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Bitter Senate impeachment trial of Trump could bog down Biden's first days
The second impeachment of President Donald Trump by the U.S. House of Representatives, for inciting last week’s deadly rampage at the Capitol, could set off a bitter Senate fight that entangles the early days of President-elect Joe Biden’s term.
Trump became the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice when the House voted 232-197 on Wednesday to charge him with inciting the riot.
Ten of Trump’s fellow Republicans joined Democrats in approving the article of impeachment.

Republican Party faces rage from both pro- and anti-Trump voters
After riots at the U.S. Capitol by President Donald Trump’s supporters, the Republican Party is facing defections from two camps of voters it can’t afford to lose: those saying Trump and his allies went too far in contesting the election of Democrat Joe Biden - and those saying they didn’t go far enough, according to new polling and interviews with two dozen voters.

From off-duty police to firefighters, state lawmakers, teachers, municipal workers and at least one active-duty military officer, dozens of public servants from across the United States joined the protests in Washington that turned into a siege on the U.S. Capitol.
Since returning home, many have confronted harsh criticism from angry constituents or employers - often because of their own posts on social media.

President Donald Trump may hire a law professor who spoke at his rally before the riot at the U.S. Capitol to help defend him in an impeachment trial over a charge that he incited the violence, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Read the Explainer on what Congress will do now that Trump has been impeached a second time.

What you need to know about the coronavirus today

Infection, immunity and spread
People who have had COVID-19 are highly likely to have immunity to it for at least five months, but there is evidence that those with antibodies may still be able to carry and spread the virus, a study of British healthcare workers has found.

Over by year-end?
Germany will have the coronavirus pandemic under control by the end of the year, but new, fast-spreading variants of the virus risk exacerbating the situation, the public health chief said, warning people against traveling.

Drones, lockdown and privacy
French data privacy watchdog CNIL condemned the Interior Ministry for the unlawful use of drones to oversee demonstrations and make sure people were respecting the COVID-19 lockdown.

WHO team arrives in Wuhan, two held back
Two members of a World Health Organization-led team that arrived on Thursday in China's Wuhan city to investigate the origins of COVID-19 remained behind in Singapore after testing positive for coronavirus antibodies, the global body said.

Most new cases in over 10 months in China
China reported its biggest daily jump in new COVID-19 cases in more than 10 months as infections in northeastern Heilongjiang province nearly tripled, underscoring the growing threat ahead of the major national Lunar New Year holiday.

Australian state considers mining camps for quarantine
Queensland state Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said she was considering the use of remote mining camps to quarantine international arrivals, aiming to break a cycle of coronavirus outbreaks around Australia at city hotels used for isolation.

From Breakingviews: Corona Capital - Vaccines, Fast fashion, Renault
Indonesia is pushing ahead with its mass vaccination rollout, the fast-fashion sector typifies the winners and losers of the pandemic and Renault’s cringe-inducingly named “Renaulution” has had the opposite of its intended effect on investors. Catch up with the latest financial insights.

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world

Hong Kong police arrest 11 on suspicion of aiding activists' escape attempt
Hong Kong police have arrested 11 people over suspected crimes related to assisting a group of 12 pro-democracy activists accused of attempting to flee the city by boat for Taiwan last year, local media and activists reported on Thursday.
Daniel Wong, a lawyer who tried to help the 12 people detained in mainland China last August, was among those arrested.

Ugandans choose between reggae singer and longtime leader in tense election
Ugandans began voting on Thursday in a presidential election pitting long-time leader Yoweri Museveni against an opposition galvanized by a popular singer despite a campaign marked by brutal crackdowns.

Kingmaker manoeuvres behind the men vying to succeed Germany's Merkel
The conservative leader favored by German voters isn’t even running in this week’s contest to head up Angela Merkel’s party, but he aims to play a pivotal role in determining its candidate to succeed her as chancellor, party sources say.

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Biden likely to improve ties with Asia, end 'silly trade war': Mahathir
After four years of dealing with U.S. President Donald Trump, Asia can expect President-elect Joe Biden to improve ties with traditionally supportive nations and end a "silly trade war" with China, Malaysia's former premier Mahathir Mohamad said.

French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said a foreign company purchasing supermarket retailer Carrefour would be a “major difficulty” for the government because of the need to guarantee food security for citizens.

The once-delayed Tokyo Olympics may not go ahead this summer as planned as the COVID-19 pandemic rages, a Japanese cabinet minister said on Thursday, saying the host needs to be ready for anything.

Unilever is strongly encouraging employees to get vaccinated against the coronavirus as soon as possible and floated the idea that it could buy shots to share with people in poorer countries.