overnight News of 01/17/19

The U.K. Government Braces For A No-Confidence Vote After Historic Brexit Defeat

(LONDON) — British Prime Minister Theresa May faces a no-confidence vote Wednesday, a day after Parliament rejected her Brexit deal by an historic margin. May is battling to save her job after staking her political reputation on a last-ditch ...

Zimbabwe Police Have Arrested A Prominent Pastor Who Is Critical Of The Government

(HARARE) — Zimbabwe police armed with AK-47 rifles Wednesday morning arrested Evan Mawarire, an activist and pastor, from his home in Harare. He was clutching a Bible when police bundled him into their car. Mawarire in 2016 organized the ...

President Kenyatta Says Gunmen In Nairobi Attack Have Been ‘Eliminated’

(NAIROBI,Kenya) — Kenya’s security forces have killed the Islamic extremist gunmen whose assault on a luxury hotel and shopping complex took 14 “innocent lives,” the country’s president said Wednesday. “All the ...

Congress Plans To Skip Next Recess If The Shutdown Continues

(WASHINGTON) — Congress is planning to skip next week’s planned recess if the partial government shutdown continues. And there is every indication it will drag on. Neither side is showing signs of backing down. President Donald Trump ...

A New Pentagon Report Raises Concerns About China’S Growing Military Might

(WASHINGTON) — Amid increasing tensions with Beijing, the Pentagon on Tuesday released a new report that lays out U.S. concerns about China’s growing military might, underscoring worries about a possible attack against Taiwan. Speaking ...

A Sculpture Of The Devil Smiling And Taking A Selfie Is Causing Controversy In Spain

A Spanish city is up in arms over a proposed sculpture of Satan that residents say is portrayed too positively. Segovia, a city in central Spain, is divided over plans to install the bronze statue portraying the devil grinning and taking a selfie, ...

U.S. Supermarkets Get Spill-Detecting Robots, With Human Controllers In The Philippines

(SEEKONK, Mass.) — A wheeled robot named Marty is rolling into nearly 500 grocery stores to alert employees if it encounters spilled granola, squashed tomatoes or a broken jar of mayonnaise. But there could be a human watching from behind its ...

5 People Were Killed In Zimbabwe Fuel Hike Protests, Activists Say

(HARARE, Zimbabwe) — A human rights group in Zimbabwe says five people were killed in clashes between demonstrators protesting fuel hikes and security forces who opened fire on some crowds. The Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights ...

The World’S Largest Peaceful Gathering Starts Today In India. Here’S What To Know

Starting Tuesday, tens of millions of Hindu devotees in India will gather to wash their sins away on the banks of the Ganges River in a festival known as the Kumbh Mela. The tradition, which dates back over a millennia, is billed as the world’s ...

South Korea No Longer Lists North Korea As An ‘Enemy’ In Its New Defense Report

(SEOUL) — North Korea is no longer South Korea’s “enemy,” though Pyongyang’s nuclear program still poses a security threat, according to Seoul’s biennial defense document published Tuesday. It’s the first ...

High-Level Talks Between U.S. And North Korea Could Be Held This Week, Report Says

South Korean media says high-level talks between the U.S. and North Korea are due to take place in Washington as soon as this week, where envoys are expected to discuss plans for a second leaders summit. Reuters reports that Secretary of State Mike ...

A New Migrant Caravan Has Set Out From Honduras To Toward The U.S.

(SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras) — Another caravan of Central American migrants set out from Honduras on Monday seeking to reach the U.S. border, following the same route used by thousands last year in at least three caravans. About 600 migrants ...

Iran Says It Launched A Satellite Into Space But It Failed To Reach Orbit

(TEHRAN, Iran) — Iran on Tuesday conducted one of at least two satellite launches it plans despite criticism from the United States, but the satellite failed to reach orbit, an official said. The rocket carrying the Payam satellite failed to ...

A Painting Believed To Be A ‘Lost Michelangelo’ Has Gone Missing From A Church In Belgium

A painting believed to be a lost work of Renaissance master Michelangelo is believed to have been rediscovered — and then, just as quickly, disappeared again. A Belgian pastor says the 16th Century painting was stolen from his church last ...

Saudi Refugee In Canada Expects More Women To Flee Arabian Kingdom

(CANBERRA, Australia) — A Saudi woman accepted as a refugee in Canada has said in an Australian television interview that she expected her experience would inspire other women to flee her homeland. Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun, 18, told Australian ...

House Republicans Block Iowa Rep. Steve King From Committees Over White Supremacy Comments

(WASHINGTON) — Veteran Republican Rep. Steve King will be blocked from committee assignments for the next two years after lamenting that white supremacy and white nationalism have become offensive terms. King, in his ninth term representing ...

A Gay Purge In Chechnya Has Left 2 Dead And 40 Detained In A New LGBT Crackdown, Say Activists

(MOSCOW) — LGBT activists said Monday that at least two people have died and about 40 people detained in what has been described as a new crackdown on gay people in the Russian republic of Chechnya. The new allegations come after reports in ...

Congo’S Neighbors Call For A Vote Recount Following The Turbulent Presidential Election

(KINSHASA, Congo) — Congo’s neighbors are calling for a vote recount in the disputed presidential election and suggesting the formation of a government of national unity to avoid possible instability. The statements by the southern ...

Polluted Air Blankets Bangkok Prompting Thai Authorities To Urge People Indoors

(Bloomberg) — Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-Ocha has urged those living in the Thai capital, Bangkok, to stay indoors as the city’s air pollution reached dangerous levels. The air quality index, or AQI, in the city had climbed to 182 in ...

Nobel Laureate James Watson Loses Honorary Titles Over ‘Reprehensible’ Race Comments

Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson, who helped discover the structure of DNA, was stripped of several honorary titles last week after his recent comments linking race and intelligence to genetics. Speaking on a TV program which aired ...