Medical examiner seeks to exhume body of poisoned lottery winner

Urooj Khan won the $1 million in the lottery just weeks before he died suddenly of a heart attack in his West Rogers Park...

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Venezuela postpones inauguration for cancer-stricken Chavez

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela will postpone the inauguration of President Hugo Chavez for a new term due to health problems, the government said on Tuesday, another sign the socialist leader's cancer may be bringing an end to his 14 years in power. The 58-year-old former soldier who has dominated the South American OPEC nation since 1999 has not been heard from since surgery on December...

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Wall Street edges off five-year high, awaits earnings

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks lost ground on Monday, as investors drew back from recent gains that lifted the S&P 500 to a five-year high, in anticipation of sluggish growth in corporate profits. Shares of financial companies dipped after a group of major U.S. banks agreed to pay a total of $8.5 billion to end a government inquiry into faulty mortgage foreclosures. The KBW bank index...

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Bama starts with bang at BCS championship game

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — One of the most anticipated BCS championship games began with Alabama getting the ball and driving it down the field for a touchdown against No. 1 Notre Dame's vaunted defense.Sun Life Stadium was packed and raucous for the kickoff Monday night.The Fighting Irish won the coin toss, decided to kickoff and the Crimson Tide marched down the field with ease, driving 82 yards...

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NASA’s Kepler telescope finds 461 potential new planets

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) – NASA’s Kepler space telescope has uncovered another 461 potential new planets, most of which are the size of Earth or a few times larger, scientists said on Monday.The announcement brings Kepler’s head count to 2,740 candidate new worlds, 105 of which have been confirmed.“Two years ago we had around 1,200 candidate planet objects. A year later, we added a significant...

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Why Al Jazeera deal doesn't seem right

STORY HIGHLIGHTSAl Gore sold Current to al Jazeera and could net an estimated $70 millionHoward Kurtz: Gore's Current network failed to gain an identity or viewers He says it's odd that the former vice president is selling to an oil-rich potentateKurtz: Al Jazeera may have a tough time getting traction with U.S. viewersEditor's note: Howard Kurtz is the host of CNN's "Reliable Sources" and is Newsweek's...

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1st Q: Alabama 7, Notre Dame 0

The intersection of dreams and reality finally crossed Monday night when No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Alabama met for college football's national championship at Sun...

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Ex-governor in North Korea with Google chief; seeks American's release

SEOUL (Reuters) - Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt began a controversial private mission to North Korea on Monday that will include an effort to secure the release of an imprisoned American. The trip comes after North Korea carried out a long-range rocket test last month and as, according to satellite imagery, the reclusive state continues...

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Asian shares steady, Basel ruling supports banks

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Asian shares outside Japan edged up on Monday, supported by data showing the U.S. economy continuing on a path of slow but steady recovery that had pushed Wall Street stocks to a five-year high. Financial stocks were underpinned by a decision from global regulators on Sunday to give banks four more years and greater flexibility to build up cash buffers so they can...

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RG3 hurt, Seattle tops Redskins 24-14 in playoffs

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Russell Wilson raced ahead to throw the final block on Marshawn Lynch's go-ahead touchdown run, and the Seattle Seahawks finally had a victorious road show.Robert Griffin III's knee buckled as he tried to field a bad shotgun snap, leaving the Washington Redskins an offseason to worry about their franchise player's health.The last rookie quarterback standing in the NFL playoffs...

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