PRESS DIGEST -Wall Street Journal - January 16

Jan 16 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- Japanese trading house Mitsubishi Corp 8058.T has agreed to acquire Aethon's shale gas assets in Texas and Louisiana for $5.2 billion, its biggest acquisition ever.

- Verizon Communications VZ.N has received the final approvals needed to buy fiber-optic broadband provider Frontier Communications FYBR.O after agreeing to some concessions to California regulators, including a small-business spending commitment.

- Walmart's WMT.O Chief Executive Officer Kathryn McLay is stepping down after two years.

- Ford Motor F.N and BYD 002594.SZ are in discussions on a partnership in which the American carmaker would buy batteries from the Chinese auto company for some of Ford's hybrid-vehicle models.

- The Trump administration is planning to propose that the nation's largest power grid operator hold an emergency auction in which tech companies would bid to have new power plants built.

- Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney took an important step toward reinvigorating his nation's ties with China and diversifying its trade away from the U.S., as Beijing increasingly seeks to woo U.S. allies frustrated with American protectionism.