FIVE COUNTRIES TO DISCUSS ACTION AGAINST IRANFive nations whose citizens died when an airliner was shot down by Iran lastweek will meet in London on Thursday to discuss possible legal action,Ukraine's Foreign Minister said.Speaking on the sidelines of an official visit to Singapore on Monday, VadymPrystaiko said the countries would also discuss compensation and theinvestigation into the incident. All 176 people on board the flight died inthe crash on Wednesday, minutes after the plane took off from Tehranairport.Mr. Prystaiko said suggestions from Iran that the Ukrainian InternationalAirlines plane was downed as it flew near a sensitive military base during atime of heightened tensions were "nonsense". He said Tehran had agreed tohand over the plane's black boxes to Kiev for investigation."We have created this group of Foreign Ministers from the grieving nations.On January 16, we will meet in person in London to discuss the ways,including legal, how we are following this up, how we are prosecuting them(Iran)," Mr. Prystaiko said.He said the five nations also included Canada - which had at least 57passport holders aboard the doomed flight - Sweden, Afghanistan and a fifthcountry, which he did not name.Many on board were Iranians with dual citizenship.Tehran said its air defences were fired in error while on alert afterIranian missile strikes on U.S. targets in Iraq."This is nonsense because our plane was recorded and confirmed - was goingwithin the international route which was given by the dispatchers... Nothingwas extraordinary," Mr. Prystaiko said, adding that investigators said thepilot's last words were "everything is ok on board and I am switching toauto pilot."QUEEN ELIZABETH II AGREES PERIOD OF TRANSITION FOR PRINCE HARRY, MEGHANBritain's Queen Elizabeth II on Monday agreed to offer Prince Harry and hiswife Meghan Markle a "period of transition" during which the couple candivide their time between the UK and Canada.After her first face-to-face talks with her grandson and senior members ofthe royal family at the 93-year-old monarch's Sandringham estate in Norfolk,Buckingham Palace issued a statement, saying as the transition period kicksin right away, the "complex" matter of the couple's future roles will befleshed out in the coming days.The statement notes that the discussions had proved "constructive" and thatthe royal family was supportive of the young couple's desire to create amore independent life for themselves."Today my family had very constructive discussions on the future of mygrandson and his family," according to the statement issued in the name ofthe Queen after the so-called 'Sandringham Summit'"My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire tocreate a new life as a young family. Although we would have preferred themto remain full-time working members of the royal family, we respect andunderstand their wish to live a more independent life as a family whileremaining a valued part of my family," it reads.In reference to the complex financial issues involved, it adds: "Harry andMeghan have made clear that they do not want to be reliant on public fundsin their new lives."It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition inwhich the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK. These are complexmatters for my family to resolve, and there is some more work to be done,but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days".IRAN PLANE VICTIMS WOULD BE ALIVE HAD THERE BEEN NO REGIONAL TENSIONS:TRUDEAUCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that the victims ofthe Ukrainian airliner shot down in Iran would still be alive if the recentescalation of tensions in the region had not happened, according to atranscript of an interview with Global News TV.Iran has admitted the plane was mistaken for a hostile target amid soaringtensions with the United States.The plane was shot down by an Iranian missile moments after taking off fromTehran on Wednesday. All 176 on board were killed, including 138 who wereheaded for Canada.Trudeau called it a Canadian tragedy. "This tragedy should never haveoccurred," he said. "We will not rest until there are answers. We will notrest until there is justice and accountability.""I think if there were no tensions, if there was no escalation recently inthe region, those Canadians would be right now home with their families,"Trudeau said in the interview.Trudeau said Canada did not receive a heads up before the United Stateskilled Soleimani, and that he "obviously" would have preferred one."The U.S. makes its determinations. We attempt to work as an internationalcommunity on big issues. But sometimes countries take actions withoutinforming their allies," he said.Trudeau said that while the government was working as quickly as possible tobring the bodies home for burial, it was likely to take weeks or "perhapseven months."Canada said on Monday that Iran had signaled that Canadian investigatorswould take an active role in the probe of the crash.TRADE DEAL'S FIRST PHASE WILL INCLUDE PURCHASE OF $200 BILLION AMERICANPRODUCTS BY CHINA: U.S.China's purchase of USD 200 billion worth of additional American productsover a period of two years is part of the "Phase One" trade deal withBeijing, the U.S. said, as the world's two top economic powers look forwardto ending their bitter two-year tariff war this week.President Donald Trump announced last week that the U.S. will sign the firstphase of a pending trade deal with China "probably" on January 15. "We'resigning, as you know, a very big deal among many other things withChina...probably on January 15," Mr. Trump told reporters at a White Houseevent.China's commerce ministry on Thursday last confirmed that Vice-Premier Liuwill be in the U.S. capital from Monday to Wednesday to sign the "Phase One"trade deal with the U.S. The deal signals a de-escalation in a trade warthat has lasted between the two economic giants for nearly two years.The deal includes the China's purchase of $200-billion worth of additionalAmerican products, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said on Sunday.In an interview to ABC News, he said, "It is $200 billion of additionalproducts across the board over the next two years and specifically $40billion to $50 billion in agriculture.""This is a big opportunity for our farmers. I think some people havequestioned whether they can produce it. However, the President said they aregoing to go out and buy more land and produce plenty of [products]," hesaid. Describing it as a "historic transaction", Mr. Mnuchin said furthertalks would be held for the remaining phases."As we have said, there will be a Phase Two. But this is the first time wehave had a comprehensive agreement with China on technology issues,agricultural issues, financial services, purchases and a real enforcementmechanism. So this is a big win for the President," he said.US DROPS DESIGNATION OF CHINA AS CURRENCY MANIPULATORThe Trump administration is dropping its designation of China as a currencymanipulator in advance of the January 15 signing of a Phase 1 U.S.-Chinatrade agreement.The preliminary pact that the two sides are set to sign includes a sectionthat's intended to prevent China from manipulating its currency to gaintrade advantages.The action announced on January 13 comes five months after the Trumpadministration had branded China a currency manipulator - the first timethat any country had been so named since 1994 during the Clintonadministration.Even while removing China from its currency black list, the TreasuryDepartment does name China as one of 10 countries it says require placementon a watch list that will mean their currency practices will be closelymonitored. In addition to China, the countries on that monitoring list areGermany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore,Switzerland and Vietnam.Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the administration had droppedChina's designation as a currency manipulator because of commitments in thePhase 1 trade agreement that President Donald Trump is to sign with China onWednesday at the White House."China has made enforceable commitments to refrain from competitivedevaluation, while promoting transparency and accountability," Mr. Mnuchinsaid in a statement accompanying the current report.LIBYA'S RIVAL LEADERS FAIL TO MAKE DEAL IN MOSCOW TALKSTalks in Moscow about bringing an end to Libya's long-running civil warfailed to reach a solution Monday and have been adjourned for the night.At the meeting, Libya's rival governments considered a draft documentspelling out details of a truce proposed jointly by Russia and Turkey thatbegan Sunday.Fayez Sarraj, the head of Libya's UN-recognized government in Tripoli, andhis rival Khalifa Hifter met with top diplomats and military officials fromRussia and Turkey for the talks that lasted about seven hours. Thenegotiations were held behind closed doors, and Sarraj and Hifter didn'tmeet directly.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart MevlutCavusoglu said that Sarraj signed the draft agreement, while Hifterrequested more time to consider it."They have a positive view of the document and asked for extra time untilthe next morning to decide," Lavrov said of Hifter and his delegation. "Ihope they will make a positive decision. Russian and Turkish representativeswill continue to offer their assistance."US EXPELS 21 SAUDI MILITARY CADETS AFTER GUN ATTACKTwenty-one members of the Saudi military are being expelled from the USafter a cadet carried out a mass shooting at a air base last month.The servicemen are not accused of aiding the 21-year old Saudi Air Forcelieutenant.But US Attorney General William Barr said the cadets were found to have hadjihadist material and indecent images of children in their possession.Three sailors were killed and eight wounded in the 6 December attack.Training for Saudi servicemen was put on hold in the US after the attack.Mr Barr told a news conference on Monday that the shooting at Naval AirStation Pensacola had been an "act of terrorism".He said he had asked Apple to unlock two iPhones that belonged to thegunman, who was killed by police in the attack. The gunman fired a bulletinto one phone in an effort to destroy it, Mr Barr said, but FBIinvestigators were able to restore the device.