Jan 17 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories on the New York Times business pages. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.
- President-elect Donald Trump's remarks in a string of discursive and sometimes contradictory interviews have escalated tensions with China while also infuriating allies and institutions critical to America's traditional leadership of the West. http://nyti.ms/2jqMVlf
- Essilor of France said on Monday that it would merge with the Luxottica Group of Italy in a $49 billion deal that would create a giant in the eyewear industry. http://nyti.ms/2iwbmhq
- Seven days before his departure from the White House, President Obama sat down in the Oval Office and talked about the indispensable role that books have played during his presidency and throughout his life. http://nyti.ms/2jZyDsr
- The police in Turkey have arrested the man accused of carrying out a deadly attack on an Istanbul nightclub early on New Year's Day, according to the semi-official Anadolu news agency as well as Turkish news reports. http://nyti.ms/2iBg3l2
- Prosecutors called for the arrest of the Samsung's heir-apparent, Lee Jae-Yong. Prosecutors contend that Lee bribed President Park Geun-hye and one of her confidants in exchange for political favors. http://nyti.ms/2iGttQk
- With tensions escalating between President-elect Donald Trump and prominent black leaders, Trump met privately on Monday with the eldest son of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the holiday devoted to the civil rights hero. http://nyti.ms/2jE6fbW
- The FBI arrested the wife of the man who carried out a deadly terrorist attack in Orlando and charged her with obstructing the investigation of the mass shooting, law enforcement officials said. http://nyti.ms/2iwgYZ4 (Compiled by Gaurika Juneja in Bengaluru)