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The US House of Representatives has voted against Donald Trump’s proposed wall along the US-Mexico border. Pictured: Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the house, who has been outspoken in her opposition to the wall, is seen speaking with the press, 4 January 2019. Photo credit: Shutterstock 

House votes to block Trump border wall

The US House of Representatives, controlled by the Democratic party, rejected Donald Trump’s emergency declaration letting him build a wall along the country’s border with Mexico. The measure now goes to the US Senate, which is controlled by Trump’s Republican party. Reported by CNN, BBC and Reuters.

Trump and Kim to meet this afternoon (Luxembourg time)

Donald Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un are in Vietnam for their second summit on nuclear weapons, set to begin later today. The Guardian has a live blog and Vox has the summit schedule. Separately, Dutch customs agents at the port of Rotterdam have seized 90,000 of Russian vodka that was believed to be headed to Kim in Pyongyang. Reported by the Guardian and Telegraph.

Tensions rise between India and Pakistan

Pakistan’s government said it will respond “at the time and place of its choosing” after India carried out air strikes in Pakistani territory for the first time since 1971. India said it was targeting a terrorist group. Reported by the BBC, DW and Time.

Buhari wins second term

Muhammadu Buhari had been reelected as president of Nigeria. He will serve another four-year term. Reported by the BBC, DW and Reuters.

Zarif to remain Iran foreign minister

Iran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, rejected the resignation of Mohammad Javad Zarif as foreign minister, which Zarif made via Instagram earlier this week. Reported by CNN, Reuters and the Washington Post.

Brexit roundup: Delay possible; gloomy forecasts

The British PM Theresa May opened the door on a vote to delay Brexit, as explained by the BBC and Financial Times. That sent the pound up, per Marketwatch. Separately, Jean Asselborn, Luxembourg’s foreign minister (LSAP), said the EU should support a Brexit extension to allow for a second referendum, which would push back Britain’s departure from the bloc by “at least six months, if not more”, according to Reuters. The UK government warned that, in case of a no-deal Brexit, the British economy would be 6%-9% smaller than it would have been in 15 years and warned of food price rises, reported the BBC and Guardian. Earlier this week, the head of the Association of British Insurers warned that a no deal Brexit “would be an unforgivable act of economic and social self-harm” and said Brexit should be delayed if no deal is found, reported the Guardian, Independent and Reuters.

Brexit brings demand for “supermancos”: FT

The Financial Times profiled the growth of third party “super management companies”, outsource providers which take care of key operational tasks for investment fund firms, in Luxembourg and Ireland.

Use of organic label not kosher: ECJ

The European Court of Justice ruled that halal and kosher meat cannot be labeled “organic” if the animal was not stunned before slaughter. Reported by DW, the Independent and Wall Street Journal.

AT&T-Time Warner deal OK’d by appeals court

A US federal appeals court ruled against the Trump administration, saying the telecoms giant AT&T could acquire Time Warner, the media group which owns CNN and HBO. Washington had tried to undo the deal on competition grounds, but the judges cited the rise of streaming firms such as Netflix. Reported by the Associated Press, CNBC and  Financial Times.

Lawyers tracking smiley faces and red hearts

The use of emoji and emoticon have become increasingly common in US court cases, reported The Verge.

Weight Watchers shares lose 30%

Shares in Weight Watchers dropped by nearly a third after it posted disappointing fourth quarter earnings, said it had lost 300,000 subscribers, and slimmed down its guidance for 2019. The diet firm had recently rebranded as “WW” and repositioned itself as a wellness company. Reported by CNBC, the Financial Times and Quartzy.

Stem cell spinal cord treatment tests

Researchers in Japan will start trialling a new technique to treat spinal cord injuries by injecting “reprogrammed” stem cells into patients, according to Nature.com.

Communications firm GDPR rebrands after GDPR requests

A marketing agency in England called GD PR & Media has changed its name Conteur after receiving too many requests for help with GDPR, the EU data privacy rules, according to The Register.

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald