The Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD), however, sees its role less as an active promoter of British exports than as a last-ditch line of defence when the market has no answer (it is also charged with making a profit).

ECONOMIST: British exports: Trading out of trouble | The

By this point Fulham could have been out of sight had Zamora's heavy first touch not allowed Benaglio to save at the striker's feet after he was free on goal or if Murphy's shot from a Paul Konchesky cross had been placed better so as to prevent a last-ditch goal-line clearance from Barzagli.

BBC: Wolfsburg 0-1 Fulham (agg 1-3)

Spending oodles on marketing, Mr Citron has persuaded 1.6m Americans to ditch their land-line telephone company.

ECONOMIST: An embarrassing share-offering in a promising market

He implores the prime minister to ditch this artificial dividing line and be candid with voters about the need for fiscal retrenchment whoever forms the next administration.

ECONOMIST: Gordon Brown's latest relaunch

Despite that, Kevin Finlayson had to make a last-ditch block on the goal line to prevent a goal for Ayr's Ryan McGowan.

BBC: Morton 2-1 Ayr United

He bets that corporations will ditch their old wire-line telephone hardware and buy new phones that send and receive calls over the same broadband connections that hook desktop computers to the internet.

FORBES: Celtic charm

Sean O'Brien found a gap in the Edinburgh defence and a made a break for the line but a last-ditch tackle by Paterson prevented Leinster registering their first try.

BBC: Edinburgh 27-16 Leinster

If President-elect Obama wants to be a hero and get credit for pulling the economy out of the ditch, he has to get capital off the strike line.

FORBES: Capital Is On Strike

Castleford's best chance of the first half fell to full-back Richard Owen, whose jinking run to the line was halted by a tremendous last-ditch tackle from Wigan centre Carmont.

BBC: Wigan 18-12 Castleford