Afternoon Update: U.S. Recovery Slowly Gained Speed in Late '11, Data Show

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January 27, 2012 Afternoon Update

TOP NEWS U.S. Recovery Slowly Gained Speed in Late '11, Data Show By CATHERINE RAMPELL The American economy picked up a little steam last quarter, with output growing at an annualized rate of 2.8 percent, a faster rate than the 1.8 percent of the third quarter. Stocks Decline Geithner Offers Upbeat U.S. Outlook, With European Caveat Violence Rises Sharply in Syria, Flustering Arab League Monitors By KAREEM FAHIM and RICK GLADSTONE Heavy bloodshed was reported Friday as Arab League monitors expressed exasperation and the United Nations made a step toward a possible resolution condemning the government. On a Tour Cut Short, Monitors in Syria See Little Photographs: A Day With the Arab League Monitors France to Speed Troops' Withdrawal from Afghanistan By STEVEN ERLANGER President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday said French troops would leave a year early, by the end of 2013. Obama College Aid Proposal Puts a Focus on Affordability By TAMAR LEWIN President Obama is proposing a financial aid overhaul that would tie colleges' eligibility for campus-based aid programs to the institutions' success in improving affordability and value for students. Obama Pitches New Aid Plan in Michigan 11:12 AM ET As Primary Nears, Florida Poll Favors Romney By MICHAEL D. SHEAR The former governor of Massachusetts moved past his rival, Newt Gingrich, heading into the final weekend before the vote. Gingrich Stuck to Caustic Path in Ethics Battles • NYTimes.com Home Page »

World Slide Show: A Day With the Arab League Monitors in Syria On a tour by Arab League observers through the restless suburbs of Damascus, the stops were anxious, brief and few. Opinion Campaign Stops Fair Is Fair By STANLEY FISH President Obama should keep the focus on unfairness, not inequality.

BUSINESS The Wales Economy Slips, but London Cushions the Fall By LANDON THOMAS Jr. The British government's so-called money transfers prop up its poorer regions, keeping them from the kind of collapse suffered in euro zone nations like Greece. Stocks Decline After Growth Disappoints By REUTERS Wall Street traded lower Friday after data showed the American economy grew less than expected in the fourth quarter. Ford Posts Third-Straight Annual Profit By NICK BUNKLEY The automaker's earnings for 2011 were the largest in 13 years after a one-time gain in the fourth quarter. The Lede Blog Twitter's New Policy on Blocking Posts Is Attacked, and Defended By J. DAVID GOODMAN Twitter incited anger among its international users on Friday after it announced a new method of blocking individual posts from appearing in certain countries. But some Internet advocacy groups defended it. DealBook Eastman Chemical to Buy Solutia for $3.4 Billion By MARK SCOTT Eastman Chemical said on Friday that it would acquire the specialty chemicals manufacturer Solutia for $3.38 billion, as it looks to expand in emerging markets. • More Business News »

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