Soccer-Motta sent off as leaders PSG draw rare blank

PARIS, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Ten-man Paris St Germain failed to score in a Ligue 1 game for the first time since August as the leaders were held to a 0-0 home draw by lowly Ajaccio on Friday.PSG wasted numerous goal chances after having Thiago Motta sent off on the stroke of halftime for a dangerous tackle on Frederic Sammaritano.Carlo Ancelotti's men were also hindered when captain Thiago Silva had...

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Soccer-Rayo beat Bilbao to move into European places in La Liga

MADRID, Jan 11 (Reuters) - Tiny Rayo Vallecano won 2-1 at Athletic Bilbao on Friday to move into sixth spot in La Liga, level on points with fourth-placed Malaga in the Champions League qualification slots.Lass Bangoura and Piti, with a penalty, put Rayo two goals up in the second half and they held on despite Bilbao pulling one back through Mikel San Jose near the end and a late red card for visiting...

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FACTBOX-Soccer-African Nations Cup finalists Tunisia

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Factbox on African Nations Cup finalists Tunisia ahead of this year's tournament in South Africa from Jan. 19 to Feb. 10:Previous appearances in African Nations Cup finals: 15Best performances: Winners in 2004; Runners-up in 1965 and 1996FIFA world ranking Dec 2012: 45Coach:Sami Trabelsi was a long-standing fullback for the Tunisia side, playing at three Nations Cup finals between...

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Whew! Huge Asteroid Apophis Won't Hit Earth in 2036

The Earth is safe from the giant asteroid Apophis when it flies extremely close to our planet in 2029, then returns for seconds in 2036, NASA scientists announced today (Jan. 10). The chances of an impact in 2036 are less than one in a million, they added.Asteroid Apophis — which is the size of three and a half football fields — was discovered in June 2004 and gained infamy after a preliminary study...

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CES 2013: Shhh, don’t tell, but Las Vegas likes secrets, even at a trade show

LAS VEGAS—In a leather banquette in a sparkling Las Vegas club, a knockout blonde discreetly kicked the Louis Vuitton bag at her feet.“It’s in there,” she whispered to me, conspiratorially. I followed this dame’s fishnet-clad legs down to her shoe’s pointed toe. Beautiful bag. “I call it the football,” she said. “I’m not going to bring it out yet.”Leslie Bradshaw’s honey-colored Cali perfection brings...

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White House petition: ‘Save the Lewpty-Lew!’

The good people of America are petitioning the White House to let Jack Lew, President Barack Obama's nominee for Treasury secretary, use his incoherent, loopy signature on the nation's currency if he is confirmed. From the official White House Petition site: Save the Lewpty-Lew! When Tim Geithner became Treasury Secretary, he changed his loopy signature to be more legible on the...

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Swiss lender ZKB says three charged by U.S. authorities

(Reuters) - Swiss lender Zuercher Kantonalbank (ZKB) said two of its bankers and one former employee had been charged by U.S. authorities, which had accused them of helping U.S. clients avoid taxes.The three were indicted over changes of conspiring with American clients to hide more than $420 million from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan had said on Wednesday.The...

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Existing home sales rise to fastest pace in three years

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Home resales rose sharply in November to their fastest pace in three years, a sign the recovery in the housing market is gaining steam.The National Association of Realtors said on Thursday that existing home sales climbed 5.9 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million units.That was the fastest since November 2009, when a federal tax credit for...

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House Republicans eye limited fiscal cliff bill

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With time running short before a Dec. 31 deadline, House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner will begin work on legislation that simply would extend current low income tax rates for all families with incomes below $1 million a year, according to an aide.Negotiations will continue with the White House on a broader tax and spending deal, the Boehner aide said.Boehner is presenting...

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D'Antoni says Lakers need better starts, tighter defense

(Reuters) - Faster starts and a much improved defense are sorely needed by the Los Angeles Lakers if the 16-time NBA champions are to resurrect a bitterly disappointing campaign, according to their head coach Mike D'Antoni.Lakers fans had lofty expectations for 2012-13 after Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol were joined by fellow All-Stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash during the off-season but the once mighty...

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