22+DEC

 **** __Democrats Face Challenge in Merging Health Bills__ **** By ROBERT PEAR and DAVID M. HERSZENHORN Deep divisions over abortion are the party’s biggest obstacle to combining the Senate and House bills, which also differ on a public plan and how to pay to expand insurance coverage.

**** __Funeral for Iranian Cleric Turns Into a Vast Protest__ **** By ROBERT F. WORTH and NAZILA FATHI Mourners for a founding father of Iran’s Islamic revolution flooded the holy city of Qum and faced off with Iranian security forces, witnesses said.

**** __Stiff Fines Are Set for Long Wait on the Tarmac__ **** By MATTHEW L. WALD Carriers that do not provide food and water after two hours or a chance to disembark after three hours will face penalties of $27,500 a passenger. **** __Russia Is Torn Over Push for Use of Cyrillic Web Domains__ **** By CLIFFORD J. LEVY Computer users are worried that a move by the Russian government would end up restricting access to the Internet.

**** __U.N. Panel Calls for Court in Guinea Massacre__ **** By NEIL MacFARQUHAR A report went into gruesome detail about the violence unleashed on a protest in the capital in September.

**** __North Korea Threatens to Fire Into Disputed Waters__ **** By CHOE SANG-HUN North Korea declared on Monday that its artillery units may fire shells into South Korean-held border waters off the west coast of the divided Korean Peninsula. **** __Efforts Lag at Making Highway Work Zones Safer__ **** By MIKE McINTIRE Through the collective indifference of government and industry, hundreds of people die each year in accidents in work zones.

**** __New Jersey College Is Beset by Accusations__ **** By SAM DILLON The president of Stevens Institute of Technology is accused of plundering the endowment and receiving illegal loans.

**** __When Holiday Shoppers Get Hero’s Welcome__ **** By ERIC WILSON This holiday season, retailers are being extra nice, and not just to the regulars. **** __Desert Vistas vs. Solar Power__ **** By TODD WOODY Senator Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to protect a million acres of the Mojave Desert in California by scuttling planned solar plants and wind farms.

**** __G.M. Hires Finance Chief From Microsoft__ **** By NICK BUNKLEY Christopher Liddell helped cut costs at Microsoft, and with his new role as G.M.’s finance chief, he might be in the running for the top job at the automaker.

**** __The Science of Managing Search Ads__ **** By MIGUEL HELFT More than a million businesses use Google’s search advertising system to attract customers, a strategy combining gamesmanship with frequent data analysis.