Afternoon Update: Syria Reported to Kill 100 on Eve of Visit by Observers

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December 21, 2011 Afternoon Update

TOP NEWS Syria Reported to Kill 100 on Eve of Visit by Observers By KAREEM FAHIM Word of the killings came a day before observers from the Arab League are to visit Syria for the first time to monitor the government's pledges to withdraw its troops from besieged areas. Central Bank Loans Ease Euro Credit Strain, for Now By DAVID JOLLY AND JACK EWING Banks lined up for almost half a trillion euros in cheap three-year loans, part of an unprecedented effort to keep credit flowing in the euro zone. Stocks Subdued After E.C.B.'s Lending Move3:50 PM ET Successor in North Korea Moves to Consolidate Power By CHOE SANG-HUN North Korean television showed senior military leaders saluting Kim Jong-un on Wednesday, as the young leader moved to tighten internal security. 8 Charged in Death of Fellow Soldier, U.S. Army Says By KIRK SEMPLE The type of charges seems to suggest that investigators believe the soldiers' actions led Private Danny Chen to commit suicide, not that they killed him. In Chinatown, Soldier's Death Raises Suspicions (Oct. 30) DealBook Yahoo to Consider Sale of Asian Assets By EVELYN M. RUSLI and MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED Yahoo's board will consider selling its holdings in Alibaba Group and its Japanese affiliate back to their majority holders in a complicated tax-free deal valued at about $17 billion. • NYTimes.com Home Page »

World Interactive Feature: Their War at Home Nearly nine years of war in Iraq have produced a growing cadre of world-class, homegrown Iraqi news photographers. These are the stories of five of those photojournalists, with a sampling of their images. Lens Blog: Iraqi Photographers Captured the Costs of War Opinion Opinionator | The Conversation The Year in Review - And Next Year in Preview By DAVID BROOKS and GAIL COLLINS We'll get to hear from actual voters in 2012. What can they say?

BUSINESS $335 Million Settlement on Countrywide Lending Bias By CHARLIE SAVAGE The Justice Department said Bank of America had agreed to a record fair-lending settlement over allegations of discriminatory practices by a mortgage subsidiary. Court Upholds Europe's Plan to Charge Airlines for Carbon Emissions By NICOLA CLARK A decision by the European Union's highest court on Wednesday could spark a trade war with countries that oppose being forced into Europe's carbon-trading system. Authorities Raid Olympus Offices in Tokyo By HIROKO TABUCHI Investigators moved into high gear after a panel of experts said that two senior former executives masterminded the cover-up with the help of investment bankers. DealBook Embattled Fortress Chief Takes Leave of Absence By BEN PROTESS and AZAM AHMED Daniel H. Mudd, a former head of Fannie Mae who faces S.E.C. charges, is taking a leave of absence from his role as chief executive of the Fortress Investment Group. Walgreen Faces Loss of Millions of Pharmacy Customers By BRUCE JAPSEN Walgreen, in a payment battle with Express Scripts, said it had failed to get most of its customers who use Express Scripts to switch to another benefit manager. • More Business News »

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