Soccer-Marseille cling on with leaders after beating St Etienne

 Andre Ayew struck just before the break to give Olympique Marseille a 1-0 home win against St Etienne on Sunday and keep them level on points with leaders Paris St Germain.As Ligue 1 goes into a three-week break, OM are third with 38 points, behind pacesetters PSG and second-placed Olympique Lyon on goal difference.St Etienne, who last beat OM at the Velodrome in 1979, are 10th with 27 points...

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Soccer-European roundup-Barca win again, Chelsea score eight

Dec 23 (Reuters) - Barcelona finished the year with a win at Real Valladolid and a record haul of 49 points for this stage of a La Liga season with Lionel Messi scoring his 91st goal of the calendar year while arch rivals Real Madrid lost at Malaga.Chelsea eased the disappointment of their Club World Cup final defeat by beating Aston Villa 8-0 but Manchester United's lead over local rivals City at...

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UPDATE 3-Soccer-Ligue 1 summaries

Dec 23 (Infostrada Sports) - Summaries from the Ligue 1 matches on SundaySunday, December 23Olympique Marseille 1 Andre Ayew 45+1St Etienne 0Halftime: 1-0; Attendance: 37,007- - -Toulouse 2 Adrien Regattin 26, Emmanuel Riviere 85Sochaux 0Halftime: 1-0; Attendance: 16,401- - -Valenciennes 2 Gregory Pujol 14, Jose Saez 74Missed penalty: Mathieu Dossevi 50Evian Thonon Gaillard FC 1 Saber Khlifa 33Red...

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Soccer-Villa's Lambert keen to move on from Chelsea mauling

- While most managers fret over congested fixtures during the festive season, Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert must be thankful his shellshocked side have only two days to stew over Sunday's 8-0 mauling by Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.Villa's worst ever league defeat has dragged them back into the relegation battle and the Midlands side now sit just three points above the drop zone.The defeat was all the...

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Soccer-Benitez demands more after Chelsea smash eight

LONDON, Dec 24 (Reuters) - Rafael Benitez was still scribbling notes towards the end of Chelsea's 8-0 rout of Aston Villa on Sunday and after the game, the Spaniard said there was plenty of room for improvement.As Chelsea made it 13 goals from two games since returning empty-handed from a 12,000-mile (19,312-kilometre) round trip to Japan for the Club World Cup a week ago, Benitez demanded even more...

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Correction: Peru Quake Unreadiness Story

In a story that moved Dec. 9 and 23 about earthquake readiness in Lima, Peru, The Associated Press incorrectly listed the year and the magnitude of a quake that killed about 70,000 people. The 7.9-magnitude Peru quake occurred in 1970.A corrected version of the story is below:The earthquake all but flattened colonial Lima, the shaking so violent that people tossed to the ground couldn't get back up....

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Chilean street dogs are protesters' best friends

They don't have demands, but they're loyal to the cause and are always on the front lines of the fight. They run with protesters, lap up shots from water cannons, bark at police in riot gear and sometimes even bite officers.Stray dogs are truly Man's Best Friend for thousands of students and workers who demonstrate and clash with police nearly every day to press demands for education improvements,...

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Bolivia's Morales visits Cuba after Chavez surgery

 Bolivian President Evo Morales has made a lightning trip to Havana where key ally Hugo Chavez is convalescing after cancer surgery.Morales did not speak to foreign journalists during his weekend visit. Cuban state-run media didn't confirm that he visited Chavez, but said he came "to express his support" for the Venezuelan president. The Cuban government had invited media to cover Morales' arrival...

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Prosecutor killed in Guatemala along with 6 others

 Guatemala's attorney general dispatched a special team Monday to investigate the slaying of a federal prosecutor and six other people in an attack near the Mexican border.Attorney General Claudia Paz y Paz said she was sending prosecutors and investigators to the area of northern Guatemala where Irma Yolanda Olivares, who worked in one of the prosecutor's regional officers, was slain along with...

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Morales mum on Cuba trip after Chavez surgery

 Bolivian President Evo Morales made a lightning trip this weekend to Havana where ally Hugo Chavez is convalescing after cancer surgery, but was mostly silent Monday on the details of his trip or even whether he met with the ailing Venezuelan leader.The secrecy surrounding his visit was sure to add to the uncertainty surrounding Chavez's condition, despite reassurances Monday from Venezuelan...

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