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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Love 'em or hate 'em, all eyes on Tide and Irish

MIAMI (AP) — Love 'em or hate 'em, it's hard to turn away from Notre Dame and Alabama.They are storied programs that stir plenty of passions, college football's North and South versions of the New York Yankees.Well, now they're facing each other for the biggest prize of all.A national championship."Having those two traditions come together in a game like this certainly creates a lot of national interest,"...

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Warner Bros. unveils animation think tank featuring teams behind “Cats & Dogs” and “The Muppets”

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Warner Bros. doesn’t want rivals like Walt Disney Studios and 20th Century Fox to have a stranglehold on the lucrative animation market.But the studio is trying a different approach in an effort to bolster its animated efforts. Instead of unveiling a new division, it’s announcing an animation creative consortium, featuring the likes of John Requa and Glenn Ficarra (“Crazy,...

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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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Cops shoot suspect in carjacking they say held 'dark object'

A man who ran from South Chicago District officers after being stopped on suspicion of carjacking was fatally shot as he fled...

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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) — The Seattle Seahawks finally won a road playoff game Sunday, taking a 24-14 NFC wild-card victory over the Washington Redskins, who lost Robert Griffin III to another knee injury in the fourth quarter.Marshawn Lynch ran for 131 yards, and Russell Wilson completed 15 of 26 passes for 187 yards and ran eight times for 67 yards for the Seahawks, who broke an eight-game postseason...

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