UPDATE 1-Soccer-Ligue 1 results and standings

Jan 11 (Infostrada Sports) - Results and standings from the Ligue 1 matches on Friday
Friday, January 11
Paris St Germain 0 Ajaccio 0
St Etienne 2 Toulouse 2
Standings P W D L F A Pts
1 Paris St Germain 20 11 6 3 36 12 39
2 Olympique Lyon 19 11 5 3 33 17 38
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3 Olympique Marseille 19 12 2 5 24 20 38
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4 Stade Rennes 19 10 2 7 29 24 32
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5 FC Lorient 19 8 7 4 32 29 31
6 Valenciennes 19 8 5 6 31 24 29
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7 Girondins Bordeaux 19 6 11 2 21 14 29
8 Lille 19 7 8 4 24 18 29
9 Nice 19 7 8 4 26 26 29
10 St Etienne 20 7 7 6 26 16 28
11 Toulouse 20 7 6 7 27 22 27
12 Montpellier HSC 19 7 5 7 29 24 26
13 Bastia 19 6 4 9 26 41 22
14 Stade Brest 19 6 3 10 20 28 21
15 Ajaccio 20 5 7 8 21 29 20
16 Stade de Reims 19 4 7 8 16 20 19
17 Evian Thonon Gaillard FC 19 5 4 10 22 32 19
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18 Sochaux 19 4 4 11 17 29 16
19 ES Troyes AC 19 2 7 10 20 37 13
20 AS Nancy 19 1 8 10 15 33 11
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Note: Ajaccio deducted 2 points.
1-2: Champions League / EC I
3: Champions League preliminary round
4: Europa League
5-6: Europa League depending on domestic cup
18-20: Relegation
Next Fixtures (GMT):
Saturday, January 12
ES Troyes AC v Olympique Lyon (1600)
AS Nancy v Lille (1900)
Evian Thonon Gaillard FC v Stade Brest (1900)
Montpellier HSC v FC Lorient (1900)
Stade Rennes v Girondins Bordeaux (1900)
Sunday, January 13
Stade de Reims v Bastia (1300)
Nice v Valenciennes (1600)
Sochaux v Olympique Marseille (2000)

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Locals say shifting sea ice frees trapped whales

MONTREAL (AP) — About a dozen killer whales trapped under sea ice appeared to be free after the ice shifted, village officials in Canada's remote north said Thursday, while residents who feared they would get stuck elsewhere hired a plane to track them down.
The whales' predicament in the frigid waters of Hudson Bay made international headlines, and locals had been planning a rescue operation with chainsaws and drills before the mammals slipped away.
Tommy Palliser said two hunters from remote Inukjuak village reported that the waters had opened up around the area where the cornered whales had been bobbing frantically for air around a single, truck-sized hole in the ice. Officials said shifting winds might have pushed the ice away.
"It's certainly good news — that's good news for the whales," said Palliser, a business adviser with the regional government.
But fears remained that the whales might have been trapped elsewhere by the ever-moving ice. Some villagers were skeptical the killer whales had escaped harm, so the community hired an airplane to scan the region Thursday for signs of the pod.
Mark O'Connor of the regional marine wildlife board said the aerial search did not locate the orcas, but he noted that large swaths of ice-free water were seen in the area.
"So as far as I could tell, the emergency, for sure, is averted," said O'Connor, the board's director of wildlife management.
"Whether the whales have found a passage all the way to the Hudson Strait, we probably will never know."
Locals said the whales had been trapped for at least two days. A recent, sudden drop in temperature may have caught the whales off guard, leaving them trapped The cornered animals were first seen Tuesday and appeared to have less energy by late Wednesday, Palliser said.
Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans said government icebreakers were too far from the area to smash the ice to free the whales, Inukjuak Mayor Peter Inukpuk said Wednesday.
After that, Palliser said, locals had agreed to try to enlarge the breathing hole in the ice and cut a second opening using chainsaws and drills.
"We certainly had our prayers with them last night during our meeting," he said.
The Department of Fisheries and Oceans issued a statement Thursday saying two scientists were en route to gather information and will monitor the situation. Ice-trapped marine mammals are not unusual in the region.
Pete Ewins, an expert in Arctic wildlife at the World Wildlife Fund Canada, said the orca were still 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) from where they should be at this time of year.
"They got stuck (in Hudson Bay) and they're unlikely to get out," said Ewins, adding that killer whales are not accustomed to ice.

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U.S. attack submarine strikes vessel in Gulf

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A nuclear-powered U.S. attack submarine struck a suspected fishing vessel shortly after passing through the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf on Thursday, damaging one of the submarine's periscopes but injuring no one, a Navy official said on the condition of anonymity.
The Navy's Fifth Fleet said in a statement the vessel appeared unaware of the incident, adding it "continued on a consistent course and speed offering no indication of distress or acknowledgment of a collision."
The USS Jacksonville, a Los Angeles-class, nuclear-powered submarine, did not appear to suffer further damage, the Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said.
"The reactor remains in a safe condition. There was no damage to the propulsion plant systems and there is no concern regarding watertight integrity," it said.
The incident, which took place at 5 a.m. local time and is under investigation, follows an August collision between a U.S. guided missile destroyer and an oil tanker.
Iran has threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz if its dispute with the United States over its nuclear program escalates. Washington says it maintains naval forces in the Gulf to ensure security in the region.

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From monkeys to surfers, San Diego braces for cold

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Strawberry growers covered their crops while San Diego zookeepers turned on heaters for the chimpanzees as Southern California braced for a cold snap that was expected to drop temperatures to a six-year low.
Forecasters warned that a low pressure trough sinking over San Diego County and parts of neighboring Orange County could keep nightly temperatures below freezing in coastal areas, the low deserts and inland valleys, threatening orange, avocado orchards and other sensitive plants. The coldest nights were expected to hit Friday and Saturday.
Farmers were prepared to pull out giant fans to circulate the frosty air and keep it from settling on their citrus trees, said Eric Larson of the San Diego County Farm Bureau. Other growers were placing soft cloth over their strawberries and flowers. The National Weather Service predicted overnight lows in the 20s in the lower deserts and inland valleys and 30s along the coast.
"These guys are going to be up all night watching thermometers," Larson said.
Freezing temperatures weren't the only weather challenge for a region boasting one of the planet's most temperate climates.
Forecasters say a combination of astronomical high tides, high surf and strong winds will bring minor flooding to low-lying areas of the Southern California coast. The weather service issued coastal flood advisories for all counties from San Luis Obispo south to San Diego through Saturday morning.
They also warned motorists to watch out for blowing sand across coastal highways and snow in the mountains down to 2,000 feet. Snow briefly closed the Grapevine section of Interstate 5 north of Los Angeles on Thursday. Several accidents and spinouts were reported in the mountain pass as the winter weather bore down on Southern California.
Winds could gust to 60 mph there and up to 45 mph in valleys and coastal areas. Highs will only hit the 50s and 60s and rain showers are expected throughout the region.
Families pushed aside boogie boards and pulled out sleds as snow fell Thursday in the mountains of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Chains were required on all vehicles.
Workers at SeaWorld planned to crank up the heat for their macaws, toucans and parrots. San Diego zookeepers were also heating rooms for chimpanzees, apes and other tropical animals.
"They'll probably be huddling together and not be in areas where people will be able to see them," said zoo spokeswoman Christina Simmons.
Many local residents planned to do the same.
"We'll have to huddle up, drink coffee, and tell stories," joked J.P. Pierre, owner of Surfy Surfy Surf Shop in the beach town of Leucadia. "But there's a no whining rule around here because I have so many friends from the northeast and Canada. If everyone had a decent jacket it would be no big deal, but everyone is walking around in flip flops."
The so-called king tides will peak Friday morning around 7 feet, depending on location. The conditions may cause some flooding across beaches, parking lots and around estuaries, lagoons and harbors. Parts of Pacific Coast Highway between Sunset Beach and Seal Beach could see standing water.
San Diego's Mission Beach was nearly empty Thursday except for a few snowbirds who scoffed at a cold snap that seemed downright balmy to them. Some shot pictures of the wind-swept waves.
"We're from Chicago so to us this is like a heat wave," said Rod Erdohaty, 54, walking to the beach in blustering wind.

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Senator Reid rejects Boehner "fiscal cliff" backup plan

Congressional leaders and the Obama administration are attempting to negotiate a …more
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - House Speaker John Boehner's backup plan that would simply extend low income tax rates for households with incomes below $1 million a year "cannot pass both houses of Congress," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said on Tuesday.
Reid, a Democrat, said Boehner instead should focus on reaching a broad deficit-reduction deal with President Barack Obama. "Now is the time to show leadership, not kick the can down the road," Reid said.
Last July, Reid's Democrats passed a bill in the Senate that would have continued low tax rates, which are set to expire on December 31, for families with net incomes below $250,000.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan)

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White House defends offer as 'good faith effort'

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is defending President Barack Obama's proposal to set a higher threshold for tax increases than what he vowed to do during his presidential campaign. The White House says Obama has moved halfway to meet House Speaker John Boehner on a "fiscal cliff" deal that raises $1.2 trillion in tax revenue, down from the $1.6 trillion Obama had initially requested.
White House spokesman Jay Carney says that offering to raise taxes on taxpayers earning more than $400,000 rather than the $200,000 he ran on demonstrates, in Carney's words, Obama's good faith effort to reach a compromise.
The new tax proposal is contained in a broader plan that Obama gave Boehner Monday that would cut spending further and lower cost-of-living increases for most Social Security beneficiaries.

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Factbox: U.S. House "Plan B" tax bill likely to have short shelf life

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives is likely to vote this week on what is being called "Plan B" on avoiding the "fiscal cliff."
The Republican-sponsored legislation aims to extend current low tax rates for most families. Without such action by Congress, across-the-board income tax rates will rise on January 1.
The combination of $500 billion in tax hikes and $100 billion in spending cuts, which are scheduled to start in the new year, could push the U.S. economy into recession, according to experts.
House Speaker John Boehner, the top Republican in Congress, and Democratic President Barack Obama have been trying for weeks to avoid the fiscal cliff with an alternative tax and spending-cut deal. Boehner says he is offering this very limited alternative in case negotiations with Obama fail.
Here are key elements of Boehner's Plan B:
* A House vote is expected on Thursday.
* Boehner expressed confidence on Wednesday that the measure would pass but some House Republican aides were not yet predicting that.
* The White House has said Obama would veto the Boehner Plan B in the unlikely event it made it to his desk.
* Democrats are viewing Plan B as nothing more than a diversion from attempts to reach a broad deficit-reduction deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. They see it as a way for Boehner to give his conservatives a vote on a measure that they can tout as a tax-cut bill for all but the wealthiest and inoculate them against Democratic accusations of obstruction.
* Republicans argue that they are acting responsibly by providing a backstop against massive tax increases in case the Obama-Boehner negotiations fail.
* Once Plan B is dealt with, all attention will shift to whether Obama and Boehner can work out a broad agreement by December 31 or whether the country will go off the cliff. If that happens, there is speculation that some sort of deal might be worked out in the early weeks of January to avoid the full brunt of the tax hikes and spending cuts.
* Under Boehner's Plan B, current low tax rates would be made permanent for families with net annual incomes of up to $1 million. The measure would let tax rates rise on income above $1 million. Without action by Congress, all income tax rates are set to rise on January 1 with the expiration of tax cuts enacted a decade ago by then-President George W. Bush.
* Plan B includes a grab bag of other expiring tax provisions. It would permanently fix the alternative minimum tax so that middle-class taxpayers do not creep into a tax bracket intended for the wealthiest. Annual AMT fixes have prevented tens of millions of households from paying a higher tax rate.
Also included are moves to maintain estate taxes at their current 35 percent rate per individual after a $5 million exemption. The White House backs reverting to the 2009 estate tax levels of 45 percent tax after a $3.5 million exemption per individual, though some moderate Democrats back keeping the current law.
Plan B legislation would raise dividend and capital gains tax rates for those earning $1 million and over to 20 percent, from its current 15 percent for most who pay such taxes. Most Democrats back raising the current 15 percent tax rate on investment income to 20 percent for households earning more than $250,000.
* The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the plan would reduce U.S. revenues by around $4 trillion over 10 years.
* The plan does not address spending issues, including automatic across-the-board spending cuts also looming at year's end.
* The bill does not address how to resolve a looming stand-off over the government's borrowing authority. The government will need to raise the "debt ceiling" in the next few months to avoid default, and Obama wants higher borrowing authority approved promptly. House Republicans continue to want to hold back and use it as leverage in ongoing fiscal cliff talks, according to aides.
* Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid already has warned there are not the votes in his chamber to pass Boehner's plan. But if the House sent the Senate such a bill, Reid could respond in one of a few ways. He could declare that the Senate in July passed its version of this legislation, but with a $250,000 threshold, and take no further action. Or, he could offer a variation of the Senate-passed bill. Obama has proposed a $400,000 cut-off for maintaining low income tax rates. Reid could embrace that level or another one.
* The legislation is being inserted into an existing bill that originally had to do with Burma trade policy. A House Rules Committee spokesman said this was being done to avoid some potential procedural delays.

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UPDATE 1-NBA-Nuggets survive Kobe fireworks to ice Lakers

* Gasol, Howard banged up in loss
* Gallinari three-pointer snuffs out Lakers (Adds quotes)
LOS ANGELES, Jan 6 (Reuters) - The Denver Nuggets dropped the stumbling Los Angeles Lakers further into the doldrums on Sunday with a 112-105 win despite some fourth-quarter fireworks from Kobe Bryant.
Ty Lawson scored 21 points and 10 assists and Danilo Gallinari hit five of his 20 in the final seconds to kill the Lakers' rally and send them to a third successive defeat.
The Lakers (15-18) left with more than their pride bruised, Pau Gasol exiting the contest in the fourth quarter after having his nose bloodied by an elbow from JaVale McGee.
Center Dwight Howard also aggravated a right shoulder injury and will undergo scans on Monday.
"It's a great win for us but I'm not going to inflate it," Nuggets coach George Karl told reporters.
"I told the team before the game I don't remember the last time we won in here in the regular season."
Bryant did his best to rescue Los Angeles again by scoring 18 of his 29 points in the final quarter but the Lakers fell just short in front of a frustrated home crowd.
Los Angeles trailed by 10 midway through the fourth, although they fought back as Bryant twice made three-pointers to pull them within three in the final minute.
Gallinari drained a three of his own to halt the comeback with 13 seconds remaining and Denver (20-16) made four straight free throws to ice the game for their third win in four.
The Nuggets scored 60 points in the paint to punish Los Angeles inside. Howard put in a solid shift, recording 14 points and 26 rebounds in the loss but his injury will cause concern.
The Lakers have now lost four of five and are tumbling down the standings under new coach Mike D'Antoni and his star-studded roster.
Tempers flared as Steve Nash and Gasol were both assessed rare technical fouls.
"I think because of our record probably the pressure is building," admitted D'Antoni, whose team is currently out of the playoff picture. "But so be it. We have to overcome it."

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Nuggets survive Kobe fireworks to ice Lakers

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Denver Nuggets dropped the stumbling Los Angeles Lakers further into the doldrums on Sunday with a 112-105 win despite some fourth-quarter fireworks from Kobe Bryant.
Ty Lawson scored 21 points and 10 assists and Danilo Gallinari hit five of his 20 in the final seconds to kill the Lakers' rally and send them to a third successive defeat.
The Lakers (15-18) left with more than their pride bruised, Pau Gasol exiting the contest in the fourth quarter after having his nose bloodied by an elbow from JaVale McGee.
Center Dwight Howard also aggravated a right shoulder injury and will undergo scans on Monday.
"It's a great win for us but I'm not going to inflate it," Nuggets coach George Karl told reporters.
"I told the team before the game I don't remember the last time we won in here in the regular season."
Bryant did his best to rescue Los Angeles again by scoring 18 of his 29 points in the final quarter but the Lakers fell just short in front of a frustrated home crowd.
Los Angeles trailed by 10 midway through the fourth, although they fought back as Bryant twice made three-pointers to pull them within three in the final minute.
Gallinari drained a three of his own to halt the comeback with 13 seconds remaining and Denver (20-16) made four straight free throws to ice the game for their third win in four.
The Nuggets scored 60 points in the paint to punish Los Angeles inside. Howard put in a solid shift, recording 14 points and 26 rebounds in the loss but his injury will cause concern.
The Lakers have now lost four of five and are tumbling down the standings under new coach Mike D'Antoni and his star-studded roster.
Tempers flared as Steve Nash and Gasol were both assessed rare technical fouls.
"I think because of our record probably the pressure is building," admitted D'Antoni, whose team is currently out of the playoff picture. "But so be it. We have to overcome it."

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UPDATE 1-NBA-Paul keeps Clippers on top in Los Angeles battle

(adds quotes, detail)
* Lakers fall to 10-12 under D'Antoni
* Clippers win without Crawford
LOS ANGELES, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Chris Paul and the Clippers maintained a grip on top billing in Los Angeles with a tense 107-102 victory over the Lakers on Friday to cement their status as the city's best team.
Paul withstood a fierce challenge from Kobe Bryant, recording 30 points and 13 assists to Bryant's 38 points, and the Clippers moved further ahead in both the standings and the crosstown rivalry.
"It's a big win because it's a division game," Paul told reporters, after he carried the scoring load in the absence of injured reserve Jamal Crawford (sore foot).
"That was ugly down the stretch and it was all my fault. We had some terrible possessions (late) and made it interesting for the fans."
The Lakers did their best to tear up the script late on by climbing out of a 19-point deficit in the fourth quarter and closing to 99-97 with two minutes remaining.
However, Paul shut the door on the Lakers, scoring the final eight points for his team, including a tough step-back jumper over the outstretched Bryant in the waning moments.
Blake Griffin added 24 points in the winning effort while Dwight Howard put up 21 points and 15 rebounds for the Lakers (15-17), who have lost three of their last four.
FAST BREAK
Despite sharing the Staples Center, the teams have had little else in common this season as the Clippers (26-8) have raced toward the top of the West while the Lakers are struggling to find an identity under new coach Mike D'Antoni.
The team is just 10-12 since D'Antoni took over.
"It's going to take time and we don't have a lot of it," said Lakers point guard Steve Nash, who finished with 12 points and 10 assists. "You just stick with it."
The Clippers ran off a franchise-record 17 straight wins before losing their previous two games but they quickly regained their form and grabbed a 10-point halftime lead on the Lakers.
The athletic Clippers used their defense to ignite their fast break and push the game's energy with crowd-pleasing dunks.
After their lead swelled to 19 early in the fourth, the Lakers chipped away behind Bryant, who delivered 16 points in the final quarter, to raise the stakes in his duel with Paul.
The two All Stars traded shots all night, with Bryant throwing down a ferocious dunk over Paul in the first quarter, but the Clippers point guard got the final say with a critical jumper and six free throws over the last minute.
"Chris made some amazing shots. It was a great matchup of two of the best in the game," D'Antoni said. "We had a shot at the end and we just didn't do it.

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