Ireland

Fernando Torres scored a goal in each half Thursday to give Spain a 4-0 win over Ireland and eliminate the Irish from the European Championship. David Silva and substitute Cesc Fabregas also scored second-half goals at Gdansk, Poland, as the defending champions improved to four points in Group C, the same as co-leader Croatia. Spain dominated the tempo and scoring opportunities through its quick combinations, taking 26 shots and putting the team on course for a spot in the quarterfinals.

The Lakers expect to make changes this off-season. General Manager Mitch Kupchak indicated as much in last week's exit interview after expressing disappointment in the Lakers' semifinals exit to the Oklahoma City Thunder. But that thought process won't apply to their broadcasting team. The Lakers signed radio play-by-play announcer John Ireland and color analyst Mychal Thompson to multiyear deals. Ireland took over the team's radio play-by-play duties last season at 710 ESPN after announcer Spero Dedes left to accept the New York Knicks' radio play-by-play position for its flagship station, the Madison Square Garden Network.

LONDON — Irish voters approved a European treaty to keep government spending in check, offering a small victory Friday to the region's leaders as they battle a worsening debt and banking crisis that has raised fear for the survival of the euro. A referendum to adopt the fiscal pact won by a strong margin, 60.3% to 39.7%, though only about half of Ireland's voters cast ballots Thursday. Prime Minister Enda Kenny, who campaigned hard for the "yes" side, hailed the result as a signal that his bailed-out nation "is serious about overcoming its economic challenges.

LONDON - Irish voters went to the polls Thursday to decide whether to ratify a treaty aimed at controlling the runaway deficits of European Union countries. The referendum, whose results are expected Friday night, comes as worry about Spain's economy continued to roil markets worldwide. Spanish stocks recovered some of their losses Thursday after slumping to nine-year lows a day earlier. The euro lost ground against the dollar, and oil prices fell, all on fear that Madrid will need international help to rescue its ailing banks.

Launching in Latin America is proving not as easy as Netflix Inc. had hoped. At an investor conference Wednesday in New York hosted by JPMorgan Chase & Co., Netflix Chief Financial Officer David Wells said his company is trying various ways to improve its prospects in the 43 Latin American countries where it launched last year. Growth in the region has been slower than the subscription video company expected or that it experienced in its other foreign markets: Canada, Great Britain and Ireland . Netflix has blamed its problems on several issues specific to the region, including lower broadband Internet penetration, fewer digital devices and greater complexities in processing payments through the Internet.

If you go THE BEST WAY TO BELFAST, NORTHERN IRELAND From LAX, connecting service (change of planes) to Belfast is available on Air New Zealand, British and United. Restricted round-trip airfares range from $1,019 to $1,139, including taxes and fees. Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, 163 Bangor Road, Cultra, Holywood; 011-44-28-9042-8428, http://www.nmni.com/uftm, http://www.nmni.com/titanic/Home/Titanica.aspx#story. Same-day admission to both museums is about $13 for adults and $7 for children ages 5-18.

BELFAST, Northern Ireland - Everyone knows how the tale of the Titanic ends, but what of its beginning? The Titanic was born in Belfast, along with its sister Olympic-class ships, the Olympicand the Gigantic (later renamed the Britan¿nic). A new Titanic Belfast museum openedlast month, and there's also a year-long sched¿ule of events celebrating the Titanic's 100thanniversary that includes two exhibitions at the Ulster Folk & Transport Museum, on 170acres outside Belfast. As soon as you enter the "Designing Titanic" section, you're transported into the world of the Harland & Wolff shipyard: The sounds of crashing pipes, banging hammers and shouting workmen are heard throughout.

President Obama donned a green tie and squired Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny around Washington for a day of meals as part of an extended St. Patrick's Day celebration. After breakfasting with Vice President Joe Biden, Kenny met Obama in the Oval Office. “Technically, it's not St. Patrick's Day,” the president said. “We like to prolong the party around here.” Turning to more serious issues, the president said he was confident Kenny would be able to “get Ireland moving again.” The next stop on the party tour was the annual Friends of Ireland luncheon with House Speaker John A. Boehner at the Capitol, where tenor David O'Leary sang.

Drew Viney scored 23 points, and Anthony Ireland had 20 points and 10 assists to lead Loyola Marymount over Weber State, 84-78, in overtime in the second round of the CollegeInsider.com tournament on Sunday at Gersten Pavilion. The Lions (21-12) advance to play at Utah State (19-15) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday at 6 p.m. PDT. Damian Lillard of the Weber State (25-7) scored 27 points and made a three-point shot with 23 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. Loyola Marymount outrebounded the Wildcats, 44-31.

St. Patrick's Day-- today, March 17 -- is arguably the most inclusive holiday of them all. Everyone is an honorary Irishman on St. Patrick's Day, right? But who was the real St. Patrick? And how did he manage to become one of the most popular saints, transcending cultures and religions? Before you celebrate St. Patrick's Day by hoisting a pint and tucking into some corned beef, cabbage and Irish soda bread, here's six facts we bet you didn't know about St. Patrick. -- He was not Irish . "He was not born in Ireland ," said Father Ryan Wayne Erlenbush, a Catholic priest and blogger at the New Theological Movement . "He was born in Kilpatrick, Scotland, about 387" A.D. -- He was a slave.