this is bbc news. i'm lukwesa burak with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the president of the united states! tying the rioters to trump. democrat impeachment managers wrap up their case, saying the former president played a key role in orchestrating the capitol siege. even after the attack, the insurrectionists made clear to law enforcement that they were just following president trump's orders. the duchess of sussex launches a scathing attack on a british tabloid after winning her high court privacy battle. china bans broadcasts by bbc world news. britain's foreign secretary says it's an unacceptable curtailing of press freedom.

a promising new treatment for seriously ill covid patients. researchers discover that combining an arthritis drug with a steroid could cut deaths by up to a half. and ireland's prime minister calls on senior eu leaders to "cool it" in their post—brexit dealings with the uk. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world — and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. we begin in the united states, where house democrats have made their final push in the impeachment trial of donald trump. their main argument today is that the rioters acted at the direction of mr trump himself. and they warned that he could promote new violence if he's not convicted.

the prosecution relied again on emotionally—charged videos, to highlight what they described as the "harm" caused by his words. they'll need to sway 17 republicans to convict mr trump of a single charge of incitement of insurrection. here's a bit of what we heard today. onjanuary 6, we know who lit the fuse. president trump's lack of remorse and refusal to take accountability after the attack poses its own unique and continuing danger. this attack on our elections, on the peaceful transfer- of power from one president. to the next, didn't even happen during the civil war, | but it did just happen because of the cold, - calculated and conspiratorial acts of our former president, donald j~~~ _ trump declared his conduct totally appropriate.

so if he gets back into office and it happens again, we'll have no—one to blame but ourselves. our north america correspondent barbara plett usher says the democrats spent today's session trying to prove the rioters believed they were acting on clear instructions from donald trump. so you remember in the very graphic video they showed yesterday, re—enacting or showing the anatomy of the riot and forcing senators to relive that trauma as part of their case. today, it was very much focused on piece—by—piece talking about mr trump's role and intent during the attack, because, of course, to establish or to prove incitement, you have to show intent, and so what they did is they showed the history of mr trump, that he had a history of inciting violence. they used, for example, some of his statements at rallies where he condoned violence against protesters.

they also, in quite an important segment, showed how supporters believed that they were following mr trump's orders, and they used to their supporters�* own words in video and audio to demonstrate that. and then another big part of their argument was that mr trump did not show remorse for what happened and that he said his behaviour was acceptable and totally 0k, and therefore if he was not punished that he could continue to do harm and that presidents who came after might also feel they didn't have impunity, and therefore he should be impeached. those were their main arguments, and they wrapped up by saying that they had proved incitement and that it was for the good of the country and the good of american democracy that he be impeached. and i suppose from the republicans' point of view, tomorrow, they're really likely to push this angle of testimony and evidence, aren't they? well, what they started with was to say that the trial is unconstitutional, but the senate voted that down.

that's a procedural argument, so we'll see whether the lawyers pick that up again. but what they have said is that mr trump was speaking figuratively when he used that incendiary language at the rally. it was only figurative speech, it was just that his supporters took him literally, he didn't mean them literally, and that, anyway, he has the right to free speech. that's protected under the constitution because it was political talk, so that will be a big part of their defence and that he also didn't mean for the supporters to go and attack the capitol, and they'll probably argue the democrats have not adequately proved that that was his intent. but we understand that they're not going to take very long making their argument. they're going to wrap up probably in one day, and maybe only in a few hours, and that suggests — amongst other things — that they feel they do have the republican votes to acquit mr trump. barbara plett usher there.

we spoke to kathryn brownell. she's a professor and university faculty scholar in the department of history at purdue university. she says the house impeachment managers have done a really effective job in laying out the facts and timeline. the house impeachment managers have done a really effective job in foregrounding the hard evidence. they've laid out the facts, the timeline, the very concrete link between trump and the insurrectionists, and they've also put that into that broader context about notjust what happened onjanuary 6 but in the months, even the years, beforehand, and then really talking into his response as well. and a lot of the video that we've been seeing has been very powerful. what do you think of the way it's been presented, because there had been concerns that the democrats might put on a somewhat hollywood—style version of that video? well, i think the power of the presentation is in the evidence and not any glitz and glamour surrounding

it, and that's why it's so effective. and this has actually been true in the past. thinking about the investigation into watergate, these televised hearings, and that got so many people to understand the gravity of the issues at stake, and ultimately to see that richard nixon was involved in wrongdoing, because it focused not on the performance of one senator but it focused on presented the evidence, establishing that clear timeline. and i think that that same dynamic is very much playing out right now. it's the power of the evidence — the videos, the tweets, the response to the insurrectionists to trump's tweets in real—time, and then ultimately his inaction — and so the timeline and all of these concrete facts, that's what's powerful in the presentation, not anything about glitz and glamour. that was professor kathryn brownell there.

the duchess of sussex has welcomed her high court privacy victory over the mail on sunday, saying the damage the publisher has done "runs deep". it ruled that a letter she sent to her estranged father was "inherently private and personal", and its publication "manifestly excessive". the mail's owner, associated newspapers, says it's surprised and disappointed. this report from our royal correspondent nicholas witchell contains flash photography. this is a significant victory for the duchess of sussex. meghan, strongly supported by her husband, prince harry, has shown herself to be absolutely determined robustly to defend her right to privacy. this case began after the mail on sunday published lengthy extracts from a letter she'd written in late 2018 to her estranged father, thomas. meghan�*s lawyers had told the high court that the letter was a heartfelt plea from an anguished daughter. they applied for something called a summaryjudgment, a judgment without a full trial, on the basis, they said,

that the mail on sunday had no real prospect of success. and thejudge agreed. mrjustice warby examined the evidence and found... ..he said. meghan has also won on the separate issue of copyright infringement, but privacy is the one that really counts. in a statement, she spoke about what she said were the tactics of the mail group's newspapers. "for these outlets, it's a game", she said... the mail on sunday's publishers said they were very surprised by the judgment. they said they would decide in due course whether to lodge an appeal. and, first reaction from media lawyers... this is a significant victory

because of who she is. the mail had published a series of articles around meghan and her life and her private life and i think this was the tipping point for her. i suspect it should have quite a sobering impact on sections of the media who think that celebrities and members of the royal family are fair game. for the queen and other senior royals, there will be great relief. the prospect of a full trial on the privacy issue — in which meghan markle and herfather, thomas markle, would have been pitted against each other as the star witnesses — has been averted. nicholas witchell, bbc news. china has banned bbc world news from broadcasting on its territory. china state media say the bbc was responsible for what was called a "slew of falsified reporting" on issues including xinjiang and china's handling of coronavirus. they go on to say that "fake news" is not tolerated in china. last week, we broadcast detailed accounts of muslim

women who said they had been systematically raped in so—called re—education camps in xinjiang. the bbc says it's disappointed with the decision and in a statement said that... our diplomatic correspondent, james landale, says china's retaliation was expected. i don't think this comes as any great surprise. as you said in your introduction, china has expressed its displeasure for some time now at reports made by the bbc, not just about the situation in hong kong and the imposition of the security law there but also very much specifically the bbc�*s coverage of the allegations and reports of human rights abuses in xinjiang. so there's a general concern about the bbc within the chinese authorities in general, but more

specifically, i think the chinese were retaliating for the decision by the british communications regulator ofcom recently to revoke the licence of cgtn, the chinese satellite english—language broadcaster in london, because of its links to the communist party in china. and i think this is retaliation for that. how has the british and other world governments responded to this? not surprisingly, the british government has been pretty condemnatory. in a tweet, the foreign secretary dominic raab said very specifically... and over the atlantic, the us state department was equally concerned,

expressing its concerns also about the scale and the impact this will have on media freedom. we absolutely condemn the prc's decision to ban bbc world news. the prc maintains one of the most controlled, most oppressive, least free information spaces in the world. it's troubling that as the prc restricts outlets and platforms from operating freely in china, beijing's leaders use free and open media environments overseas to promote misinformation. we call on the prc and other nations with authoritarian controls over their population to allow their full access to the internet and media. so, james, what are the likely consequences moving forward? in practical terms, it's not clear how much impact this will actually have in china. already, it's very hard to get bbc content in china. you can't see the bbc website, you can't get the bbc app.

a lot of bbc world television only got through to international hotels and places like that, so the practical implications are hard to determine. in the longer term, this will obviously, i think, add to tensions between the uk and china. there are already disputes over various issues. i think what this will do will add growing fuel to arguments within the british parliament for the uk to develop an even tougher line on china in the weeks and months to come. that was james landale there. stay with us on bbc news. still to come: looking for love in lockdown — how more and more people are searching for soulmates online. there's mr mandela, mr nelson mandela, a free man taking his first steps into a new south africa. iran's spiritual leader, ayatollah khomeini, has said he's passed a death sentence

on salman rushdie, the british author of a book which many muslims say is blasphemous. the people of haiti have flocked to church to give thanks for the ousting of their former president, ba by doc duvalier. because of his considerable value as a stallion, - shergar was kept in a specialj secure box in the stud farm's central block. shergar was driven away. in a horse box the thieves had brought with them. there stepped down from the plane a figure in mourning — elizabeth ii, queen of this realm and of all her other realms and territories, head of the commonwealth, defender of the faith. this is bbc news. our top stories: prosecutors in the impeachment trial of donald trump have finished putting

forward their case to the us senate, saying the former president incited his supporters to attack the capitol building last month. the duchess of sussex, meghan markle, has won her high court privacy claim against british newspaper the mail on sunday, after it published a letter to her father. now, a drug that is normally given to people with arthritis, could help in the treatment of covid—i9. a major trial shows that when tocilizumab is combined with the steroid dexamethasone, it can cut by up to half the number of covid patients dying in hospital. our medical editor fergus walsh reports on the trials that were carried out here in the uk. searching among existing medicines for any that can treat covid has been a huge task. first, there was dexamethasone. now, there's tocilizumab. together, they can dramatically improve survival for patients on oxygen.

compared with a year ago, when we really did not know how to treat this disease, we now have two treatments — they both act on the immune system. dexamethasone and tocilizumab, put them together and we've reduced the risk of death by a third or even as much as a half in the sickest patients. that's great news. dexamethasone, a steroid, costs just £5, whereas the arthritis drug, tocilizumab, at least £500 per patient. but that's still far less than the £2,000 a day cost of being in icu. this therapy looks like it keeps people out of the intensive care unit, so they never need to meet people like me, which can only be a good thing. so, as well as improving survival, it actually will decrease the number of people who need to come to intensive care, which is fabulous. there's understandably a huge focus on preventing coronavirus and vaccines, but for those with covid, it is treatments like dexamethasone and tocilizumab which will save lives now.

they need the research, so ijust signed up for them. lawrence spent several days in intensive care at addenbrooke�*s hospital in cambridge, but now has his bags packed, ready to go home. he's one of tens of thousands of covid patients taking part in nhs trials. if nobody's willing to try, you're back to square one again, aren't you? if nobody's going to do anything. last month, nhs hospitals treated more than 100,000 covid patients. that's around one in three of all those admitted since the pandemic began. covid remains a brutal disease, but the chances of surviving it are improving. fergus walsh, bbc news. the irish prime minister has called on the european union and the uk to "cool it" in their post—brexit dealings, amid fears ireland could be collateral damage in the process.

it follows a tense few weeks between the eu and the uk over coronavirus vaccine supply and the northern ireland protocol, part of the brexit agreement designed to prevent a hard border between ireland and northern ireland. fergal keane sent this report from dublin. they're remembering the centenary of ireland's guerrilla war for independence here but the age of martyrs is long gone in the republic. taoiseach, how are you? still, the taoiseach knows this could be a critical moment in the story of the peace process. and that's what's prompted this message to british and eu leaders. i just worry a bit about the post—brexit noise from eu member states towards britain and vice versa. what would you say to your european...? i want to tell them they need to dial it down. this isn't an ongoing battle between the uk and some of the bigger beasts of europe. they need to cool it. we'd be collateral

damage in all of that. britain wants a... does that mean weeks, months, years? there would definitely be a timeframe that it has to happen within a year? in timeframe that it has to happen within a year?— within a year? in my view, eah. this intervention comes amid heightened tension over the northern ireland protocol. staff implementing checks at the ports of larne and belfast were temporarily withdrawn after worries about their safety. there are growing unionist fears that eu customs checks have created a border between northern ireland and britain. the atmosphere is potentially volatile. you can see how it can tip over very quickly and therefore we have to be very vigilant that it doesn't. because one of the big fears is that the loyalist paramilitaries are given a new lease of life and that we could see violence, sectarian violence, coming back.

is that something that worries you? if we handled this the wrong way, if things are handled wrongly, you could provoke that response but i don't think loyalism wants that. modern irish politics emerged from civil war, division, a partitioned ireland. but 100 years and many thousands of lost lives later... ..some opinion polls suggest going support in northern ireland for a referendum on reuniting ireland. anathema to many protestants. and so here are these great portraits. and his office, micheal martin has portraits of two revolutionary comrades who ended up as bitter enemies.

ido i do not believe the future of the islands about majoritarian in the cruises sense. i think it is about consensual relationships, trust. micheal martin is a product of ireland's complex history. his grandfather rebelled against the british but an uncle fought for britain in world war ii. he wants a reinvigorated anglo—irish relationship. it's a very important relationship and it's a strong relationship, notwithstanding the difficulties of brexit and the challenges it presents. i am very passionate about it. you know, i have witnessed the transformation of the british—irish relationship and the degree to which it underpinned the progress in ireland and the peace process. but more than that. i have first cousins in the uk. we are very close, whether we like it or not. in dublin, the determination is to trying to de—escalate the tensions that have, with brexit and quickly. fergal keane, bbc news, dublin. life has changed in so many ways with in this pandemic — from the way people work and communicate to the way people are looking for love. it's not easy when

you're in lockdown. 0ur correspondent daniela relph has been speaking to people who have been virtual dating. waiting for your online blind date to show up. meetjohn. it may now be virtual but it is just as tense. and this is pippa. hi, how are you doing? you all right? i'm good, how are you? matched up by a dating app, the chat is of lockdown. are you doing lots of interesting cooking in lockdown? i do cook, but i wouldn't say i'm mr gordon ramsay. as withjohn and pippa, video dating has become the norm in lockdown. the traffic on dating apps has been up throughout the past year, with many businesses adapting to focus on hosting these virtual meet ups. the ultimate chemistry test is in person but you can pick up on some of those vibes before and it will save you a lot of time if you try

a video date first. simon and shana are a lockdown love story. they managed three in—person dates and then came lockdown in march. forced apart, they bonded over weeks of video dating and walks in the park. in december, they got engaged. it's a really intense time to fall in love with somebody. do you think there is strength in that? i think you have strength through adversity. getting through that together and being each other�*s support system has really cemented not just how we feel but how we'll get through the future struggles. yeah, if you can see someone at their worst during lockdown, yeah, you know you can survive it. and back tojohn and pippa, was there a happy ending? how did it go withjohn? is there going to be a second date? i think it went very well withjohn. i personally don't think there's going to be a second date, but he was an absolutely lovely guy. ijust don't think we have very much in common. she seemed like a nice girl.

she was easy to get along with and, yeah, kind of speak to, but if the attraction's not there, you've got to be honest with yourself. love in lockdown can be hard to find. daniela relph, bbc news. the americanjazz composer and electric keyboard player chick corea has died. he was 79 years old. the 23—time grammy award winner composed jazz standards including spain, 500 miles high and la fiesta. in a statement left before his passing of a rare form of cancer, he wrote that he wanted "to thank all of those along myjourney who have helped keep the music fires burning bright." that's chick corea, who has died at the age of 79. and a quicker minder of our top story.

the house democrats... do stay with us. plenty more coming up shortly. hello there. after another very cold night, although not quite as cold as wednesday night, it's going to start frosty again through this morning with some ice to watch out for on untreated surfaces. plenty of sunshine through today, but there will be some snow showers, these continuing to affect the northeast of scotland and the northeast of england. a bit more cloud as well in towards the northern isles. and cloud further west will tend to break away as this drier air moves in from the southeast, so many places should see the sunshine. now, another very cold day when you factor in the wind, which will be a feature throughout friday. it's going to feel much colder than these temperatures suggest, subzero for all areas. now, as we head through friday night, skies will be clear, so those temperatures will fall away again. we'll continue to see some snow showers grazing past eastern

scotland and northeast england. the cloud and its snow showers and strong winds push on into the northern isles, and then over to the west, a band of sleet and snow will start to make inroads into northern ireland, the very far southwest of england. so, here, less cold than it will be elsewhere. another widespread hard frost for many of us. now, as we move through the weekend, you'll notice the orange colours, the milder air will start to very slowly creep its way eastwards. and by sunday, many areas will be less cold, certainly away from the east and southeast. so through saturday, it's a cold, frosty start, plenty of sunshine. but further west, this band of sleet and snow will very slowly make progress. but still some uncertainty on how far east it will get. but we've got early yellow warnings in force for parts of wales, northern ireland, western scotland, northwest england for some snowfall accumulations there. it'll be quite wintry, in fact, with the risk of ice too. further east, we'll have the sunshine, but it's going to be a very cold day. when you factor in the strong southeasterly wind, it's going to feel bitterly cold. in fact, it may feel as low as —10 celsius

when you factor in the wind. now, as we move out of saturday into sunday, you can see plenty of isobars on the charts coming in from the south, almost reaching gale force across northern and western areas. and the weather fronts as well will start to make better progress eastwards, so we should see more in the way of rain. and it will be of rain because milder air will be pushing in by this point, although the very far southeast may stay bright and quite chilly on the east coast. it's further west where we'll see that milder air, 8 or 9 degrees. and it turns milder still into next week, double figure values for many. could be quite wet, though, for the first half of the week, and then signs of it turning a little bit drierfor the second half of the week.

this is bbc news.

i'm lukwesa burak. the headlines... democrats have concluded their case against donald trump in the former president's second impeachment trial. video has been shown of rioters believing they were acting under clear instructions from mr trump. his lawyers will open their case for the defence on friday. the duchess of sussex has won her lawsuit against a british tabloid which published a private letter she wrote to her estranged father. meghan markle welcomed the ruling, but said the damage from the publication continued to run deep. the newspaper group said it was disappointed by thejudgement. china has banned bbc world news from broadcasting inside the country. beijing has been critical of the bbc�*s coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and on the treatment of the country's ethnic uighurs. the british government said beijing's latest decision would only damage its reputation in the eyes of the world.

now on bbc news, it's hardtalk.