Tuesday Morning Briefing: Iran makes arrests over plane disaster as protests rage on

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January 14, 2020 Reuters News Now Top Stories Iran said it had arrested people accused of a role in shooting down a Ukrainian airliner and had also detained 30 people involved in protests that have swept the nation since the military belatedly admitted its error. President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised speech, Iran will punish all those responsible for the accidental shooting down of the passenger plane, adding that the “tragic event” would be investigated thoroughly. In a step that would increase diplomatic pressure, Britain, France and Germany launched a dispute mechanism to challenge Iran for breaching limits on its nuclear program under an agreement which Washington abandoned in 2018. Russian military hackers tried to steal emails from the Ukrainian energy firm where Hunter Biden, the son of Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden, had a seat on the board, a U.S. cybersecurity firm said. Energy company Burisma Holdings was at the center of attempts by President Donald Trump last July to pressure Ukrainian authorities to announce an investigation into the Bidens for purported corruption, an effort that has led to the Republican being impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress. Australia urged foreign tourists to put aside concerns about raging bushfires after the United States downgraded a travel warning, even as thick smoke disrupted preparations for the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. Australia is experiencing one of its worst bushfire seasons on record, with fires burning since September and claiming the lives of 28 people, destroying more than 2,500 homes and razing forests and farmland the size of Bulgaria. Special day 'no matter what': A couple getting married in the Philippines over the weekend witnessed a surprise guest at their wedding. In what has made for dramatic shots that have since gone viral on social media, Chino and Kat Palomar exchanged vows in Cavite province on Sunday under a gigantic cloud of smoke and ash from Taal, one of the world’s smallest active volcanoes. Queen Elizabeth has agreed to her grandson Prince Harry and his wife Meghan’s wish for a more independent future after the British royal family held crisis talks to resolve a widening rift among the Windsors. Harry and his American actress wife will now begin a “period of transition” that will see them split their time between Britain and Canada as they also seek a lifestyle less encumbered by royal duties and to end their reliance on public funding. Politics Democrats in the House of Representatives will discuss the strategy and timing for sending articles of impeachment against Donald Trump to the Senate as Republicans balk at a call to dismiss the charges without a trial. Six Democratic White House contenders will take part in a high-stakes Iowa debate, as polls show an unsettled nominating race with no clear favorite three weeks before Iowans kick off the party’s presidential nominating contest. It comes as opinion polls in recent days show an extremely tight race among four candidates - former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, U.S. Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, and former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana. Democratic presidential contender Amy Klobuchar is banking on a strong showing in Iowa’s first-in-the-nation nominating contest on Feb. 3 to jump-start her path to the party’s nomination. The moderate U.S. senator from Minnesota, who is polling in fifth place with Iowa voters, squeezed three town halls and a 10-hour side trip to early voting state Nevada into 32 hours over the weekend as she raced to raise her profile. Elizabeth Warren took the unusual step of confirming a report that fellow Democratic contender Bernie Sanders told her during a 2018 meeting that he did not believe a woman could win the 2020 presidential race. Warren and Sanders are fellow senators, friends and their party’s progressive standard-bearers who agreed early in the nominating contest to an informal non-aggression pact. “I thought a woman could win; he disagreed,” Warren said in a statement describing the two-hour meeting in December 2018. Business China to ramp up U.S. car, aircraft, energy purchases in trade deal: source China has pledged to buy almost $80 billion of additional manufactured goods from the United States over the next two years as part of a trade war truce, according to a source. Europe’s markets were struck by a bout of weakness, as traders cashed in on recent record highs and waited for a long-awaited U.S.-China trade deal and the first flurries of the Wall Street earnings season. 6 min read Renault, Nissan say alliance not headed for break-up Shares in Renault recovered some lost ground after the French carmaker and its Japanese partner Nissan Motor rejected media reports that their alliance was in danger of being dissolved. 3 min read JPMorgan beats estimates on strong trading, underwriting JPMorgan Chase posted a better-than-expected rise in quarterly profit, as strong results at its trading and underwriting businesses offset weakness in consumer banking. 2 min read Lyft forms advisory council to improve platform safety Lyft Inc is putting together a council of experts to advise the ride-hailing company on its safety initiatives for riders and drivers, it said in a blog post. 2 min read Top Stories on Reuters TV U.S. drops China 'currency manipulator' label Business   1:40 Maezawa's search for SpaceX trip girlfriend begins World   0:55 Real news for busy people More Newsletters Reuters News Reuters TV               © 2020 Thomson Reuters. 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