Syria's Assad rejects dialogue with "puppet" opposition

DEAR ABBY: I'm the youngest of three children and I'll be graduating from high school in the spring. My parents always seemed happy with each other. They were obviously in love, and they told my brothers and me they would never get divorced. Although they had arguments, they always made up, and it never seemed to be serious.For the last few months, my dad has been acting weird. He spends a lot of...

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Mediocre job growth points to slow grind for U.S. economy

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The pace of U.S. job growth slowed a bit in December, keeping the unemployment rate steady at 7.8 percent, but details of the Labor Department's U.S. employment report were fairly encouraging. * Nonfarm payrolls increased 155,000, but job gains for the previous month were revised up to show 15,0000 more positions created than previously reported. *...

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Manziel leads A&M to Cotton Bowl rout of Sooners

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — At one point early in the Cotton Bowl, with "Johnny B. Goode" blaring through the stadium speakers, Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel peeked up at the accompanying highlights on the huge video board hanging over the field.Texas A&M's exciting dual-threat quarterback known as Johnny Football sure puts on a show worth watching."Best player I've ever played. He does so...

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Canadian Press NewsAlert:ExxonMobil to spend $14B on Canadian offshore project

IRVING, Texas – Exxon Mobil Corp. says it plans to spend $ 14 billion to develop the Hebron offshore oil field off Canada’s east coast over the next few years. The Texas-based oil company says it expects Hebron to begin producing near the end of 2017. The project will employ up to 3,500 during the construction phase.More comingEnergy News Headlines – Yahoo! N...

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Second escaped inmate caught in former neighborhood

Chicago Tribune reporter Jason Meisner on the recent arrest of Kenneth Conley, a convicted bank robber who escaped from federal jail in December. (Posted on: Jan. 4, 2013.) ...

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Chavez swearing-in can be delayed: Venezuelan VP

CARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez's formal swearing-in for a new six-year term scheduled for January 10 can be postponed if he is unable to attend due to his battle to recover from cancer surgery, Venezuela's vice president said on Friday. Nicolas Maduro's comments were the clearest indication yet that the Venezuelan government is preparing to delay the swearing-in while avoiding...

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Global shares, oil slip on Fed stimulus nerves

LONDON (Reuters) - World shares edged lower and the dollar rose before U.S. jobs data on Friday which investors will watch even more closely than usual after Fed officials raised concerns about possible side effects of its stimulus program. Minutes from the Federal Reserve's December policy meeting unsettled financial markets on Thursday after they showed some policymakers were worried...

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Oregon runs past K-State 35-17 at Fiesta Bowl

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — As Oregon coach Chip Kelly was about to receive the massive Fiesta Bowl trophy, Ducks fans inside University of Phoenix Stadium started a chant of "We want Chip!"Whether he returns or not is up in the air.If Kelly does head to the NFL, this was a great send off.Sparked by De'Anthony Thomas' 94-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff, No. 5 Oregon turned the Fiesta Bowl...

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Quadrantid Meteor Shower Wows Stargazers

Cold weather and a bright moon didn’t stop skywatchers around the country from capturing stunning shots of the annual Quadrantid meteor shower this week.Astrophotographer Victor Rogus, for example, snapped a dramatic image from Jadwin, Mo., a few hours before dawn today (Jan. 3) during the Quadrantids’ peak. The streaking meteor seen in the photo appears in Ursa Minor, a constellation in the...

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Myanmar: Evolution, not revolution

Tourists walk around the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon in April. The tourism industry is set for expansion.STORY HIGHLIGHTSMyanmar is undergoing incremental change, welcomed by all, says Parag KhannaBut he says people still tread lightly, careful not to overstep or demand too muchMyanmar has survived succession of natural and man-made ravages, Khanna addsWith sanctions lifted, foreign investment is now...

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