European car sales rose to a nine-year high in 2016, with French manufacturer Renault SA taking advantage of recovering demand and Volkswagen AG’s tarnished reputation to leap to second place from third in the region. Industrywide registrations increased 6.5 percent to 15.1 million vehicles. Source: Bloomberg
French President Emmanuel Macron signs the controversial labor reform legislation, which sparked mass protests in the country. The reforms would make it easier for companies to hire and fire workers, as well as give them more authority over pay and working conditions. Source: Sputnik
Banks and building societies are to carry out immigration checks on 70m current accounts from January in the biggest extension of Theresa May’s plans to create a “hostile environment” for illegal immigrants in Britain, the Guardian has learned. Source: The Guardian
Donald Trump ordered new sanctions on Thursday that open the door wider to blacklisting people and entities doing business with N. Korea, including its shipping and trade networks, further tightening the screws on its nuclear and missile program. Source: France 24
