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Japanese authorities have rearrested Carlos Ghosn, ex-chair of Nissan and CEO of Renault, over new allegations of financial misappropriation. Pictured: Carlos Ghosn is seen during a speech in Paris, 8 December 2010. Photo credit: Adam Tinworth via Flickr (CC BY-ND 2.0) 

Ghosn rearrested, for “breach of trust”

The former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn has been arrested on a third set of financial misconduct charges. He has denied all previous allegations. Ghosn has spent the last month in a Tokyo jail and had been due to get a bail hearing shortly. The fresh arrest means Japanese prosecutors can continue to question him in detention. Reported by the BBC, Financial Times and Nikkei Asian Review.

Marlboro maker invests in vaping

Altria, the tobacco company that makes Marlboro, has acquired a 35% stake in the e-cigarette company Juul for $12.8bn. Earlier this month, Altria announced a $1.8bn investment in the Canadian cannabis producer Cronos Group. Reported by Investor’s Business Daily, NPR and Reuters.

Bank of England lowers forecast

The Bank of England said Brexit uncertainty had “intensified considerably” and cut its UK economic growth forecast for the fourth quarter from 0.3% to 0.2%. However, lower oil prices would keep inflation below 2%. The central bank left its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 0.75%. Reported by the Guardian, Marketwatch and Reuters.

Mattis to step down

Jim Mattis has resigned as US defence secretary, a day after Donald Trump announced the withdrawal of US troops from Syria. Reported by the BBC, Financial Times and Guardian.

Gatwick flights disrupted for third day on Friday due to drone activity

Police have said they might shoot down the drones that are disrupting flights at London’s Gatwick airport. The travel plans of more than 100,000 passengers have been disrupted as authorities grounded Gatwick flights after repeated drone sightings around its runway. Reported by DW, RTE and the Wall Street Journal.

Small Danish island to house failed asylum seekers with criminal record

Denmark will transform a remote island that used to house a contagious disease laboratory into a detention centre for foreign criminals who cannot be deported, reported DW.

Girardelli faces ownership doubts in Bulgaria

Bulgarian activists and MPs have questioned whether or not the Alpine ski champion Marc Girardelli actually owns Bulgaria’s biggest ski resort, reported the AFP. Sceptics said Girardelli was a PR front for the resort, which is facing criticism over its environmental record. But the government said he had documentation. Girardelli won two silver medals at the 1992 Albertville games, Luxembourg’s first Winter Olympic wins.

Note to our readers

Delano’s breakfast briefing will take a winter break the next 11 days. We’ll be back in your inbox on Wednesday 2 January at 6:45am. 

But before we go…

Here’s 20 science and technology stories that you have missed. “A new device can identify air travellers carrying an infectious disease”: The Economist. “The rare form of machine learning that can spot hackers who have already broken in”: MIT Technology Review. “Bloke fined £460 after his drone screwed up police chopper search for missing woman”: The Register. “Inside the British Army's secret information warfare machine”: Wired UK. “Large, strangely dim galaxy found lurking on far side of Milky Way”: Science magazine. “How ‘miniature suns’ could provide cheap, clean energy”: BBC News. “Garry Kasparov is surprisingly upbeat about our future AI overlords”: ZDnet. “The countries where robot adoption is happening faster than expected”: Quartz. “Scientists found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in space”: Vice Motherboard. “The app destroying Iran’s currency”: Foreign Policy. “The amazing psychology of Japanese train stations”: CityLab. “These dolphins enjoy watching ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’--and it could be good for them”: Science magazine. “Widespread blurring of satellite images reveals secret facilities”: Federation of American Scientists blog. “LG’s beer-making bot singlehandedly sucks all fun, boffinry from home brewing”: The Register. “Your smartphone’s AI algorithms could tell if you are depressed”: MIT Technology Review. “Delivery robot spontaneously bursts into flames in California”: The Verge. “It will soon be possible to send a satellite to repair another”: The Economist. “UFO sightings by pilots are being investigated by Ireland's Aviation Authority”: CNBC. “Autonomous boats will be on the market sooner than self-driving cars”: Vice Motherboard. “Self-driving car drove me from California to New York, claims ex-Uber engineer”: The Guardian.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald. Happy holidays and e gudde Rutsch.