North Korea's Internet Down; Prince George Visits Santa

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title: North Korean Internet Shut Down for Hours

text: The reclusive country's state-run Internet was down "hard" for nine hours and 31 minutes Monday, according to Dyn Research, which monitors the state of the Internet around the globe.

"I haven't seen such a steady beat of routing instability and outages in [North Korea] before," Doug Madory, director of Internet analysis at Dyn Research, told the website NorthKoreaTech.org.

It's unclear what caused the outage, but it comes days after President Obama promised a response to the cyberhack of Sony. There are other possibilities, however, as a Twitter handle claiming to represent the hacking group Anonymous tweeted last week: Operation RIP North Korea, engaged. #OpRIPNK

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title: Prince George Visits Santa

text: Just like many other little boys and girls across the world, Prince George got a taste of the Christmas spirit by making a trip to Santa.

The young prince's parents, Prince William and Duchess Kate, took the 17-month-old to a winter wonderland display in the country town of Thusford in Norfolk this weekend, People magazine reports.

They reportedly stayed at the “Santa's Magical Journey” display for about 45 minutes, with George coming home with a wooden toy train, before they headed back to their nearby country estate Anmer Hall.

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title: Fans Remember Joe Cocker

text: Legendary rock star Joe Cocker died Monday at age 70, his agent confirmed to the BBC.

Cocker, who was born John Robert Cocker in 1944, rose to fame in the 1960s when he covered "With a Little Help From My Friends" by the Beatles. His version was later used as the theme song for the series "The Wonder Years."

In 1975, he enjoyed another hit with "You Are So Beautiful," before winning a Grammy in 1983 for a duet of "Up Where We Belong" with Jennifer Warnes. He last released an album, "Fire It Up," in 2012 and had been performing live last year.

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title: Little Girl Breaks Down in Tears During Lottery Drawing

text: Children are tasked with singing while drawing the lucky winners in Spain's annual 'El Gordo' lottery with a $3 billion jackpot.

One little girl was so overcome by the moment, however, that she had trouble getting the notes out when she broke down in tears.

The crowd was supportive and responded by clapping, urging her to go on.

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title: Pope Francis Slams Bureaucracy

text: Most people send out thoughtful notes and warm wishes during the holiday season. Pope Francis is not most people.

The Associated Press reports that the head of the Catholic Church issued a 15-point plan explaining all that is wrong with the Vatican's bureaucracy, saying that the bishops and cardinals and priests who serve him are guilty of using their positions to grab power.

Pope Francis, who won popularity for shunning some of the more glamorous perks of his position for more humble options, wrote that they were living "hypocritical" double lives.

He wrote that by fixing these 15 "ailments of the Curia," the church will be able to become healthier and holier in the next year.

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