Ecuador recognizes state of Palestine

Ecuador has become the fifth South American country to formally recognize an independent Palestinian state. President Rafael Correa signed the Ecuadoran government’s official recognition of Palestine as a free and independent state with 1967 borders, Ecuador’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement

.The statement said Ecuador’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state vindicates the valid and legitimate desire of the Palestinian people for a free and independent state and will be a contributing factor to a peaceful coexistence in the Middle East.

The border mention refers to the boundaries that existed before Israel captured East al-Quds (Jerusalem), the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Earlier this month, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay recognized Palestine as an independent state. Their move drew harsh condemnation from Israel and was opposed by the US House of Representatives as well.

The House on December 15 unanimously approved a resolution opposing unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. The resolution urged the White House to deny recognition to any unilaterally declared Palestinian state and veto any resolution by the United Nations Security Council to establish or recognize a Palestinian state outside of an agreement negotiated by the two parties.

Uruguay striker Forlan gets shock best player nod

JOHANNESBURG: Uruguay striker Diego Forlan was on Sunday surprisingly awarded the Golden Ball as the best player of the 2010 World Cup.

Atletico Madrid striker Forlan grabbed five goals at the tournament as his country finished in fourth place after losing Saturday”s third-place play-off to Germany.

The former Manchester United player polled 23.4 percent of the votes awarded by media covering the tournament with Wesley Sneijder, of runners-up Holland, on 21.8 percent, and David Villa, of newly-crowned champions Spain, taking 16.9 percent.

“This is award which I won thanks to my teammates,” wrote Forlan on his Twitter account, a post accompanied by a photograph where the striker is standing with other players.

“It was taken before they threw me in the swimming pool,” he explained.

Uruguay”s performance at the World Cup was the country”s best in 40 years.

Forlan succeeds Zinedine Zidane who was named top player of the 2006 World Cup despite his infamous red card in the final defeat to Italy.

Forlan”s victory was a surprise as five players who featured in Sunday”s final (Villa, Xavi, Andres Iniesta of Spain and Holland”s Arjen Robben and Sneijder) all figured in the list of 10 nominees.

The 31-year-old Forlan also won the Europa League last season with Atletico Madrid.

Thomas Mueller was given two reasons to celebrate after the German starlet was named Young Player of the World Cup and picked up the Golden Boot for the tournament”s top scorer.

The 20-year-old Bayern Munich forward finished the tournament with five goals, the same number as Forlan, Sneijder and Villa.

He was awarded the Golden Boot because he had supplied three assists, which was more than any of his rivals.

Mueller was elected the tournament”s outstanding young player by FIFA”s Technical Study Group, beating off competition from Ghana winger Andre Ayew and Mexican forward Giovanni dos Santos.

Spain”s Iker Casillas was voted the best goalkeeper after his side won the trophy by beating Holland 1-0 in the final.

Casillas, who twice crucially denied Robben with the score at 0-0, gets FIFA”s Golden Glove award after conceding just two goals in seven matches.

Capping a fine night for Spain was the award for fair play for having the best disciplinary record.

Germany edge Uruguay to claim third place

PORT ELIZABETH: Sami Khedira”s 82nd-minute header earned Germany a 3-2 victory in a rousing and rain-soaked World Cup third-place play-off match here on Saturday.

The Stuttgart midfielder rose to nod the ball beyond Fernando Muslera after Uruguay failed to clear a late corner, while Diego Forlan came inches away from a dramatic equaliser with an injury-time free-kick that struck the crossbar.

Forlan rounded off an impressive individual showing at the tournament with a brilliantly taken volley to give Uruguay a 2-1 lead early in the second period, only for Marcell Jansen to restore parity moments later.

Thomas Mueller had put Germany in front in the 19th minute, but Edinson Cavani drew Uruguay level in the 28th minute.

Mueller and Forlan”s goals took them level with Spain”s David Villa and Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder in the race for the Golden Boot with five strikes apiece.

The young German will finish as the tournament”s official top scorer if Villa and Sneijder both fail to score in Sunday”s final, though, because assists are taken into account in case of a tie and he has supplied three to his rivals” one each.

Miroslav Klose”s hopes of matching Ronaldo”s record of 15 World Cup finals goals were dashed after a back injury saw him relegated to the German bench by coach Joachim Loew alongside skipper Philipp Lahm and goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

Uruguay looked to take advantage of lethargy in the German ranks in the second period, with Germany goalkeeper Hans-Joerg Butt regularly called into action.

He pulled off a fine double save to repel Cavani and then Luis Suarez, but was then beaten by an acrobatic volley from Forlan that flew inside the right-hand post.

Jansen drew Germany level in the 56th minute when he capitalised on a rash charge from Muslera to nod in Jerome Boateng”s right-wing cross.

The livewire Suarez produced a flying save from Butt with an ambitious effort and the veteran also had to dash from his line to deny Forlan.

German substitute Stefan Kiessling smashed a shot straight at Muslera following a bewitching stepover on the edge of the box, before Khedira set the seal on a memorable tournament for Joachim Loew”s young team.

Kiessling could have made it 4-2 but he swept over from 12 yards after a flowing move.

Germany edged Uruguay 1-0 when the sides met in the third-place match at the 1970 World Cup and they came close to taking an early lead here when Arne Friedrich met Mesut Ozil”s deep corner with a header that bounced back off the crossbar.

Uruguay held out for just nine more minutes, with Mueller slotting in from close range after 19 minutes after Bastian Schweinsteiger”s swerving drive was pushed out by Muslera.

Lightning counter-attacks have been Germany”s trademark at this tournament but they were dealt a taste of their own medicine in the 28th minute when Diego Perez quickly fed Suarez, whose pass was stabbed home by Cavani.

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Germany, Uruguay to lock horns for WC third-place

PORT ELIZABETH: Germany and Uruguay each came up one goal short in the World Cup semifinals, ending both nations’ dreams of hoisting the trophy again in South Africa.

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Germany, Uruguay to lock horns for WC third-place

WC soccer Octopus receives death threats

JOHANNESBURG: He was once the most popular sea-creature in Germany. But since that nation”s loss yesterday, a psychic octopus has received death threats from angry soccer fans.

Paul, or as he”s referred to in Germany, Das Krakenorakel, has incurred the wrath of a nation by correctly predicting that Spain would defeat Germany in the World Cup semi-final.

Octopus handler Daniel Fey reports that: “People send us recipes in threats.” And German newspapers report angry crowds converging in Berlin after the game, chanting anti-octopus songs.

How they came to know the lyrics to any anti-octopus songs is not immediately clear. But, according to a spokeswoman for Sea Life Aquariums, Paul”s home, “he has very good people looking after him”. Fey adds, “He”s definitely safe.”

Paul is as beloved in Spain as he is reviled in Germany. “Pulpo Paul”, Spanish for Paul the Octopus, is a Twitter trending topic. And at least one restaurant in Spain has removed octopus from its menu, in honor of the prognosticating sea critter.

He”ll next be called into action to predict a winner of Saturday”s runner-up match between Germany and Uruguay, then the final between the Netherlands and Spain.

Puyol strikes as Spain down Germany to reach final

DURBAN: Carles Puyol scored the only goal of the game to send Spain into the World Cup final against Holland following a 1-0 victory against Germany on Wednesday.

The Barcelona centre-back powered home a header from 10 yards from Xavi”s corner 17 minutes from time to send the reigning European champions into their first ever World Cup final.

Holland reached the title game by beating Uruguay 3-2 in Cape Town on Tuesday.

It means there will be a new name on the trophy for the first time since France claimed victory on home soil in 1998.

Spain coach Vicente Del Bosque had sprung a surprise before kick-off by dropping out-of-form Liverpool forward Fernando Torres and replacing him with Barcelona youngster Pedro.

That move allowed tournament top scorer David Villa to play through the middle and the switch almost paid dividends six minutes into the game.

Pedro came in off his wing and slipped a delightful ball in behind the Germany defence which Villa ran on to but he had to slide in to shoot before Manuel Neuer arrived and he succeeded only in prodding the ball into the goalkeeper”s chest.

Spain should have gone ahead on 14 minutes after a cleverly-worked corner routine left Andres Iniesta free to cross from the right, but Puyol got too much purchase on his diving header and sent the ball over the bar.

Germany were stretched again on 19 minutes as a great crossfield ball from Xabi Alonso found the marauding Sergio Ramos but after an exquisite piece of control his shot was wild and high.

Germany finally threatened on 32 minutes when Piotr Trochowski, in for the suspended Thomas Mueller, shot from distance and forced Iker Casillas into a sprawling save low to his left.

Mesut Ozil thought he should have had a penalty on the stroke of half-time when he went down under a challenge from Ramos but his appeals were waved away by referee Viktor Kassai.

For all their pretty approach play, Spain were struggling to get into the box and started hitting pot shots from distance with Alonso, twice, and Villa shooting wide.

Neuer then saved from Pedro, who moments later shot wide while Villa was inches away from a tap-in after Iniesta jinked into the box and squared the ball across goal.

Up the other end substitute Marcell Jansen”s cross was flicked on by a Spanish head, but on the turn Miroslav Klose could only volley high.

And on 69 minutes Germany created possibly their best chance of the match as substitute Toni Kroos arrived unmarked at the back post onto Lukas Podolski”s cross but his finish was weak and straight at Casillas.

But then came Puyol”s great leap to propel Spain into the final.

Spain had several chances on the counter attack late on but Pedro wasted the best of those as he tried to turn Arne Friedrich once too often instead of squaring to the unmarked substitute Torres.

Netherlands storm into World Cup final

CAPE TOWN: The Netherlands stormed into their first World Cup final since 1978 on Tuesday, beating Uruguay 3-2 to set up a title clash against either Germany or Spain.

Two goals inside three second-half minutes, from Wesley Sneijder and Arjen Robben, steered the Dutch into the decider and shattered South American hopes.

Veteran Dutch captain Giovanni van Bronckhorst gave his side the lead on 18 minutes with a stunning 35-yard strike before Diego Forlan produced an equally memorable goal four minutes before half-time to keep Uruguay alive.

Maxi Pereira got one back for Uruguay in injury time but it was too little too late.

The last time Holland made it to the final was 32 years ago when they fell at the last hurdle to hosts Argentina 3-1 after extra-time.

Despite losing, Uruguay did their small nation proud with coach Oscar Tabarez guiding them to their first semi-final in 40 years.

It was a massive achievement for a country with a population of just 3.4 million, and they must now put their disappointment behind them for a third-place play-off on Saturday.

The Netherlands came into the match as overwhelming favourites after winning all their games in South Africa to go with the eight wins out of eight notched up in qualifying.

Both teams were forced to make changes with players suspended and in chilly conditions at Green Point Stadium it was the Dutch who adapted the best.

They had a decent chance as early as the third minute when Robben whipped in a teasing cross which Fernando Muslera punched straight to Dirk Kuyt on the edge of the box, but the Liverpool winger skied his shot.

The dangerous pair created another opportunity soon after when Kuyt sent in a cross that the Bayern Munich star headed at the keeper.

With the pressure on, it was only a matter of time before the deadlock was broken and it was their hugely experienced captain who did it with a contender for goal of the tournament.

The 35-year-old van Bronckhorst picked up the ball some 35 yards out and let rip with a stunning drive that tore into the top corner of the net past the outstretched fingertips of Muslera.

It should have been 2-0 on the half-hour when Arsenal”s Robin Van Persie made an excellent turn to pick out Robben on the edge of the box, but Martin Caceres made a timely intervention.

Uruguay were struggling to create openings before Forlan produced his own piece of magic with a left-foot screamer that swerved past keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, who should have done better.

Holland looked to up the tempo in the second half but it was Uruguay who nearly took the lead when Khalid Boulahrouz”s back-pass fell short and Edinson Cavani challenged the keeper.

Stekelenburg”s clearance hit Cavani and he teed up Alvaro Pereira, but his floated effort was headed away from danger.

The match was finely poised with both sides creating chances but it was Sneijder who did the damage with his fifth goal of the tournament.

The Inter Milan star unleashed a low right foot drive that took a deflection to put his team in front on 70 minutes.

Uruguay were stunned and Robben took advantage of their guard being dropped with another goal three minutes later with a fabulous header from a Kuyt cross.

The South Americans threw everything they had at Holland as the clock ticked down and got their reward with Pereira”s goal in the second minute of injury time but by then the match was over.

Oil falls below $72 amid fears of slowing economy

SINGAPORE: Oil prices fell below $72 a barrel Tuesday in Asia on investor concern global economic growth could slow in the second half and drag demand for crude down with it.

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Asian markets gloomy over global recovery

TOKYO: Asian stock markets were mixed Tuesday on growing worries the global economic recovery is running out of momentum.

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