls coach Skip Holtz coached at Connecticut from 1994-98, when the Huskies were an NCAA Division I-AA program with plans to go to Division I.