Top Headlines

Romney looks to squelch Santorum's late rise (AP)

AP - Mitt Romney hopes his presidential campaign hasn't ignored Rick Santorum's aggressive attacks for too long, as caucuses in Colorado and Minnesota on Tuesday could reshuffle the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Russian FM due in Syria amid escalating violence (AP)

AP - Russia's foreign minister is due in Damascus for talks with embattled President Bashar Assad, a day after the U.S. closed its embassy and Britain recalled its ambassador from Syria.

Autopsies: Powell boys suffered 'chop injuries' (AP)

AP - Josh Powell's boys were coming for a visit, and he had preparations to make.

Staff to be removed during probe at LA school (AP)

AP - The entire staff at an elementary school where two teachers were arrested on suspicion of lewd conduct will be removed while the school district investigates, the Los Angeles school superintendent said Monday night.

Obama to seek more Alzheimer's research money (AP)
AP - The Obama administration wants to spend just over half a billion dollars on Alzheimer's research next year, hoping to battle back against what could become the defining disease of the aging baby-boom generation.

Looking for work? There may be an app for that (AP)
AP - Looking for a promising career in a lousy economy? A new study suggests you're apt to find it in apps — the services and tools built to run on smartphones, computer tablets and Facebook's online social network.

Oregon copter pilot has knack for finding the lost (AP)

AP - A few years ago, John Rachor painted his helicopter orange and yellow, so it would be easier to spot if he ever crashed and became the target of a search and rescue operation in the rugged forests of southwestern Oregon.

US trip of China's next leader: from Obama to Iowa (AP)
AP - In 1985, Xi Jinping led a delegation to Muscatine, Iowa, to study advanced hog-raising techniques. He comes back next week, preparing to lead the world's most populous nation.

Jay-Z enters new musical heights at Carnegie Hall (AP)

AP - As Jay-Z transitioned from hit song to hit song at a Carnegie Hall concert Monday night, so did the lighting, changing from red to white to blue.

New York to fete Giants with parade up Broadway (AP)

AP - The New York Giants are returning from their Super Bowl win to a celebration the likes that only New York can throw: a ticker-tape parade in the Canyon of Heroes on Broadway, where the city has honored stars for almost a century.

Glencore to buy Xstrata in $90 billion deal (Reuters)
Reuters - Commodities trader Glencore agreed an all-share takeover of mining group Xstrata worth $90 billion on Tuesday in the industry's largest ever deal, creating a powerhouse spanning mining, agriculture and trading.

Santorum aims for a victory in Republican contests (Reuters)

Reuters - Republican candidate Rick Santorum is gunning for a victory in at least one of the three states holding presidential nominating contests on Tuesday in an attempt to slow down front-runner Mitt Romney and revive his fading White House hopes.

Greek leaders face crunch talks, unions strike (Reuters)
Reuters - Greek leaders face crunch talks on Tuesday to agree on unpopular reforms to secure a 130-billion-euro ($170 billion) bailout and avert a chaotic debt default which could threaten its future in the euro zone.

Bombardment of Syria's Homs resumes: activists (Reuters)

Reuters - Heavy bombardment of the Syrian city of Homs resumed on Tuesday after at least 95 civilians were killed on Monday in an offensive to put down a popular revolt against President Bashar al-Assad's rule, activists and residents said.

Toyota Q3 jumps, sees "tough race" in North America (Reuters)

Reuters - Toyota Motor Corp reported a stronger-than-expected quarterly operating profit and raised its annual forecast on cost cuts and Japanese government subsidies, though this is still some way below analysts' expectations.

BP preparing "vigorously" for oil spill lawsuits (Reuters)
Reuters - BP said it was preparing "vigorously" for lawsuits related to its Gulf of Mexico oil spill, which are due to start later this month, as it unveiled a rise in fourth quarter earnings on the back of higher oil prices.

Insight: Two firms flourish in frenzied MF Global aftermath (Reuters)
Reuters - The mad rush to move client money out of MF Global Inc. after its collapse left two firms with the bulk of customer accounts, while other brokerages emerged with only minor gains from the chaos of carving up a multibillion-dollar business.

Greek deal hopes lift euro, shares (Reuters)

Reuters - The euro and European stock markets edged higher on Tuesday as traders grew hopeful a resolution could be found to enable a second bailout deal for Greece, although poor results for some top European firms rekindled fears about the impact of the crisis.

Chrysler Super Bowl commercial: Is Clint Eastwood a Democrat? (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - Clint Eastwood’s Super Bowl commercial for Chrysler was, amid a sea of retread themes and less-than-inspiring plots (you’re so much better than this, Doritos) pretty awesome.

Madonna half time show: What's a network to do when performers behave badly? (The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - What began as a flap over a flash of a middle finger during the halftime show at Sunday’s Super Bowl has turned into a full-blown fracas over the future of the Federal Communications Commission, free-speech rights in an era of live events, and family-friendly programming in an age of nonregulated cable and Internet.