🇺🇸 U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak announced 4.6 billion pounds ($6.2 billion) of emergency support to help businesses survive a third lockdown that threatens to plunge the economy into a sharp double-dip recession. https://bloom.bg/3bhGJGq

✌Qatar's ruler landed in Saudi Arabia to a warm embrace from Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Saudi Arabia reopened its borders with Qatar on Monday, a leap toward easing the diplomatic dispute that began in 2017. https://bloom.bg/38ZscN7

💸 Bitcoin has the potential to reach $146,000 in the long term as it competes with gold as an asset class, according to JPMorgan. On Monday, Bitcoin slid as much as 17% after breaching $34,000 for the first time over the weekend. https://bloom.bg/3966W8e

💰More large U.S. companies filed for bankruptcy in 2020 than in any year since the global financial crisis: http://bloom.bg/2Xb7Mv5

✅ The New York Stock Exchange has abruptly reversed plans to delist three major Chinese telecommunications companies: http://bloom.bg/3nfzfX6

💒The number of Americans getting divorced plummeted last year, while the marriage rate also dropped: http://bloom.bg/35cGsRg

Hello 👋 Here’s what's making news right now:

🇭🇰 Some 50 people in Hong Kong, including democracy activists and opposition politicians, were arrested on suspicion of violating the city’s national security law. It appears to be the biggest sweep yet under the China-imposed legislation. https://bloom.bg/3pT7C7T

📥 In the U.S., two Georgia runoff races will determine control of the Senate and the fate of President-elect Joe Biden’s agenda. They were too close to call from early results, and because of the high number of absentee ballots, there’s a chance the winners won’t be determined for days. https://bloom.bg/2XfLHLK

📵 President Trump signed an order banning U.S. transactions with eight Chinese software apps, including Alipay and WeChat Pay, in 45 days. He’ll no longer be in office then, so it'll be up to Biden to enforce the policy. https://bloom.bg/394gyk2

🇺🇸 Democrats' hopes of taking control of the U.S. Senate hang in the balance after Raphael Warnock captured one seat for the party in the Georgia runoff elections. Another race remains too close to call. https://bloom.bg/35fOr07

😷 The next few weeks will be the biggest challenge yet for the British government as it attempts to protect the health service. Infections are at a record, and hospital staff say they may be forced to turn people away. https://bloom.bg/35fglcC

💰Move over, Warren Buffett. Zhong Shanshan, chairman of Chinese bottled-water company Nongfu Spring Co., is now richer than Buffett as his fortune surged $13.5 billion since the start of the year to $91.7 billion on Tuesday. https://bloom.bg/2MAcY9D

There’s a lot going on in the U.S. right now. We’re here to help break it down for you.

• A violent mob of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Congress was in the middle of arguing over the electoral vote count from Arizona, and the violence forced lawmakers to flee. A woman was fatally shot. https://bloom.bg/3hP8k3a

• Congress later reconvened to certify the November election. The violence spurred a wave of Republican criticism of the president, and top White House officials are considering resigning over Trump’s encouragement of protests that led to the riot. https://bloom.bg/2LwXMtC

• Twitter and Facebook also suspended the president’s account for the first time. https://bloom.bg/3pVYSxF

Follow live updates here: https://bloom.bg/3s3OQMK

Get caught up on the news out of Washington:

• Joe Biden was formally recognized by Congress as the next U.S. president early Thursday, ending two months of failed challenges by Donald Trump, that exploded into violence at the U.S. Capitol. https://bloom.bg/35zDxCL

• Chaos and drama unfolded as Trump supporters stormed the Capitol building, disrupting the certification of Joe Biden's Electoral College victory by Congress. These were some of the most dramatic images. https://bloom.bg/3hQXj19

• And Donald Trump's relationship with his most loyal lieutenant, Mike Pence, splintered on Wednesday after the vice president defied the president's call to overturn his loss in the November election. https://bloom.bg/394fdtu

🇺🇸Donald Trump is under mounting pressure and facing calls to resign or be removed, after inciting a mob of protesters who stormed the U.S. Capitol: http://bloom.bg/3bhc10a

💰Elon Musk, the outspoken entrepreneur behind Tesla and SpaceX, is now the richest person on the planet: http://bloom.bg/3otI3Kg

📈Bitcoin’s wild price swings resumed after the the world’s largest cryptocurrency climbed above $40,000 for the first time: http://bloom.bg/3s3cglB

🇺🇸 In a video message, President Donald Trump finally conceded that Joe Biden would take office on Jan. 20, and condemned the riot by his supporters at the U.S. Capitol. https://bloom.bg/3pXhKwo

🚗 Hyundai shares surged up to 24% after a report said the carmaker was in talks with Apple on developing self-driving cars. https://bloom.bg/35mXxbz

📈 And Asian stocks followed their U.S. peers higher on Friday as investors focused on the prospect of more stimulus money and the likelihood of calm prevailing in a Biden presidency. https://bloom.bg/3hRjXqi

A police officer has died of injuries he sustained when a pro-Trump mob broke into the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon. https://bloom.bg/3opRHxC

Pfizer and BioNTech’s vaccine appears to be effective against a key mutation in fast-spreading new coronavirus strains, researchers say. https://bloom.bg/2XkbN03

And in an effort to clean up its image, Amsterdam aims to restrict tourists from visiting a key attraction: its marijuana-selling coffee shops. https://bloom.bg/3omBRDM

Hello, here's what we're following right now:

🇺🇸 Donald Trump and a dwindling circle of advisers are planning a defiant final week in office, sources say, despite growing calls to impeach the president or remove him from office. https://bloom.bg/3sennby

🇯🇵 Japan says it found a new strain of the coronavirus in four passengers arriving from Brazil. https://bloom.bg/2Logunf

✈️ Wreckage was recovered from a Boeing passenger jet that crashed in Indonesia shortly after takeoff on Saturday. The plane carrying 62 people was intact when it hit the water. https://bloom.bg/35sHskm

📈 Bitcoin's wild ride took another twist Monday as the worst two-day tumble in the digital currency since March stoked concern that the cryptocurrency boom may run out of steam. https://bloom.bg/2Xu8zHv

🇺🇸 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is readying Democrats for a lightning-fast second impeachment of President Donald Trump this week. The move risks consuming Congress in a bitter political fight. https://bloom.bg/3qfcxjP

🇬🇧 And at least 250,000 small companies in the U.K. are set to close in 2021 unless the government provides more assistance, as the economy heads for a double-dip recession. https://bloom.bg/38wnrvb

📱 WhatsApp’s new privacy rules have sparked an exodus by users and an outcry among tech experts and privacy advocates. Here's what the policy says and what it means. https://bloom.bg/39mr7PE

💰 It took Trump’s entire presidency for most of his corporate allies to turn on him. They’re standing up to him now, when their pressure can’t change much in the administration’s final days. But they do have the power to hurt his return to the business world. https://bloom.bg/2Xwv8LN

👀 And we’d like to introduce you to our new video series, China+, which dives into how the country’s international projects affect the rest of the world. Watch the first episode: https://bit.ly/3sk9OHI

🇺🇸 The abrupt resignation of the U.S. Homeland Security chief has added to tensions ahead of Joe Biden’s inauguration next week. The FBI has warned of armed protests in all 50 state capitals.
https://bloom.bg/3qi0pOZ

⚠ From health certificates to new taxes and additional paperwork, U.K. businesses are drowning in red tape at the EU border under the new Brexit rules. https://bloom.bg/3oEYX8N

🚓 And South Korean police are on the hunt for a female casino executive who disappeared after her employer discovered 14.6 billion won ($13 million) in cash missing from the resort’s coffer. https://bloom.bg/38xYgIN

Breaking: The U.S. House voted to demand that Vice President Mike Pence remove Donald Trump from office by invoking the 25th Amendment and declaring the president incapable of executing his duties.

It went ahead with the resolution even though Pence said just hours before that he wouldn’t comply.

But emotions are running high after a mob of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol last week. If the vote does not persuade Mike Pence to remove Trump, Democrats will proceed with a historic impeachment vote just eight days before Joe Biden is inaugurated. https://bloom.bg/39pH8Eh

🇺🇸 The U.S. House is preparing to vote on whether to impeach Donald Trump over his role inciting last week’s mob attack on the Capitol. If the vote passes, Trump would become the only U.S. president to be impeached twice. https://bloom.bg/3qcWvqz

😷 After taking a soft approach to the pandemic, Sweden plans to crack down on private gatherings and businesses that fail to follow restrictions. But with deaths surging, some say it is too little too late. https://bloom.bg/3nJKc37

🏆 And the fate of Tokyo's Olympics is once again in doubt as Japan declares a second state of emergency. Organizers have said the 2020 Olympics will be canceled if they can’t go on as scheduled in summer 2021. https://bloom.bg/39lw8Ys

🇺🇸 Donald Trump just became the first president in U.S. history to be impeached twice. Here’s what happens next: https://bloom.bg/2LQDPOd

🇨🇳 Elon Musk loves China, and China loves him back — for now. Tesla’s unprecedented success there has helped its CEO become the world’s richest man, but how long can the good times last? https://bloom.bg/2XB4WPZ

🇯🇵 And in Japan, preparing for natural disasters is serious business. Architects and engineers are pushing boundaries to reduce damage. Tokyo Skytree, the world’s tallest broadcasting tower, is designed to let strong winds simply pass through its gaps. The rest of the world could learn a lot from Japan’s strategies: https://bloom.bg/3oIXX3E

🇺🇸 President Donald Trump's historic second impeachment heads to the Senate. His fate now rests with Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who has more leverage than ever over the president. https://bloom.bg/2MTjacX

💉 Americans rushing to get vaccinated against Covid-19 face limited supplies and jammed phone lines. With eligibility expanded this week, another 128 million Americans can potentially get shots. https://bloom.bg/2N7CWSp

❄ And Bitcoin mining is coming to the Article Circle. The Siberian city of Norilsk now hosts a crypto farm for producing new Bitcoins — a process that requires expensive cooling. https://bloom.bg/39Ar5na

🇨🇳 A year after its first coronavirus lockdowns, China’s economy is beating the world. Economists expect the country’s GDP to expand 8.2% this year. http://bloom.bg/3bG4kkD

👀 Many Asian economies that tamed the virus early are taking a wait-and-see approach before rolling out vaccines. Here’s why: http://bloom.bg/3qmcWkh

🌴 And Donald Trump plans to live at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, employing several White House staff members. Some neighbors are not happy. http://bloom.bg/3qkEeHH

🏦 Rules governing the City of London’s relationship with Europe are still uncertain after Brexit, but one outcome is already clear: a stream of dealmakers across the English Channel. https://bloom.bg/3intiXi

💉 Norway says Covid-19 vaccinations may be too risky for the very old and terminally sick, after 23 people died within a short time of receiving their first shot. https://bloom.bg/39ASQfj

💻 And Apple is planning a new line of upgraded MacBook Pro laptops — and the return of its magnetic charger. https://bloom.bg/39y9vQW

Hello 👋 Here's what we're following right now:

🇨🇳 China’s economy expanded 2.3% in 2020, boosted by 6.5% growth in the final quarter, making it the only major country to avoid a contraction. https://bloom.bg/3sA1dkg

🇷🇺 Russian police detained opposition leader Alexey Navalny, an outspoken critic of President Vladimir Putin, as he arrived in Moscow after being treated in Germany for poisoning. The arrest will pose an early test for Joe Biden’s incoming administration. https://bloom.bg/3nRedOz

💰 And wealthy Americans, by some measures, have become richer during the pandemic than ever before. With the economic collapse and surge in joblessness, homelessness, and hunger, it’s a difficult thing to fathom. https://bloom.bg/2N691K4