#1 — BBC | Japan defence review warns of China's military might
Japan has unveiled sweeping changes to its national defence polices, boosting its southern forces in response to neighbouring China's military rise.
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#2 — BBC | EU agrees on permanent eurozone rescue fund
EU leaders have agreed to set up a permanent mechanism to bail out any member state whose debt problems threaten the 16-nation eurozone.
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#3 — CNN | Senate Democrats give up bid to pass $1.1 trillion spending bill
Washington (CNN) — In a dramatic twist played out on the floor of the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid conceded Thursday night he lacked the votes to bring up a $1.1 trillion spending bill designed to fund the federal government for the rest of the current fiscal year.
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#4 — Fox | Companies Shun Mexico as Violence Spirals
MEXICO CITY—Growing numbers of companies are deciding to limit their investments in Mexico because of spiraling drug-related violence in one of the world's most important emerging markets.
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#5 — NY Times | Judge Hints He May Rule Against Health Law
PENSACOLA, Fla. — A federal judge asserted on Thursday that it would be “a giant leap” for the to accept the Obama administration’s defense of a central provision of the new health care law, suggesting he may become the second judge to strike it down as unconstitutional.
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#6 — DM | How mobile phone signals could cause train crash
Mobile phones could cause a rail crash by interfering with a train’s electronics and signalling, ministers were warned last night.
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#7 — Independent | Britain braces for weeks of transport chaos
Britain is gritting its teeth and its roads today in anticipation of the return of Arctic conditions, with heavy snow and ice storms likely to bring wide-scale disruption. With many parts of the country only just beginning to return to normal after weeks of sub-zero temperatures, the Met Office said up to 25cm of snow was expected to fall in parts of Scotland, North Wales, Northern Ireland and the West Country. Overnight temperatures were likely to plunge to -12C on high ground and to -5C in London over the weekend. Today, the mercury is unlikely to rise much above freezing point even in major cities.
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#8 — Independent | Leaked memos cast doubt on Fox News' claim of neutrality
America's most influential right-wing media outlet is facing up to the chilling prospect of having a whistleblower in its own newsroom.
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#9 — Telegraph | Billy the Kid considered for a pardon
Billy the Kid, the Wild West outlaw who is reputed to have killed 21 men and whose exploits have been widely chronicled in US popular culture, is under consideration for a pardon.
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#10 — Telegraph | California to implement carbon trading scheme
California has approved the first system in the nation to give polluting companies such as utilities and refineries financial incentives to emit fewer greenhouse gases.
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