Features
Top 10 news stories of 2011
The killing of Osama bin Laden during a raid by Navy SEALs on his hideout in Pakistan was the top news story of 2011, according to The Associated Press' annual poll of U.S. editors and news directors. Here are 2011's top 10 stories, in order, along with a poll for you to cast your vote on the biggest story of the year.
Osama bin Laden's death
He'd been the world's most-wanted terrorist for nearly a decade, ever since a team of his al-Qaida followers carried out the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. In May, the long and often-frustrating manhunt ended with a nighttime assault by a helicopter-borne special operations squad on his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Bin Laden was shot dead by one of the raiders, and within hours his body was buried at sea. Japan's triple disaster
A 9.0-magnitude earthquake off Japan's northeast coast in March unleashed a tsunami that devastated scores of communities, leaving nearly 20,000 people dead or missing and wreaking an estimated $218 billion in damage. The tsunami triggered the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl after waves knocked out the cooling system at a nuclear power plant, causing it to spew radiation that turned up in local produce. About 100,000 people evacuated from the area have not returned to their homes. Arab Spring
It began with demonstrations in Tunisia that rapidly toppled the longtime strongman. Spreading like a wildfire, the Arab Spring protests sparked a revolution in Egypt that ousted Hosni Mubarak, fueled a civil war in Libya that climaxed with Moammar Gadhafi's death, and fomented a bloody uprising in Syria against the Assad regime. Bahrain and Yemen also experienced major protests and unrest. EU fiscal crisis
The European Union was wracked by relentless fiscal turmoil. In Greece, austerity measures triggered strikes, protests and riots, while Italy's economic woes toppled Premier Silvio Berlusconi. France and Germany led urgent efforts to ease the debt crisis; Britain balked at proposed changes. U.S. economy
By some measures, the U.S. economy gained strength as the year progressed. Hiring picked up a bit, consumers were spending more, and the unemployment rate finally dipped below 9 percent. But millions of Americans remained buffeted by foreclosures, joblessness and benefit cutbacks, and investors were on edge monitoring the chain of fiscal crises in Europe. Penn State sex abuse scandal
One of America's most storied college football programs was tarnished in a scandal that prompted the firing of Hall of Fame football coach Joe Paterno. One of his former assistants, Jerry Sandusky, was accused of sexually molesting 10 boys; two senior Penn State officials were charged with perjury; and the longtime president was ousted. Paterno wasn't charged, but expressed regret he didn't do more after being told there was a problem. Gadhafi toppled in Libya
After nearly 42 years of mercurial and often brutal rule, Moammar Gadhafi was toppled by his own people. Anti-government protests escalated into an eight-month rebellion, backed by NATO bombing, that shattered his regime, and Gadhafi finally was tracked down and killed in the fishing village where he was born. Fiscal showdown in Congress
Partisan divisions in Congress led to several showdowns on fiscal issues. A fight over the debt ceiling prompted Standard & Poor's to strip the U.S. of its AAA credit rating. Later, the so-called "supercommittee" failed to agree on a deficit-reduction package of at least $1.2 trillion — potentially triggering automatic spending cuts of that amount starting in 2013. Occupy Wall Street protests
It began Sept. 17 with a protest at a New York City park near Wall Street, and within weeks spread to scores of communities across the U.S. and abroad. The movement depicted itself as leaderless and shied away from specific demands, but succeeded in airing its complaint that the richest 1 percent of Americans benefit at the expense of the rest. As winter approached, local police dismantled several of the protest encampments. Gabrielle Giffords shot
The popular third-term congresswoman from Arizona suffered a severe brain injury when she and 18 other people were shot by a gunman as she met with constituents outside a Tucson supermarket in January. Six people died, and Giffords' painstaking recovery is still in progress. Cast your vote |
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Video: President Obama endorses same-sex marriage
A day after an amendment banning gay marriage passed in North Carolina, President Barack Obama tells ABC News that he believes same-sex couples should be able to get married.
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Tales of survival from Woodward's deadly tornado
Stirring stories of survival are emerging from Woodward's tornado, but none was more compelling than that of an 87-year-old widow who escaped unscathed by hiding in her bedroom closet while her house exploded around her. Sixty-five years earlier she survived Oklahoma's deadliest tornado, one that killed 116 of her neighbors, by hiding under a dining room table.
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VIDEO: Lightning illuminates tornado as it hits Okla. town
The assistant editor from the Woodward News in Oklahoma captured this video as a tornado touched down early Sunday morning, killing five people and injuring dozens more.
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SLIDESHOW: Deadly tornado flattens homes in Okla.
A tornado ripped through Woodward, Okla., early Sunday morning as part of a dangerous storm system that swept through the Midwest this weekend. At least five people in Woodward were killed and dozens more were injured.
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Viral video: Rain delay antics at college baseball game
Fans aren't the only ones who get bored during rain delays in college baseball -- the players do too. But the teams from the Southern Miss and Ole Miss found some creative ways to pass the time this week during an extended delay at Trustmark Park in Pearl, Miss.
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VIDEO: Texas tornado tosses truck trailers
A TV station helicopter captured amazing video of a Dallas-area tornado picking up truck trailers and tossing them hundreds of feet in the air. A powerful storm system caused several reported tornadoes across north Texas on Tuesday.
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SLIDESHOW: Go inside 'Hunger Games' movie
Opening Friday is one of this year's most highly-anticipated movies -- "The Hunger Games." Check out these images from the film.
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Viral video: Comedian pranks Ryan Seacrest on red carpet
Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen is known for dressing as outlandish characters of his own creation and pulling pranks on celebrities and the general public. On Sunday night, the Oscars became his latest target.
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Video: Jennifer Hudson sings tribute to Whitney Houston at Grammys
The Grammys on Sunday night were filled with tributes to the late Whitney Houston, who died Saturday in a Beverly Hills hotel at the age of 48.
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SLIDESHOW: Patriots best Ravens in AFC Championship
The Patriots defeat the Baltimore Ravens 23-20 in the AFC Championship game, securing a spot in Super Bowl XLVI against the New York Giants.
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Golden Gate Bridge Celebrates 75 Years
G-8 Seeks Unity on Euro-debt Crisis, Iran
Prosecutors: Trio Planned to Attack Obama's HQ
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