Afternoon Update: Ally of Assad Says Syria Will Fight Protests Till 'the End'

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May 10, 2011 Afternoon Update

TOP NEWS Ally of Assad Says Syria Will Fight Protests Till 'the End' By ANTHONY SHADID The ruling family believes it must survive at all costs or the region would be thrown into chaos, Syria's most powerful businessman suggested in an interview. The Lede: Video of Arrests Calls for Daily Protests in Syria 12:15 PM ET Japan Scraps Plan for New Nuclear Plants By MARTIN FACKLER Prime Minister Naoto Kan said Tuesday that Japan must "start from scratch" in creating a new energy policy. DealBook The Big Winners in Skype Deal By EVELYN M. RUSLI A hodgepodge of investors, including a private equity firm, a pension fund and a venture capitalist, stand to benefit from a proposed deal with Microsoft. Microsoft Announces $8.5 Billion Deal to Acquire Skype Impact on Windows Phones A Revolution's Namesake Is Contraband in China By ANDREW JACOBS and JONATHAN ANSFIELD Since Tunisian revolutionaries anointed their successful revolt the "Jasmine Revolution," the flowering cousin of the olive tree has been branded a nefarious change-agent. Bin Laden Sons Say U.S. Violated International Law By SCOTT SHANE The adult sons of Osama bin Laden have lashed out at President Obama over their father's death, accusing the United States of violating legal principles. U.S. Still Waits for Access to Bin Laden Widows 11:20 AM U.S. Was Braced for Fight With Pakistanis in Bin Laden Raid Text of the Statement • NYTimes.com Home Page »

Multimedia Video: TimesCast President Obama urges Congress to act on the immigration bill; Syria's most powerful businessman; and in China, jasmine is seen as a problematic revolutionary symbol. Opinion Opinionator Blog More Than a Résumé Having a Community Organizer-in-Chief in the White House turned out to be an asset after all, Timothy Egan writes.

BUSINESS DealBook Skype Deal Gets a Mixed Reaction By DEALBOOK Analysts see a tax-advantaged use of Microsoft's huge cash hoard, but others question the company's track record with large acquisitions. DealBook: Microsoft Announces $8.5 Billion Deal to Acquire Skype DealBook: The Big Winners in Skype Deal Merkel Resists Pressure on New Aid for Greece By JUDY DEMPSEY Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said it was too early to discuss new aid for Greece, even as the country's borrowing costs rose again. French Lawmakers Debate Ban on Controversial Drilling Technique By DAVID JOLLY Citing environmental concerns, even members of President Nicolas Sarkozy's governing conservative party have come out against the practice known as hydraulic fracturing. British Public Figures Struggle to Protect Privacy By ERIC PFANNER A European court rejected a bid by Max Mosley, who was the subject of reports about his sex life, to require news organizations to inform subjects of articles prior to publication. DealBook Goldman Faces New Legal Woes By SUSANNE CRAIG The firm disclosed in a regulatory filing on Tuesday that it had received more subpoenas related to Abacus and other collateralized debt obligations that it made during the mortgage boom. • More Business News »

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