- Win or Lose, Trump Has Already Left His Mark on Republican Primary (BBG [17])
- S&P 500 Futures Rise With Miners; Oil Erases Gains, Euro Drops (BBG [18])
- U.S. top court divided over affirmative action in college admissions (Reuters [19])
- San Bernardino Shooter Said to Have Planned an Attack in 2012 (WSJ [20])
- Gun buyer and gunman linked through marriage, previous plot (AP [21])
- The neighbor at the center of a federal terror investigation (Reuters [22])
- US keeps wraps on new commando force for Iraq (AP [23])
- Billions of Barrels of Oil Vanish in a Puff of Accounting Smoke (BBG [24])
- Zuma Takes S. Africa Economy to Brink as Credit Risks Rise (BBG [25])
- North Korean leader Kim's H-bomb claim draws scepticism (Reuters [26])
- China’s Plan to Merge Sprawling Firms Risks Curbing Competition (BBG [27])
- No One Knows How Messy the Fed Increase Could Get (BBG [28])
- Is $50 Billion the Price of Repo Safety? (WSJ [29])
- Planned Parenthood suspect: 'I am a warrior for the babies' (AP [30])
- Zombies appear in U.S. oilfields as crude plumbs new lows (Reuters [31])
- Argentine Central Bank President Quits Under Macri Pressure (BBG [32])
- London Finance Vacancies Drop 32% as Banks Retreat, Survey Says (BBG [33])
Overnight Media Digest
WSJ
- Yahoo Inc on Wednesday signaled that its Internet business is up for sale, dealing a blow to Chief Executive Marissa Mayer and setting the stage for what may be the final act of a Web pioneer who failed to reinvent itself in the smartphone age (http://on.wsj.com/1IGd9I7 [34])
- After several years of building its own software to connect mobile apps in its cars, Hyundai Motor Co is throwing in the towel, becoming the first global auto maker to embrace software from potential rivals Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google. (http://on.wsj.com/1IGddr5 [35])
- The Mexican unit of Spanish construction giant Obrascón Huarte Laín SA is grappling with questions about its accounting and ties to administration of Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. (http://on.wsj.com/1IGdeeI [36])
- China is considering combining some of its biggest state-owned companies in a move that would tighten its grip over key parts of the world's No. 2 economy. The government said Tuesday it would merge two of the country's largest metals companies. Already it has combined train-car makers and nuclear technology firms and is in the process of combining its two largest shipping lines. (http://on.wsj.com/1IGdevm [37])
FT
Volkswagen says far fewer vehicles than initially feared were affected by its carbon dioxide emission problems, providing some relief to the sandal-hit automaker.
The European Union is looking into whether services such as Google News should pay to display snippets of news articles, wading into a bitter debate between the online industry and publishers.
Accor Hotels is buying FRHI Hotels & Resorts, the owner of Fairmont, Raffles and Swissotel hotel chains, in a cash-and-share deal worth $2.9 billion, that will also raise the U.S. profile of Europe's largest hotel group.
NYT
- Fiat Chrysler is expected to pay the federal government as much as $70 million in penalties for significantly underreporting the number of death and injury claims tied to potential defects in its cars, according to a person briefed on the fine. (http://nyti.ms/1Q2aaML [38])
- On Wednesday, the board of directors at Yahoo said that the company would pursue a spinoff of its core Internet business, leaving the Alibaba stock in the old company. (http://nyti.ms/1Q2aueo [39])
- Senators from both U.S. political parties on Wednesday denounced huge overnight price increases for decades-old drugs that have been made by some pharmaceutical companies lately, calling them unconscionable and detrimental to patients. (http://nyti.ms/1Q2aATi [40])
- Cindy Whitehead, who oversaw a long, but ultimately successful, effort to bring to market the first prescription drug to enhance women's sexual drive, is leaving her post as chief executive of Sprout Pharmaceuticals. (http://nyti.ms/1Q2dMOK [41])
- Under pressure to help Puerto Rico avoid a bond default on Jan. 1, Senate Republicans introduced a bill on Wednesday to extend several forms of assistance to the island. But the measure stopped well short of embracing proposals from the Obama administration, which include giving Puerto Rico access to bankruptcy court. (http://nyti.ms/1Q2emMD [42])
Canada
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
** Toronto police have charged two men with operating one of the largest pyramid schemes in Canadian history, alleging they raised $93 million from investors worldwide through a sham business purporting to sell banner ads for websites. (http://bit.ly/1lRg1au [43])
** The head of Bombardier Inc's rail business, Lutz Bertling, is stepping down mere weeks after the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec acquired a 30-per-cent stake in the unit and a say in its strategic direction. (http://bit.ly/1IWIotc [44])
NATIONAL POST
** The Globe and Mail Inc has reached a $31-million agreement with Transcontinental Inc to compensate the printing company for reduced revenue from the Toronto-based newspaper (http://bit.ly/1NOwNNW [45])
** Quebec is ready to help people with assisted suicide as the province's Dying with Dignity law comes into effect Thursday following a Court of Appeal ruling. (http://bit.ly/1NjVAdB [46])
Britain
The Times
Volkswagen AG will publish a blueprint today designed to salvage its future after it was revealed that far fewer cars had been affected by the emissions scandal than was feared. (http://thetim.es/1Q14Lp5 [47])
BP Plc is to lift its stake in a $12 billion offshore gas project in Egypt's West Nile Delta, cementing its control over one of North Africa's biggest new energy developments.(http://thetim.es/1mboiXm [48])
The Guardian
Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc is paying 23.8 million euros to German prosecutors to settle an investigation into tax evasion by part of Coutts, best known for being banker to the Queen. (http://bit.ly/1R9VriA [49])
The tumbling price of oil and a brutal battle for customers between supermarkets mean British drivers could be paying less than 1 pound for a litre of fuel by Christmas, handing a boost to consumers for the festive season. The RAC has predicted that petrol prices will tumble across the country and fall below 1 pound at supermarkets in time for Christmas. (http://bit.ly/1Nc1U98 [50])
The Telegraph
Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc has suffered another blow after renowned fund manager Neil Woodford sold his entire stake in the business, revealing his "frustration" with the engineering business. (http://bit.ly/1ORT7eT [51])
Sky News
Former Business Secretary Vince Cable recently agreed to become a director of the Hampshire Community Bank, which wants to establish itself as a not-for-profit lender focused on aiding the county's economy. (http://bit.ly/1U4iFFK [52])
Rail passengers in the north of England and Scotland have been promised a 1.2 billion stg investment boost after the Government awarded two new rail franchises. (http://bit.ly/1XWdH3u [53])
The Independent
The ONS has released some data showing which UK cities are contributing the most to the national economy. Since the financial crisis, London's economy grew by 28.9 per cent - almost twice the rate of Leeds or Cardiff. (http://ind.pn/1OT7jCg [54])