National News from Yahoo
‘I have not done anything wrong’
IRS official refuses to answer questions at scandal hearing
By Kim Dixon and Patrick Temple-West WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Internal Revenue Service official at the center of a tax scandal about extra scrutiny of conservative groups told a congressional hearing on Wednesday she had done nothing wrong but asserted her constitutional right not to answer questions. "I have not done anything wrong. I have not broken any laws," Lois Lerner, head of the IRS tax-exempt unit, told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. ...
Dubai authorities seize shipment of 259 elephant tusks
DUBAI (Reuters) - Customs officials in United Arab Emirates have seized hundreds of elephant tusks shipped from Africa marked as furniture, the Ministry of Environment and Water said. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said in a statement that the container came from Mombasa in Kenya. Poaching has risen in recent years across sub-Saharan Africa, where well-armed criminal gangs have killed elephants and rhinos for tusks that are often shipped to Asia for use in ornaments and some medicines. ...
Syrian opposition urges rebels to join key battle
GOP questions IRS scrutiny of anti-abortion groups
Artist Ai Weiwei uses music to mock state power in China
FBI agent kills man after questioning him in Boston bombing
An FBI agent shot and killed a man in Orlando, Fla., early Wednesday after questioning him about his link to the Boston Marathon bombing suspects. Dave Couvertier, a special agent and spokesman for the FBI's Tampa field office, told Yahoo News that the shooting is under investigation. He identified the man as Ibragim Todashev, a [...]
Tornando survivors try to recover
FBI kills man with suspected ties to Boston bomb suspect
FBI agent kills man after Boston Marathon bombing questioning
Gay rights advocate seeks to overturn gay Boy Scouts ban
Top Line As the Boy Scouts of America prepares to vote tomorrow on a proposal that would change its long-standing policy of excluding gay boys from Scout units, the executive director of Scouts for Equality, a gay rights advocacy group, is hopeful that the proposal will pass--but says this is just the first step. “This [...]
Octogenarians race to be oldest Everest climber
Arias speaks out about case in jailhouse interview
Afghan students protest women's rights decree
KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Hard-line Islamist students protested Wednesday in the Afghan capital demanding the repeal of a presidential decree for women's rights that they say is un-Islamic. It was the latest sign of a backlash against the legal protections passed in the 12 years since the toppling of the Taliban regime known for its harsh treatment of women.
College costs could go up, thanks to Washington
For a talented, creative few, there’s David Letterman. For most, there’s a labyrinth of paperwork, hard decisions and painful sacrifices that could have dramatic repercussions on their financial health decades from now. Paying for college in America is hard. And a fight may be brewing in Washington that could leave college grads paying more—maybe a [...]
Garcetti builds lead as L.A. picks new mayor
Iran's Ahmadinejad denounces election decision
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says a decision by election overseers to disqualify his top aide from an upcoming presidential race is an act of "oppression" and he will take the case to the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
