Friday Morning Briefing: Former Trump aide calls Ukraine meddling theory fiction

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President Donald Trump’s former Russia adviser urged lawmakers in the House of Representatives impeachment inquiry on Thursday not to promote “politically driven falsehoods” that cast doubt on Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. election. Fiona Hill spoke on the last day of public testimony scheduled before the Democratic-led House Intelligence Committee probing whether Trump improperly asked Ukraine to launch investigations that would benefit him politically in return for a White House meeting or the release of U.S. security aid.

Cheers, boos and frequent applause reflected the intense partisan divide over the possible impeachment of Republican President Donald Trump during a town hall meeting with voters in the liberal suburbs of Virginia on Thursday. Read our Explainer on the basics of impeachment, what happens next, and why Trump is unlikely to be removed from office.

China wants to work out an initial trade pact with the United States and has been trying to avoid a trade war, President Xi Jinping said on Friday, but is not afraid to retaliate when necessary. Economists warn that a prolonged dispute between the world’s two largest economies is elevating risks to the global economy.

U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren pledged to African-Americans on Thursday to use the powers of the federal government to address historic injustice and inequality, as she and other Democratic presidential contenders sought to challenge Joe Biden’s dominance among black voters. Meanwhile Billionaire Michael Bloomberg filed paperwork on Thursday with the Federal Election Commission to run for U.S. president as a Democrat, the latest sign that the former New York City Mayor is joining the crowded nominating contest.

World

Burkina Faso, in West Africa, has in recent years become the focus of a campaign by local insurgents and regional jihadi groups. Dozens of robberies and kidnappings have been reported that target gold miners. Read our Special Report.

Hong Kong’s public hospitals, long known for professionalism, have become a new front in the anti-government protests that have engulfed the city for more than five months. Now, arrests and interrogations of suspects in public hospital rooms have become commonplace.

South Korea suspended a decision to end an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan on Friday, just hours before it was due to go into effect, providing the first signs of compromise after several months of feuding over trade and historical grievances. But Japan seized the last event of its G20 presidency on Friday to reject a South Korean warning about radiation from the ruined Fukushima nuclear plant as a dispute between the neighbors threatened to overshadow the meetings.

From love songs to dance tunes to lullabies, music made in disparate cultures worldwide displays certain universal patterns, according to a study by researchers who suggest a commonality in the way human minds create music.

Business

Tesla's electric pickup breaks the mold with angular design and armored glass

Tesla on Thursday unveiled its electric pickup, a truck with a futuristic angular body in gunmetal gray that resembled an armored vehicle and takes aim at the heart of Detroit automakers’ profits.

6 min read

Exclusive: Unilever, Henkel and buyout funds eye bids for Coty's $7 billion beauty brands

Consumer goods giants Unilever and Henkel and a series of buyout funds including Advent and Cinven are talking to U.S. cosmetics maker Coty to submit bids for some of its most popular beauty brands, three sources told Reuters.

4 min read

Physical oil and futures align to tell story of a tighter market

The physical crude oil market and the structure of the oil futures curve have rarely been more aligned over the past few years than in recent weeks, and they tell a counterintuitive story of a tight oil market next year.

5 min read

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