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Donald Trump has finally acknowledged that Joe Biden is the next US president. Pictured: Donald Trump delivers a video address, 8 January 2021. Image credit: @realDonaldTrump 

Trump concedes defeat

Donald Trump has, for the first time, clearly admitted that he lost the US presidential election and that Joe Biden will take office on 20 January. “My focus now turns to ensuring a smooth, orderly and seamless transition of power,” Trump said in a video statement, in which he did not repeat the baseless claims of voter fraud that he had been making since November. Sources: BBC, CNBC, Financial Times, The Guardian and New York Times.

Politicians call for Trump’s early removal...

Despite the fact that Donald Trump’s term ends in less than 2 weeks, several Democratic and Republic senators and representatives called on Mike Pence, the US vice president, to invoke the 25th amendment, which allows a majority of cabinet members to declare the president unfit for office. The call followed the extremist attack on the US Capitol, incited by the outgoing president. Sources: Financial Times, Fox News, The Guardian and NPR.

...backed by business leaders

The National Association of Manufacturers, one of America’s most influential business groups, similarly called on Mike Pence to use the 25th amendment. Sources: Axios, CNN, CNBC and Politico.

Cabinet members resign

Donald Trump’s education and transport secretaries, special envoy to Northern Ireland, top economic advisor and deputy national security advisor have all quit in the wake of Wednesday’s Capitol mob attack. Sources: Sources: CNBC, Marketwatch, NPR and Reuters.

Trump blocked from Facebook and Instagram…

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Donald Trump would be banned from using Facebook and Instagram until Joe Biden’s inauguration and possibly longer. Sources: CNN, Financial Times, The Register and The Verge.

…but allowed back on Twitter

Donald Trump’s Twitter account, which was frozen after the Capitol assault, was unblocked after he deleted 3 objectionable tweets. Sources: BBC, Fox News and Techcrunch and Vox.

Capitol police chief resigns

The head of the police force that guards the US Capitol is stepped down following the agency’s failure to protect the complex from this week’s violent attacks. Sources: CNN, The Guardian, NBC News and NPR.

Northern Chinese city shut down again after outbreak

Shijiazhuang, a city of 11m people about 300km southwest of Beijing, has been placed on lockdown following a resurgence of covid-19 cases. Sources: BBC, CNBC, South China Morning Post and Straits Times.

Vaccine appears effective against virus mutations

The Pfizer/Biontech covid-19 vaccine was effective in preventing the UK and South African coronavirus strains in a preliminary (not yet peer-reviewed) study by Pfizer and the University of Texas. Source: Reuters.

Coronavirus case count down in Luxembourg

The number of active coronavirus infections in Luxembourg was 2,884 on 6 January. The last time active cases were below the 3,000 mark was 19 October 2020. Source: Delano and health ministry.

Parliament to debate looser covid rules

The Chamber of Deputies will vote on the government’s proposal to lift many coronavirus restrictions during a session that starts this afternoon at 2pm. Previews: 100,7 public radio (in Luxembourgish) and Paperjam (in French).

Refugee children transferred to Luxembourg

Four unaccompanied minors, who had been living in the Moria refugee camp in Greece that was destroyed by a fire, arrived in Luxembourg as part of a relocation scheme. Source: Foreign ministry.

Consumer spending could rebound in 2021

Statec, the national statistics bureau, forecast that Luxembourg consumer spending could increase by 6%-8% this year. Sources: Delano and Paperjam.

Apple & Hyundai discussing electric vehicle partnership

The South Korean automaker Hyundai said it was in early talks with Apple, reportedly to develop a self-driving electric car. Hyundai shares jumped by more than 20%. Sources: Bloomberg, CNBC, Reuters and Seeking Alpha.

Boeing agrees to $2.5bn fine

Boeing will pay more than $2.5bn in penalties and compensation to settle US criminal charges that it lied to regulators about its 737 Max aircraft, which were grounded after two fatal crashes in 2019. Sources: Bloomberg, CNBC, The Guardian and Reuters.

Musk now richest person

Elon Musk has surpassed Jeff Bezos to become the world’s richest person. Rising Tesla shares drove Musk’s net worth past $185m. Bezos, worth about $184m, had been the richest person since 2017. Sources: BBC, Bloomberg, CNBC and The Guardian.

Tech giant funding employee housing

Amazon will invest $2bn to finance the construction of 20,000 affordable homes in 3 US cities where it is setting up regional headquarters. Sources: AP, Geekwire, Marketwatch and The Register.

Bitcoin passes $40,000

The value of bitcoin hit a record $40,402.46 on Thursday, although it subsequently declined by about 5%. The cryptocurrency has doubled in value over the past month and was trading at $5,000 last March. Sources: AFP, The Guardian, Marketwatch and Reuters.

Here are 5 science & technology stories you may have missed

Archaeology: Researchers found a street food stall buried in the Pompeii ruins, per Reuters. Astronomy: Researchers detected a radio signal with no known natural explanation coming from Proxima Centauri, the closest solar system to our own, per Scientific American. Fauna: The Swedish navy spent 15 years in the 1980s and 90s futilely hunting suspected Soviet submarines, but the sounds they were monitoring turned out to be fish farts, per IFL Science. Health: Frequent disinfecting may not be as efficient at combatting coronavirus transmission as previously thought, per NPR. Space: If, for some reason, the Earth’s rotation were to speed up, then the sea level would rise near the equator and fall in polar regions, and we’d all lose some weight, Popular Science explained in 2017. 

Property of the week

This large 2 bedroom loft in the 20th arrondissement of Paris is on the market for €1.98m, per the New York Times

Today’s breakfast briefing was written by Aaron Grunwald