YPF, Chevron sign Argentina petroleum pact

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina‘s cash-strapped state energy company signed a partnership deal Wednesday with Chevron Corp. for a “massive development” of the South American country’s vast nonconventional oil and gas resources.YPF President Miguel Galuccio and Chevron‘s Latin America and Africa chief, Ali Moshiri, signed a letter of intent to start on a shale pilot project by drilling more...

Read More..

On gun control, look to Biden

Rebecca Puckwalter-Poza says Vice President Joe Biden was a leader on gun control in the Senate.STORY HIGHLIGHTSRebecca Buckwalter-Poza: Obama has apparently tapped Biden as gun control point manShe says he was leader in Senate on issue, shepherding 1994 gun control legislationIt banned manufacture of many semi-automatic guns,criminalized high-capacity magazinesWriter: Biden worked across aisle; he's...

Read More..

Theater review: Hilarious, hometown 'Book of Mormon'

Most of the audience flocking to “The Book of Mormon,” which officially descended on Chicago Wednesday night like satirical manna from some warped “South Park” heaven, are looking for amusement and escape. They'll surely find salvation from the rough old world in this new production of the deliciously over-eager 2011 Broadway hit, newly...

Read More..

Al Qaeda grows powerful in Syria as endgame nears

AMMAN (Reuters) - Having seen its star wane in Iraq, al Qaeda has staged a comeback in neighbouring Syria, posing a dilemma for the opposition fighting to remove President Bashar al-Assad and making the West balk at military backing for the revolt. The rise of al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, al-Nusra Front, which the United States designated a terrorist organisation last week, could usher...

Read More..

Stock index futures trade flat to higher

LONDON (Reuters) - Stock index futures pointed to a flat-to-higher open on Wall Street on Wednesday, consolidating gains after the S&P 500's best two-day run in a month. * Futures for the S&P 500 were unchanged, while Dow Jones and Nasdaq 100 contracts rose 0.2 percent and 0.3 percent, respectively, at 0924 GMT. * Japan's Nikkei <.n225> jumped 2.4 percent to...

Read More..

Jets bench Sanchez, will start McElroy vs Chargers

NEW YORK (AP) — Mark Sanchez is no longer the New York Jets' franchise quarterback.He might not even be the backup.Rex Ryan decided to bench Sanchez on Tuesday in favor of Greg McElroy after the fourth-year quarterback had another miserable performance in a 14-10 loss at Tennessee on Monday night that eliminated New York from playoff contention."I think it's best for our team, and for this game,"...

Read More..

Astronaut Research Holds Promise for Aging Treatments on the Ground

Soft bones. A risk of fainting. Hardened arteries.These conditions are risks for any space traveler, but they’re also problems facing many seniors living on Earth.To accelerate scientists’  understanding of how the body ages, Canada’s leading space and health agencies are pooling money and researchers, and plan to showcase the results of the research internationally.The Canadian Space Agency...

Read More..

Chicago prison inmates used bedsheets to escape

The scene at the Metropolitan Correctional Center and in Tinley Park, where authorities were searching for two escaped prisoners on Dec. 18, 2012. (Zbigniew Bzdak & Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune) ...

Read More..

South Korea's Park seen winning tight presidential election

SEOUL (Reuters) - The daughter of the South Korea's former military ruler appeared to be leading in Wednesday's presidential vote, putting her on track to become the country's first woman head of state although her narrow advantage meant the race was set to go to the wire. A win for the 60-year old conservative Park Geun-hye would see her return to the presidential palace where she served...

Read More..