Peru's capital highly vulnerable to major quake

LIMA, Peru (AP) — The earthquake all but flattened colonial Lima, the shaking so violent that people tossed to the ground couldn't get back up. Minutes later, a 50-foot (15-meter) wall of Pacific Ocean crashed into the adjacent port of Callao, killing all but 200 of its 5,000 inhabitants. Bodies washed ashore for weeks.Plenty of earthquakes have shaken Peru's capital in the 266 years since that fateful...

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Chavez to return to Cuba for cancer surgery again

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was heading back to Cuba on Sunday for more cancer surgery after announcing that the illness returned despite two previous operations, chemotherapy and radiation treatment.Chavez acknowledged the seriousness of his health situation in a televised address Saturday night, saying for the first time that if he suffers complications Vice President...

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Hugo Chavez says he needs cancer surgery again

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was heading back to Cuba on Sunday for more cancer surgery after announcing that the illness returned despite two previous operations, chemotherapy and radiation treatment.Chavez acknowledged the seriousness of his health situation in a televised address Saturday night, saying for the first time that if he suffers complications Vice President...

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Snapshot: Chavez's designated successor

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The man President Hugo Chavez wants to succeed him is an intensely loyal 50-year-old former bus driver who has long served as the international face of Venezuela whenever the socialist president wasn't soaking up the limelight himself.NICOLAS MADURO had been foreign minister since 2006. Chavez then tapped him as his vice president three days after winning re-election on...

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Chavez faces new cancer battle, surgery in Cuba

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was heading back to Cuba on Sunday for a third cancer surgery after naming his vice president as his choice to lead the country if the illness cuts short his presidency.Chavez's announcement on Saturday night unleashed new uncertainty about the country's future, and his supporters poured into city plazas across the nation to pray for his...

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FACTBOX-NFL-Reaction to deaths of Chiefs' Belcher, girlfriend

Dec 1 (Reuters) - Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher committed suicide after murdering his girlfriend in Kansas City on Saturday, police said.Following are reactions to the deaths:* Kansas City Chiefs CEO Clark Hunt:"The entire Chiefs family is deeply saddened by today's events, and our collective hearts are heavy with sympathy, thoughts and prayers for the families and friends affected...

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"Guardians of the Galaxy" director sorry for blog post seen as sexist, homophobic

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - James Gunn, the man entrusted with steering Marvel's "Guardians of the Galaxy" to the big screen, apologized publicly for a 2011 blog post that was criticized as sexist and homophobic.Gunn, who is best known for directing the 2006 horror-comedy "Slither," found himself under fire this week after reports about a blog post titled "The 50 Superheroes You Most Want to Have...

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Act of kindness turns New York cop into media darling

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S. national media just got the perfect holiday gift: a feel-good tale about a young police officer who dug into his own pocket to put boots on a barefoot panhandler on a freezing city sidewalk.Even better was the way the story of New York City Police Officer Larry DePrimo's kindness unfolded.Thanks to a blurry Facebook photo snapped on a cell phone by a tourist who happened...

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Korean pop rides "Gangnam Style" into U.S. music scene

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "Gangnam Style," the catchy Korean song by rapper Psy, may have danced its way into the American charts but the Korean pop industry isn't horsing around when it comes to capitalizing on the singer's phenomenal U.S. success.With "Gangnam Style" topping the current Billboard Digital Songs chart and becoming the most-watched video on YouTube ever with more than 800 million views,...

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Senator Shelby seeks hearing on SEC's cybersecurity lapse

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A leading Senate Republican is seeking a hearing to explore the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's failure to encrypt some computers containing highly sensitive stock exchange data.Staff for Senator Richard Shelby this week told Senate Banking Chairman Tim Johnson's staff that they believe a hearing is in order, after they were briefed by SEC officials about the security...

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