- Russia Set to Expel 35 U.S. Diplomats in Tit-for-Tat (BBG)
- Trump’s Plan to Partner With Russia Faces Bigger Hurdle (WSJ)
- Trump could reverse effects of Obama order on Russia (Reuters)
- Gold Lures Investors Worried About Trade Wars and Trump Tweets (BBG)
- Syria truce backed by Russia, Turkey, holds but clashes reported (Reuters)
- U.K.’s May Criticizes Kerry’s Speech on Israeli Settlements (BBG)
- Winter storm socks U.S. New England region (Reuters)
- Twitter Seeks a Little Help From Its Users Twitter (WSJ)
- Trump’s Border Wall, Deportation Plans Face Pushback From GOP (BBG)
- Malaysian Leader Promised Openness, Now Stifles Dissent (WSJ)
- Italy antitrust chief urges EU to help beat fake news (FT)
- China Vows to Ease Curbs on Foreign Investment in Finance (WSJ)
- Chinese Nuclear-Power Plant Delays Illustrate Toshiba’s Challenges (WSJ)
- Paschi Rescue to Cost Italy 6.6 Billion Euros, Central Bank Says (BBG)
- China to prosecute former senior spy catcher for graft (Reuters)
- Minimum Wages Set to Increase in Many States in 2017 (WSJ)
Overnight Media Digest
WSJ
– Indian government officials will likely meet early next week to evaluate the incentives sought by Apple Inc to manufacture its products in the country, two people familiar with the matter said. on.wsj.com/2iwbZnt
– President Barack Obama on Thursday issued a dramatic response to Russia’s alleged use of cyberattacks to interfere with the 2016 presidential election, including imposing sanctions on Russian agencies and companies and expelling dozens of suspected intelligence operatives from the U.S., in one of the biggest diplomatic confrontations between Washington and Moscow since the end of the Cold War. on.wsj.com/2iwd5zB
– Major U.S. law firms have become more vigilant in recent years about the risks of cyberattacks, but the revelation this week of a major hacking incident on two New York firms are a reminder that the industry remains vulnerable. on.wsj.com/2iw6jK9
– Health-care diagnostics company Alere Inc is taking steps to get Medicare billing privileges reinstated for its Arriva Medical LLC diabetes unit, challenging the actions of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. on.wsj.com/2isCHgI
– Seattle Genetics Inc said four leukemia patients died in clinical trials of an experimental treatment, prompting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to halt, or suspend enrollment in, several studies. on.wsj.com/2iwgkXU
– Fitbit Inc is dropping one of its cases against rival AliphCom Inc’s Jawbone, untangling some of the litigation between the wearable-device companies. on.wsj.com/2iw6qW5
– Sears Holdings Corp secured a $200 million line of credit, provided by affiliates of ESL Investments, a hedge fund founded by Sears Chief Executive Edward Lampert, and can be expanded to total up to $500 million. on.wsj.com/2iw7GIZ
FT
Shareholders are urging Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc to create a shareholder committee to prevent a return to the poor practices that led to the bank’s near-collapse in 2008. About 160 investors have proposed to the bank that it allow shareholders to vote at the next annual general meeting on setting up the new committee.
Amazon.com Inc has filed for a patent to use airborne warehouses to store products and serve as a base for delivery-drones. The airships would float at more than 45,000 feet and could either be manned or operated entirely by robots.
Labour councillors said Jeremy Corbyn must take a tougher line on immigration to address the concerns of working class voters. Labour, under pressure from the UK Independence Party, which has strict immigration controls stance, is targeting pro-Brexit working class voters in at least 20 constituencies.
NYT
– President Obama struck back at Russia on Thursday for its efforts to influence the 2016 election, ejecting 35 suspected Russian intelligence operatives from the United States and imposing sanctions on Russia’s two leading intelligence services. nyti.ms/2hSxPRo
– President-elect Donald Trump edged away on Thursday from his dismissive stance on American assessments of Russian hacking, saying he would meet with intelligence officials next week “to be updated on the facts” after the Obama administration announced sanctions against Moscow. nyti.ms/2ijFPvJ
– A cease-fire between Syria’s government and the weakened rebel forces arrayed against it took effect early Friday, but violations were reported within hours. nyti.ms/2ie0R0X
– China’s Ministry of Public Security opened the line last month to answer questions about the new law regulating foreign nonprofit organizations, which takes effect on Sunday. But this week and last, calls went unanswered, exemplifying the uncertainty that still surrounds the law, raising concern among thousands of nongovernmental organizations about their ability to continue their work in the new year. nyti.ms/2iL9Fwj
– The auto-parts maker Takata is nearing a sweeping settlement with federal prosecutors over airbags that can violently explode, according to two people briefed on the discussions. nyti.ms/2inVhcG
– An Argentine court reopened an investigation on Thursday into accusations that former President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner sought a secret deal with Iran in connection with the 1994 bombing of a Jewish center in Buenos Aires. nyti.ms/2hy88ba
Canada
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
** The Liberal government is reiterating its support for a two-state solution in the Middle East but did not go to the same extent as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in strongly denouncing Israeli settlement-building following a stinging rebuke from the United Nations. https://tgam.ca/2iMmZAE
** A long-time Vancouver police officer honoured by the department for protecting young sex workers from exploitation is facing six criminal charges related to the alleged sexual assaults of two victims last year – one of whom was a minor at the time who may have been a witness in an ongoing court case. https://tgam.ca/2iMhbqE
** Georgia Collins, a candidate for British Columbia New Democratic Party nomination on Vancouver Island, has withdrawn from the race, saying she endured sexism and harassment during her campaign and that the opposition party’s response to it was disappointing. https://tgam.ca/2iMc4H9
NATIONAL POST
** Four Canadian post-secondary schools, including the University of Toronto and McGill University, have landed on a provocative list of North America’s 40 “worst” campuses for Jewish students. http://bit.ly/2iMmuXd
** For Canada, one of the first potential flashpoints in the new bilateral universe could be in Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Even prior to Trump’s election, the Americans were threatening to cut ferry services to the port city on the province’s northern coast, unless Ottawa allows Buy America provisions to apply on Canadian soil – something the previous government called “an affront to Canadian sovereignty”. http://bit.ly/2iMk4aP
via http://ift.tt/2hzgwqD Tyler Durden