What it says in the papers

IRISH TIMES

- The Irish Times quotes Taoiseach Enda Kenny as saying that he does not expect any further damaging revelations about Ireland's tax arrangements with Apple when the European Commission publishes the full version of its €13 billion tax ruling. Kenny was speaking after meeting Apple chief Tim Cook in the US.

- The paper says former Olympic Council of Ireland president Pat Hickey is expected to return home shortly after an international Olympic body put up the €410,000 bail required for him to leave Brazil.

- In business, the Irish Times reports on Ulster Bank chief executive Gerry Mallon's appearance at an Oireachtas committee yesterday, where he said 14 or 15 customers may have lost their homes as a result of being denied a lower tracker mortgage interest rate.

- The paper says a German MEP has accused Ireland of "tax dumping" after it emerged that Real Madrid footballer Cristiano Ronaldo has used a Dublin image rights company called Multisports Image Management for many of his commercial contracts, instead of a company in higher-tax Spain.

FINANCIAL TIMES

- The Financial Times leads with comments from key British ministers about Brexit, saying the British government has acknowledged it is willing to pay Brussels for maintaining access to Europe's single market, opening the door for the first time to British contributions to the EU budget for years after Brexit.

- The FT reports on Francois Hollande's decision not to run for a second term in next year's French presidential elections, saying it was driven by his historically low popularity ratings.

- In companies news, the paper says Airbnb has agreed to restrict the number of nights that hosts can rent out homes in London and Amsterdam, bowing to pressure from regulators in two key European markets. The decision marks the first time Airbnb has agreed to enforce annual rental limits.

- The FT says Donald Trump's transition team has reassured AT&T that its $85.4 billion acquisition of Time Warner will be scrutinised without prejudice despite the president-elect's vowing to block the deal because it concentrated too much "power in the hands of too few".

IRISH INDEPENDENT

- The Irish Independent says Housing Minister Simon Coveney has indicated that he is prepared to stop landlords selling 10 or more units and evicting tenants. The move is being suggested as a compromise after opposition TDs and senators tried to set the figure at five.

- In business, the paper reports on comments from Central Bank deputy governor Cyril Roux, who said yesterday that the bank had not tried to put any UK-based banks off coming to Ireland in the wake of the Brexit vote, and was receiving applications from a range of sectors.

- The Irish Independent reports on filings from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, which show that Hibernia NGS, the company behind a fibre-optic cable that connects Ireland with the US and Britain, generated a $14.6m (€13.7m) pre-tax profit in the nine months to the end of September.

- The paper says a resident of Dublin's Camden Street has halted - for now - a plan by JD Wetherspoon for a new €4m superpub, after lodging an appeal with An Bord Pleanála against Dublin City Council's decision to grant permission.

IRISH EXAMINER

- The Irish Examiner leads with the water issue, saying Taoiseach Enda Kenny is facing mounting pressure to refund Irish water customers who paid their bills, with growing calls for rebates from within cabinet, as well as from many of his own TDs.

- The paper says food producer Nestle claims it has discovered a way to drastically reduce the amount of sugar in its chocolate bars, by structuring sugar differently using natural ingredients.

- The Examiner says themanufacturer of a cystic fibrosis drug has cranked up the pressure on the Government and the HSE, accusing the latter of not offering any guidance on the decision-making criteria for any possible purchase of Orkambi. Vertex also claimed "misinformation" was causing undue fear and confusion among patients.