PRESS DIGEST - New York Times business news - March 9

March 9 (Reuters) - The following were the top stories in the New York Times business pages on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

* Greece appeared to have clinched a landmark debt restructuring deal with its private sector lenders late Thursday. The deal would clear the way for the release of bailout funds from Europe and the International Monetary Fund that would save the country from default.

* Incentives, safety and the inexpensive sets as a result of the housing crisis have shifted productions of Spanish-language soap operas from Mexico to Miami.

* After spending years working behind the scenes to push for change, Daniel S. Loeb, a hedge fund manager, is once again openly admonishing management and battling a corporate board. The target: Yahoo.

* Johnson & Johnson said Thursday that its new drug for prostate cancer was effective when used earlier during treatment than it is now, potentially broadening its use and also posing a competitive threat to a rival drug, Dendreon's Provenge.

* The departing chief of European Aeronautic Defense and Space urged European governments on Thursday to refrain from meddling in company affairs, pointing to robust earnings in 2011 and record jet orders at its Airbus unit as proof that national interests were being served by the group's recent turnaround.