Time to respect Chavez's merits?

By Samuel Moncada, Special to CNNFebruary 18, 2013 -- Updated 1218 GMT (2018 HKT)One Venezuelan official says the reforms enacted in Hugo Chavez's 14-year tenure deserve respect.STORY HIGHLIGHTSDespite perceptions, Hugo Chavez has brought social progress to VenezuelaMoncada: Venezuela's critics have engineered a false narrative of impending disasterVenezuela has used its vast oil reserves to transform...

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S'pore, Malaysia agree on high-speed rail link

SINGAPORE: Singapore and Malaysia have agreed to build a high-speed rail link between Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, with a target to complete it by 2020.This was announced by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Tuesday during their annual Leaders' Retreat.With the new link, it will take about 90 minutes to get from Singapore to KL and vice versa.The...

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Coast Guard identifies cause of cruise ship fire

STORY HIGHLIGHTSNEW: Coast Guard: The fuel line ran from an engine to a fuel tankThere is no indication the leak was intentional, a Coast Guard official saysThe crew is praised for doing a "very good job" containing the fireWashington (CNN) -- The fire that crippled the Carnival cruise ship Triumph started with a leak in a fuel-oil return line running from one of the ship's engines, the U.S. Coast...

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WH: Leaked immigration plan is only partial draft

(CBS News) WASHINGTON -- Over the weekend, a partial White House plan for immigration reform leaked to the press and caused an uproar. White House officials tell CBS News that what was leaked is real -- it's a partial draft of half a bill. What we know is the administration's current thinking about what to do about the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States right now....

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Obama's Speech on Guns Doesn't Stop Ill. Killing

A Chicago teenager was shot and killed Friday only hours after her sister attended President Obama's speech on the city's rampant gun violence. Janay McFarlane, 18, was killed while walking with a friend during a visit to her dad, Herbert McFarlane, in North Chicago."All this gun violence going on, you never think it would be your child," he told ABC's Chicago station WLS....

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Model: Getting what I don't deserve

STORY HIGHLIGHTSModel Cameron Russell's TED Talk has been viewed more than a million timesShe says, as winner of "genetic lottery," she has been able to have a modeling careerHer looks fit a narrow definition of beauty, she saysRussell: I work hard but my modeling career gives my views undeserved attentionEditor's note: Cameron Russell has been a model for brands such as Victoria's Secret, Calvin...

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Basketball: West wins third in a row over East in All-Star Game

HOUSTON, Texas: Chris Paul scored 20 points and passed out 15 assists to spark the Western Conference over the Eastern Conference 143-138 in the 62nd NBA All-Star Game.NBA scoring leader Kevin Durant had a game-high 30 points for the West and Paul's Los Angeles Clippers teammate Blake Griffin added 19 points, both of them jamming down spectacular slam dunks thanks to set-up passes from...

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Pope delivers one of his final messages

By Hada Messia and Josh Levs, CNNupdated 7:21 PM EST, Sun February 17, 2013Pope Benedict XVI waves as he arrives to lead the Angelus prayer at the Vatican on Sunday.STORY HIGHLIGHTSIt's the pope's second-to-last Angelus prayer as pontiffPope Benedict XVI thanks his flock for prayers and supportHe discusses "decisive moments of our lives"Cardinals may meet before March 15(CNN) -- Pope Benedict XVI...

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Danica Patrick makes NASCAR history

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. Danica Patrick has made history before — as a woman and a racer, in Indianapolis and Japan. The spotlight is nothing new. But never has it been this bright before. Patrick won the Daytona 500 pole Sunday, becoming the first woman to secure the top spot for any race in NASCAR's premier circuit. It's by far the biggest achievement of her stock-car career. 29 PhotosDanica Patrick...

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Troubled Country Singer Shot Herself, Cops Say

Mindy McCready, the country singer who soared to the top of the charts with her debut album, "Ten Thousand Angels," but struggled with substance abuse, served time in jail and fought a lengthy battle with her mother over custody of her son has died of what appears to be a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. She was 37.Deputies from the Cleburne County Sheriff's Office were...

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