Trump impeachment: trial begins in Senate

The Senate majority leader, Republican Mitch McConnell, has defended his proposed rules for the impeachment trial of Donald Trump, but leading Democrat Charles Schumer said witnesses were required for a fair process to take place. The remarks came at the start of the trial in the Senate.

Also in the programme: Iraqi protesters step up their campaign for a new government; and Swiss police reportedly stop a Russian spying operation ahead of the World Economic Forum in Davos.

(Photo: Senate minority leader Charles Schumer speaks to reporters outside the Senate chamber during a short recess in the impeachment trial proceedings. Credit: Drew Angerer/Getty Images)