US-China tariffs remain despite deal
Stock markets waivered briefly upon news, broken by Bloomberg, that tariffs between China and the USA will probably not be lifted despite the signing of a phase one trade deal on Wednesday. CNBC says the deal is expected to cut 15% tariffs to 7.5% on some Chinese goods and will also be seen as a truce on the trade dispute by pledging to prevent any further tariffs. Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin has said documents to be released on Wednesday show the deal contains “a very detailed dispute resolution process”, Reuters reports. Donald Trump and Chinese vice premier Liu He are due to sign the phase one deal at a ceremony at the White House. Phase two is not expected to be done until after November’s presidential elections. But Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer has warned Trump in a letter that a deal that fails to address “structural inequities” could harm American workers and businesses for years to come, CNBC reports.
Iran deal dispute ups the ante
France, Germany and the UK have triggered a formal dispute mechanism against Iran over breaches of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the BBC reports. The move follows reports that Iran has lifted limits on its production of enriched uranium, which is banned under the 2015 deal. Business Insider says UK prime minister Boris Johnson is eager to scrap the current agreement and “get the Trump deal instead”. But, writing in The Telegraph, Middle East security researcher Dr Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi, says that triggering the mechanism has “upped the ante” and has started “a dangerous phase in the nuclear saga.”
Iran arrests over plane shooting
Reuters reports that suspects involved in the shooting down of the Ukraine International Airlines jet in Iran last week have been arrested, and so have some 30 people involved in protests after the event. But the BBC says authorities have also arrested the person who took video showing a missile striking the plane. Meanwhile, Iran’s judiciary has called for the expulsion of British ambassador Rob Macaire, The Guardian reports.
Impeachment: Democrats release new documents
Documents showing that Lev Parnas was serving as an intermediary to pressue Ukrainian officials to investigate Joe Biden were released by Democrats on Tuesday, The Guardian reports. Parnas is a close associate of Donald Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani. Articles of impeachment are expected to be formally presented to the secretary of the Senate at around 5 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Reuters says.
UK covered up failure to report convictions
Details of some 75,000 convictions of foreign criminals in the UK were not passed on to their native EU countries, The Guardian has revealed. The failure was a result of a police national computer error that went undetected for five years. But UK officials then tried to cover up the mistake “for fear of damaging Britain’s reputation in Europe’s capitals” The Guardian writes.
Severe weather causes deaths in Pakistan and Afghanistan
More than 120 people have been killed as avalanches, flooding and harsh winter weather has struck Pakistan and Afghanistan and parts of northern India, Aljazeera and Fox News report.
James Murdoch slams News Corp on climate denial
James Murdoch, the son of News Corporation mogul Rupert Murdoch, and his activist wife, Kathryn, have accused the media empire’s Australian outlets of "ongoing denial" on climate change. The couple made the “extraordinary public rebuke” to The Daily Beast.
Plane dumps fuel over schools
CNN reports that a plane dumped jet fuel over five elementary schools and one high school while returning to the Los Angeles International Airport.
Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Duncan Roberts