Yahoo! News: Top Stories

They're back: Social issues overtake US politics (AP)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:13:08 GMT

AP - All of a sudden, abortion, contraception and gay marriage are at the center of American political discourse, with the struggling — though improving — economy pushed to the background.

Blasts hit security HQs in Syrian city Aleppo (AP)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:05:45 GMT

AP - Two explosions struck security compounds in the Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday, killing 25 people and wounding 175, state media reported, in a major city that has largely stood by President Bashar Assad in the nearly 11-month-old uprising against his rule.

Greek coalition party to oppose austerity measures (AP)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:08:25 GMT

AP - The leader of a small partner in Greece's coalition government said Friday his party would vote against the latest round of austerity measures required for a massive new bailout deal — despite having backed the measures a day earlier.

Foreign donations are a risk in super PAC setting (AP)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:54:53 GMT

AP - Money pouring into the presidential election from super political action committees and nonprofit campaign groups appears so far to be strictly American in origin, donated by U.S. companies, unions and millionaires.

Turbo-traders take Bank of America for a ride (AP)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:41:03 GMT

AP - On a normal day, 4 billion shares of stock change hands on the New York Stock Exchange. One in 10 belongs to a single company. It's not McDonald's or IBM, both of which have been on a tear.

German court sentences US airmen's killer to life (AP)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:47:37 GMT

AP - An Islamic extremist who admitted killing two U.S. airmen bound for Afghanistan at Frankfurt airport last year was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison on Friday.

Embalmer takes speech case to Mass. high court (AP)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:16:25 GMT

AP - Troy Schoeller admits he could have chosen his words more carefully when he talked to a reporter about bodies he worked on as an embalmer at a funeral home.

Groups demand new probe into Marine photo (AP)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:16:36 GMT

AP - A leading Jewish organization and others outraged by a photo showing Marine snipers in Afghanistan posing with a logo resembling a notorious Nazi symbol are demanding President Barack Obama order an investigation and hold the troops accountable.

Nearly 1 in 20 US adults over 50 have fake knees (AP)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:44:09 GMT

AP - Nearly 1 in 20 Americans older than 50 have artificial knees, or more than 4 million people, according to the first national estimate showing how common these replacement joints have become in an aging population.

Teenage girl from Afghanistan to box at Olympics (AP)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:38:59 GMT

AP - Besides going after a medal in the boxing ring at the London Olympics, Sadaf Rahimi will be taking a few punches in the fight for equal rights for Afghan women.

Greeks strike against IMF/EU austerity before crucial vote (Reuters)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:56:05 GMT

Reuters - Striking Greek workers denounced a new wave of austerity on Friday as a demand too far by the IMF and EU, but Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos told the nation it had to decide within days whether to take the pain and stay in the euro or not.

Bomb blasts bring death to Syria's Aleppo (Reuters)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:00:50 GMT

Reuters - Twin bomb blasts hit Syrian military and security buildings in the northern city of Aleppo on Friday, killing 25 people in the worst violence to hit the country's commercial hub in the 11-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

U.S. banks agree to $25 billion in homeowner help (Reuters)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:22:41 GMT

Reuters - Five big U.S. banks accused of abusive mortgage practices have agreed to a $25 billion government settlement that may help roughly one million borrowers but is no magic bullet for the ailing housing market.

Exclusive: Eyeing Yahoo deal, Alibaba may take HK unit private (Reuters)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:18:35 GMT

Reuters - Chinese e-commerce group Alibaba plans to take private its Hong Kong-listed unit, two sources familiar with the matter said, as part of a complex deal that would strengthen founder Jack Ma's control and give key stakeholder Yahoo cash and a direct stake in one of Alibaba's operating businesses.

Iran sanctions already hitting oil trade flows: IEA (Reuters)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:24:53 GMT

Reuters - Sanctions on Iran are already hitting global oil flows even though a European ban on imports from the Islamic Republic does not come into effect until July, the International Energy Agency (IEA) says.

Rep. Bachus faces insider trading probe: report (Reuters)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:34:29 GMT

Reuters - The chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, Spencer Bachus, who oversees the U.S. banking and financial services industries, is under investigation for possible violation of insider trading laws, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.

Exclusive: Brazil jets deal heats up as Boeing freezes bid (Reuters)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:43:25 GMT

Reuters - Boeing has frozen the price on its bid for a multi-billion-dollar Brazilian air force jet contract, sources close to the deal told Reuters, as the global race to sell military hardware to emerging economic powers becomes more competitive.

Loose-talking Santorum donor Friess to make star turn in DC (Reuters)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 07:24:37 GMT

Reuters - Foster Friess, the wealthy investor who is fueling Rick Santorum's presidential campaign, is enjoying his new-found fame.

Who is to blame for LA school sex abuse? Push for answers poised to escalate. (+video) (The Christian Science Monitor)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:52:00 GMT

The Christian Science Monitor - As the child sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Miramonte Elementary School and the Los Angeles Unified School District expands, a dramatic push for accountability is just beginning to take off.

Catholic furor over birth control rule turns Democrats on one another (The Christian Science Monitor)

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 01:43:20 GMT

The Christian Science Monitor - So what does contraception at a Catholic hospital or college have to do with a $109 billion highway bill?