State

Heightened security measures remain in place at Illinois Capitol after quiet weekend

The Illinois State Capitol is pictured on a quiet afternoon Sunday, Jan. 17 in downtown Springfield. There were no protesters in sight for much of the day despite the heavy Illinois National Guard presence in the streets with military humvees and traffic blockades outside the Illinois Capitol. About 250 Illinois National Guard members were deployed to the Capitol as the FBI warned of armed planned protests at state capitals across the country over the weekend.

• COVID-19 mitigations rolled back in 9 regions

National

U.S. Capitol lockdown lifted, fire nearby contained

A member of the military rushes past, as people are evacuated back inside after an "external security threat" prior to a dress rehearsal for U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, U.S., January 18, 2021. Win McNamee/Pool via REUTERS

• Acting Pentagon chief: No indication of insider threat before inauguration

• Police arrest woman FBI says may have tried to sell Pelosi computer device: media

• Student, retired firefighter charged in U.S. Capitol riots

• In wake of U.S. Capitol attack, some law firms decline to halt political contributions

Government, Politics, and Elections

Trump orders assessment of security risks of Chinese drones

President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, after visiting the U.S.-Mexico border wall in Harlingen, Texas, U.S., January 12, 2021. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo

• The Trump years: Tax cuts and trade wars overshadowed in the end by a virus

  • Explainer: Trump's legacy - Big policy changes that often got lost amid the din and scandal

  • How offshoring rolled along under Trump, who vowed to stop it

  • Analysis - Trump's legacy: A more divided America, a more unsettled world

Washington's inauguration is normally a ball - now it's a 'ghost town with soldiers'

A U.S. National Guard member patrols on a nearly empty street, days ahead of U.S. President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration, in Washington, D.C., U.S. January 18, 2021. REUTERS/Mike Segar

• Factbox: Biden plans to reverse Trump policies during first days in office

  • Biden to block Trump's plan to lift COVID-19 European travel restrictions

  • Biden's top diplomat, Blinken, vows to revitalize alliances, U.S. leadership

  • Biden intelligence pick to call for tough scrutiny of China, source says

  • Outlook darkens for Wall Street as Biden's regulators take shape

• Exclusive: Senator Gillibrand eyes extending Civil Rights Act protections to U.S. troops

World

Uganda accuses U.S. envoy of subversion for trying to visit candidate

Ugandan police officers refuse lawyers of Ugandan opposition presidential candidate Robert Kyagulanyi, also known as Bobi Wine, from meeting him at his house in Kampala, Uganda January 18, 2021. REUTERS/Baz Ratner

• Iraq delays general election to Oct. 10 - state media

• Iraq tightens security along flashpoint Syria frontier, military says

• Analysis: Saudi overtures to wary Biden team driven by worries over Iran, economy

• Taiwan cancels major festival as domestic COVID-19 cases rise

EU eyes scheme to share surplus COVID-19 vaccines with poorer nations

European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides speaks during a plenary session on EU global strategy on COVID-19 vaccinations at the EU parliament in Brussels, Belgium January 19, 2021. John Thys/Pool via REUTERS

• Love thy neighbour and get a COVID jab, says Archbishop of Canterbury

• Italy PM Conte looks to cling to power in crucial Senate vote

• Lawyers for UK's Meghan seek to stop privacy case going to trial

• Shares climb ahead of Yellen speech, earnings in focus

Odd & Extraordinary

• Mouse in hotel room adds to Putintseva's Melbourne quarantine woes

Science, Medicine, Technology and Environment

Branson's Virgin Orbit reaches space with key mid-air rocket launch

British billionaire Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit reached space for the first time on Sunday with a successful test of its air-launched rocket, delivering ten NASA satellites to orbit and achieving a key milestone after aborting the rocket’s first test launch last year.