[countersixte]

For #1, the yy command will yank the entire line (including the newline). Try using y$, which will yank from the cursor to the end of the line (not including the newline).

[falcolas]

This is the simplest way, in my opinion. So simple, that I remapped 'Y' to do exactly that (so it matches the functionality of 'D' and 'C').

    map Y y$