- Global stocks, dollar and oil cool ahead of Doha meeting (Reuters)
- Oil Falls Before Doha as Global Markets Brace for Weekend Risk (BBG)
- China Growth Slows; Revival Policies Appear to Gain Traction (WSJ)
- White House hopefuls Clinton, Sanders joust in Brooklyn brawl (Reuters)
- Trump talks up 'New York values' as protesters demonstrate against him (Reuters)
- Sanders Can’t Clarify Wall Street Plan in Testy Clinton Debate (BBG)
- Goldman's Blankfein Said to Push Deepest Cost Cuts in Years (BBG)
- Italy's Atlas fund struggles to stop sky falling on banks (Reuters)
- Obama to Back Anti-Brexit Campaign on Trip to U.K. Next Week (BBG)
- Valeant calls in investment banks to weigh options (Reuters)
- Activist Hedge Funds Wounded by Former Shale-Boom Star (WSJ)
- Impeachment Sunday: Brazil Cooks Up Rowdy Made-for-TV Spectacle (BBG)
- Greek banks' EFSF notes eligible for ECB purchasing (Reuters)
- Asia’s Richest Man Is Building Chicago’s Priciest Penthouse (BBG)
- U.S. defense secretary visits carrier in disputed South China Sea (Reuters)
- This Shipyard Is So Unprofitable It's Becoming a Parking Lot (BBG)
- Spain's Political Standoff Roiled by Panama as Minister Resigns (BBG)
- Iran's General Soleimani in Moscow for talks: three sources (Reuters)
- North Korea's failed missile launch prompts 'saber-rattling' jibe from China media (Reuters)
- Businessman in New York corruption probe linked to hedge fund investment (Reuters)
Overnight Media Digest
WSJ
- Microsoft Corp sued the Justice Department on Thursday, saying it's unconstitutional for the government to bar tech companies from telling customers when federal agents have examined their data. (http://on.wsj.com/1SOT411)
- After a flubbed stock-market debut in 2012, Bats Global Market Inc's initial public offering raised $252.7 million late Thursday after selling 13.3 million shares at $19 apiece, valuing the company at $1.82 billion. (http://on.wsj.com/20GrJ6Y)
- Private-equity firm Carlyle Group LP is in talks to buy a package of oilfield-services businesses from Halliburton Co and Baker Hughes Inc that could be valued at more than $7 billion, as the energy giants seek to overcome a Justice Department challenge to their planned merger. (http://on.wsj.com/1RXJ09s)
- On Thursday, Judge David Cowan of California Superior Court for the County of Los Angeles upheld his December ruling that Sumner Redstone, the 92-year-old controlling shareholder of Viacom Inc and CBS Corp, wouldn't be deposed. (http://on.wsj.com/1Vtq9Gp)
- Wells Fargo & Co's first-quarter profit fell 5.9 percent as the nation's third-largest bank by assets said the slump in oil prices continued to punish energy companies and started to hurt some consumers. (http://on.wsj.com/23JyvL3)
FT
Deutsche Bank's chief executive, John Cryan, warned that London will lose its position as the main hub for trading European sovereign debt and currencies if Britain votes to leave the European Union. (http://bit.ly/1T7meLh)
The British economy will be weaker and the European Union will be damaged if the UK votes to leave the EU, the White House said. (http://bit.ly/1SOBt9n)
Wells Fargo & Co, Bank of America Corp and JPMorgan Chase & Co have each taken $500 million hits on their energy portfolios, spelling out the damage inflicted by lower oil prices. (http://bit.ly/1SOBXfK)
NYT
- As Yahoo Inc prepares to accept first-round bids for its core Internet business on Monday, potential buyers have found themselves facing one big problem - How do you value a company with a declining business when the company appears reluctant to share vital financial details. (http://nyti.ms/1TUWiVH)
- China's growth rate slowed as expected in the first three months of the year, but a notable pickup in debt-driven industrial activity last month probably cushioned the slowdown. (http://nyti.ms/1qtnxe7)
- Some 400,000 retirees who worked in the trucking, parcel delivery and grocery supply industries face drastic pension cuts on July 1 as a result of a little-noticed measure attached to a huge end-of-year spending bill passed in December 2014. (http://nyti.ms/1p2RPmV)
- Microsoft Corp is suing the Justice Department, challenging its frequent use of secrecy orders that prevent Microsoft from telling people when the government obtains a warrant to read their emails. (http://nyti.ms/1ScE0g8)
Canada
THE GLOBE AND MAIL
** British Columbia has declared a public health emergency after another surge in drug-related overdoses and deaths, making it the first province in Canada to take such a step as others, including Ontario and Alberta, work to combat the effects of fentanyl drug. (http://bit.ly/1MwCSon)
** Albertans will pay more to fill up their vehicles and heat their homes as the province ramps up an ambitious climate strategy intended to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and help Canada's largest oil producer create jobs in areas such as renewable energy. (http://bit.ly/1V64lzX)
** Almost 200 clean technology companies from across Canada have written to the federal government, asking for a dramatic increase in government support for the industry, far beyond what was included in last month's budget. (http://bit.ly/1Yx6ORX)
NATIONAL POST
** Toronto's rental condominium market is starting to generate price increases that haven't been seen in years, as tenants squeezed out of the housing market look to lease instead. (http://bit.ly/1SPl6JQ)
** Alberta will collect significantly less in carbon tax revenues than initially expected, according to the government's budget released on Thursday, which also shows the province's debt tripling over the next three years. (http://bit.ly/1qu5dkY)
Britain
The Times
* Shareholders in BP PLC voted overwhelmingly to reject a massive pay rise for its chief executive amid mounting anger over boardroom excess. In a vote representing the second-biggest rebellion of its kind at a British company, 59 percent of the oil giant's shareholders opposed the 13.8 million pounds pay package for Bob Dudley. (http://bit.ly/23J6wLs)
* Councils and utility companies that cause misery for weekend motorists by leaving roadworks with no repairs taking place will be fined under a government crackdown. They face penalties of up to 5,000 pounds a day for abandoning roadworks amid warnings that unnecessary traffic restrictions place a huge burden on the economy. (http://bit.ly/22y2WRO)
The Guardian
* Senior military figures will be singled out for criticism alongside Tony Blair and other establishment figures in the long-awaited Chilcot report into the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which is due to be handed to Downing Street next week. (http://bit.ly/1RWG256)
* U.S. President Barack Obama will strike a delicate balance over Brexit during a visit to the UK next week, where he will host a town hall with youth and offer his view "as a friend" that Britain should remain in the EU. (http://bit.ly/1qWrKrm)
The Telegraph
* Foreign aid spending will outstrip the amount given to councils to collect bins, install street lights and run local services for the first time next year, official government estimates show. Forecasts buried in the Treasury's budget book reveal that spending on international development will hit 9.3 billion pounds in 2017/18 - overtaking local government spending of 8.2 billion pounds that year. (http://bit.ly/1TUEH05)
* BP PLC has moved to appease disgruntled investors, promising that it will overhaul the way it pays its most senior directors after almost 60 percent of shareholders who voted did so against its highly criticised remuneration report. (http://bit.ly/1SdeYxs)
Sky News
* Jeremy Corbyn has rejected claims he has not put enough effort into the campaign to keep the UK in the European Union, declaring: "There is nothing half-hearted about anything I do." The Labour leader said that while there were many "shortcomings" with the institution, he would make the case for "Remain and Reform" in Europe in the run-up to the vote on 23 June. (http://bit.ly/1XxabbC)
* Britain's biggest banks have rushed to warn staff about their conduct during the European Union referendum campaign just hours before strict electoral rules come into effect. Sky News has learnt that John McFarlane, the chairman of Barclays, wrote to staff on Thursday to remind them that while the bank's board "considers that it is in the interests of our customers and clients for the UK to remain in the EU," employees must not undertake activities deemed to be campaigning for a specific outcome. (http://bit.ly/1T7IpBa)
The Independent
* Czechia will soon be synonymous with the Czech Republic. The country is set to use the name Czechia in English, Tschechien in German and Tchequie in French, translations of 'Cesko' in Czech. (http://ind.pn/1SEQyKp)
* The Bank of England has issued its starkest warning yet over the consequences of Brexit for the British economy, stating that the country would likely face a long period of uncertainty if it left the EU that would dampen demand and impact on UK assets. (http://ind.pn/264sGKd)