Top story: US stance contradicts MI5’s advice

Good morning and welcome to this Tuesday briefing with Alison Rourke.

A blunt briefing from Donald Trump’s national security adviser has put Boris Johnson in a difficult position. Matt Pottinger has told British ministers that transatlantic intelligence sharing would be at risk if Huawei technology was used in the UK’s 5G networks. The intense lobbying from Washington comes as Johnson is expected to make a final decision about the controversial deal within weeks. On the weekend, the head of MI5, Andrew Parker, said he saw “no reason to think” that using Huawei technology should threaten intelligence sharing with the US, suggesting that Britain was poised to give the Chinese company the go-ahead. Huawei denies it has ever been asked by Beijing to introduce secret “back doors” into its technology, and has offered to sign a “no spy agreement” with countries adopting it. The US delegation claimed that Chinese spies, working for the People’s Liberation Army, also worked simultaneously for Huawei. The Chinese telco is one of three companies that supply equipment to Vodafone, BT and other mobile phone companies for high-speed 5G networks, alongside Ericsson of Sweden and Nokia from Finland.

‘Bigger strategy’ – The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, says targeting Iran’s top general, Qassem Suleimani, was part of a bigger strategy of deterring challenges by US foes that also applies to China and Russia. His assertions sit uncomfortably with earlier insistence from the Trump administration that killing the Iranian general was about preventing an imminent attack on American assets. Yesterday the US defence secretary, Mark Esper, said he had seen no intelligence forewarning of imminent attacks on embassies. But Trump said “it really doesn’t matter” whether Suleimani posed an imminent threat. Pompeo described Washington’s strategy as “re-establishing deterrence, real deterrence, against the Islamic Republic of Iran”. In Iran itself, at least two journalists at the state broadcaster have quit, citing a cover-up over the downing of the Ukrainian passenger plane. Protests against the regime have continued in Tehran with authorities using live ammunition to disperse demonstrators.

‘Complex matters’ – Canada’s prime minister, Justin Trudeau, has said no discussions have taken place about whether Canadians will foot the bill for Harry and Meghan’s time in the country, after the Queen signed off on the couple’s desire to split their time between there and the UK. “I think most Canadians are very supportive of having royals be here, but how that looks and what kind of costs are involved, there are still lots of discussions to have,” Trudeau said in an interview with the Canadian broadcaster, Global News. “But there’s still a lot of decisions to be taken by the royal family and by the Sussexes themselves as to what level of engagement they choose to have and these are things that we are supportive of.”

Diagnosis delay – Nearly half of parents whose children are referred for assessment for autism face an 18-month wait for a formal diagnosis. In some cases, families wait three years, according to the charity Ambitious about Autism. “Many parents say they feel isolated and helpless as they wait to find out if their child has autism,” said Jolanta Lasota, the chief executive. The charity says about one in 100 children in the UK have autism, with boys diagnosed four times as often as girls. About 70% of the 4,000 parents surveyed said they were not offered adequate support after their child’s diagnosis.

Democratic spat – Elizabeth Warren has said Bernie Sanders, one of her main 2020 rivals, told her in a private meeting that he didn’t think a woman could beat Donald Trump to become president. “I thought a woman could win; he disagreed,” she said in a statement last night, adding: “I have no interest in discussing this private meeting any further because Bernie and I have far more in common than our differences on punditry.” Sanders vehemently denied the comments, in a back and forth that represents a dramatic break from the party’s leading progressives after a months-long truce.

Eat, don’t snap – The celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal has criticised diners for being more interested in photographing their food than eating it. The triple Michelin-starred Fat Duck proprietor said he had to resist the temptation to intervene because he doesn’t want to upset his customers. “At the Fat Duck, we’ve debated this for several years now. If we say to people, ‘Your food’s going cold’, you put up a barrier between you and the diner,” Blumenthal told the Radio Times. “We did it once in Australia because somebody was taking pictures with a flash, which affected other tables. It’s a really tricky thing.”

Today in Focus podcast: Why did Carlos Ghosn choose a life on the run?

The former CEO of Nissan, Carlos Ghosn, was once one of Japan’s most respected business people. Now, as the Guardian’s Justin McCurry reports, he’s on the run in Lebanon after fleeing the country to escape corruption charges. Also today: Gary Younge looks back on the opportunities he had as he bows out after 26 years at the Guardian.

Today in Focus https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2020/jan/14/why-did-former-nissan-boss-carlos-ghosn-choose-a-life-on-the-run-podcast Sorry your browser does not support audio - but you can download here and listen https://audio.guim.co.uk/2020/01/13-71736-20200113_TIF_NIssan.mp3 00:00:00 00:27:55

Lunchtime read: How the fitness app Strava became a religion

If Strava isn’t on, your workout didn’t happen. Such is the devotion to this fitness app that offers community, training data and motivation to millions of athletes. Even runners who dislike tech can’t bear to be without it, writes Rose George. The fitness and sports tracking platform that launched in 2009 bills itself as the “number one app for runners and cyclists”. For an amateur, the data available from Strava is like having a Team GB coach in your phone, for free. But, George writes, the friendly competition of a supportive, likeminded community can sometimes lead to darker impulses – like cheating, trolling and anger.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Strava allows you to upload your fitness activities using GPS and access huge amounts of data. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

Sport

Barcelona have sacked manager Ernesto Valverde and replaced him with the former Real Betis coach Quique Setién. Meanwhile, the Catalan club has topped a list of the world’s most money-spinning football clubs for the first time in an annual league table that also outlined the shifting balance of power in London and the north-west. A 28-year-old man who admitted racially abusing England’s Jofra Archer in November has been banned from attending international and domestic cricket games in New Zealand for two years. The Australian Open delayed the first round of qualifying matches and suspended practice sessions due to the poor air quality at Melbourne Park due to smoke haze from bushfires. The long-awaited corruption trial of the former IAAF president Lamine Diack has been delayed until June after new documents were presented at the last minute by his son and co-defendant, Papa Massata Diack. Tyson Fury has vowed to knock out Deontay Wilder in the second round of their eagerly anticipated heavyweight rematch on 22 February. And Prince Harry’s first public engagement since announcing that he and Meghan are to step back from their royal duties is to go ahead as planned on Thursday, when he conducts the draw for the 2021 Rugby League World Cup.

Business

The government has been urged to do “whatever it takes” to ensure the survival of Flybe, Europe’s largest regional carrier that operates almost two in five British domestic flights. The Exeter-based airline, which flies 8.5 million passengers a year is seeking financial help from ministers to stave off a collapse that would put more than 2,000 jobs at risk. Sky News reported on Monday evening that Flybe had asked the government to defer a multimillion-pound air passenger duty bill in order to see the airline through the rest of the winter.

The pound is buying €1.667 and $1.299.

The papers

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Photograph: The Guardian

For a second day running the Duke and Duchess of Sussex dominate the front pages. “Harry and Meghan get Queen’s backing” is the Guardian’s headline. “Orf you go … but one is not amused” says the Sun. The Telegraph has: “The Queen’s reluctant farewell”. The Express splashes with: “Gracious Queen grants Harry his wish”; “Go if … you must” says the Mail. The Times has “Queen gives Meghan and Harry ‘transition period’”, while the i goes with: “Queen’s seal of approval for reshaped Royal Family”. The Mirror has: “Queen to Harry: I want you to stay … but you’re free to go”. The FT is the only paper to buck the trend – it leads with “Contracting economy adds to pressure for rate cut”.

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