Britain

CBS News reports: Senior managers at Facebook knew about a data breach associated with campaign consulting firm Cambridge Analytica before it was first reported in the media in 2015, according to a U.K. Parliament report that concludes the company “deliberately misled” a wide-ranging investigation into disinformation, “fake news” and election interference. “Some malicious forces use Facebook to threaten and harass …

The New York Times reports: Seven lawmakers from Britain’s opposition Labour Party resigned on Monday to protest their leader’s approach toward the country’s withdrawal from the European Union and his handling of accusations of anti-Semitism. The party, which is led by Jeremy Corbyn [photo], has been divided by growing tensions for months, with some centrist lawmakers struggling to reconcile their …

The Guardian reports: A director of the controversial data company Cambridge Analytica, who appeared with Arron Banks at the launch of the Leave.EU campaign, has been subpoenaed by the US investigation into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government. A spokesman for Brittany Kaiser, former business development director for Cambridge Analytica – which collapsed after the Observer …

The Independent reports: Rachel Johnson – the journalist, TV presenter and sister of Boris – went topless live on Sky News last night so that she could be heard on Brexit. Johnson – who, unlike her brother, campaigned for Remain – has taken a leaf out of the book of ‘The Naked Brexit Protestor’ Dr Victoria Bateman, who caused a …

Politico reports: If Britain crashes out of the EU, and things go bad in London, Queen Elizabeth II will be ready to make her own exit — to an undisclosed location. The U.K. government has repurposed Cold War emergency evacuation planning to prepare for the chance of violence and mayhem following a no-deal Brexit, and the need to protect the …

The Guardian reports: A straightforward change in EU law guaranteeing visa-free travel for Britons in Europe after Brexit has sparked a diplomatic row after Brussels described Gibraltar as “a colony of the British crown” in its no-deal legislation. The footnote containing the contentious description of the Rock was attached to the EU’s regulation on the insistence of Spain, with whom …

The New York Times reports: British Prime Minister Theresa May survived a critical vote in Parliament on Tuesday that could have delayed Brexit, undermining her strategy for leaving the European Union and undercutting the country’s constitutional protocol. Mrs. May’s latest political escape came when lawmakers failed, by a 321 to 298 vote, to approve an amendment giving Parliament the power …

From a statement by Britain’s Telegraph newspaper: Following last Saturday’s (Jan 19) Telegraph magazine cover story “The mystery of Melania”, we have been asked to make clear that the article contained a number of false statements which we accept should not have been published. Mrs Trump’s father was not a fearsome presence and did not control the family. Mrs Trump …

The Guardian reports: The EU has injected further pressure into the Brexit talks by confirming it will enforce a hard border on the island of Ireland in the event of a no-deal outcome, despite the risk this would pose to peace. In comments that proved highly uncomfortable for Dublin, Jean-Claude Juncker’s chief spokesman told reporters in Brussels it was “pretty …

Bloomberg reports: The U.K. Labour Party is calling for a vote in Parliament that could pave the way to a second referendum, raising the possibility that Brexit could be reversed. The main opposition party proposed an amendment to a government motion — due to be debated on Jan. 29 — calling for votes on various ways of avoiding a messy …

CBS News reports: U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s government survived a no-confidence vote Wednesday, a day after British lawmakers overwhelmingly rejected her Brexit deal by a historic margin. The House of Commons expressed confidence in the government by 325 votes to 306, meaning May can remain in office. Had the government lost, Britain would have faced an election within weeks …

The Guardian reports: Half a dozen Labour MPs came out in support of a second referendum for the first time at a Westminster photocall, arguing it was the “the only logical option” if the party could not secure a general election. The timing of the demand, a couple of hours before Jeremy Corbyn was due to open the no-confidence debate, …

The BBC reports: Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal has been rejected by 230 votes – the largest defeat for a sitting government in history. MPs voted by 432 votes to 202 to reject the deal, which sets out the terms of Britain’s exit from the EU on 29 March. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has now tabled a vote of …

Politico Europe reports: Not following through with Brexit would be “catastrophic” for U.K. democracy, said Prime Minister Theresa May in an eleventh hour appeal to members of parliament to back her deal in a key vote Tuesday. Writing in the Express, May said MPs had a duty to deliver on the referendum outcome. Addressing voters, she said that “when you …

The BBC reports: Rebel Tory MPs have joined forces with Labour to inflict a fresh blow on Theresa May’s government in a Commons Brexit vote. It means the government will have to come up with fresh plans within three days if Mrs May’s EU withdrawal deal is rejected by MPs next week. It could also open the door to alternatives, …

The BBC reports: Departures at Heathrow have been stopped after a drone was sighted, the airport says. A Heathrow spokeswoman said the airport was working with police to “prevent any threat to operational safety”. She said: “As a precautionary measure, we have stopped departures while we investigate. We apologise to passengers for any inconvenience this may cause.” It comes after …

The BBC reports: TV art historian and nun Sister Wendy Beckett has died at the age of 88, it has been announced. In the 1990s she became one of the most unlikely television stars. Emerging from her hermit-like existence in a caravan at a Carmelite convent in Norfolk, she hosted unscripted BBC shows from galleries across the world. Born in …

The Guardian reports: The government is to ban unethical puppy and kitten farms in England, pledging to end the trade of unscrupulous breeders who keep animals in filthy and cramped conditions and force some to be pregnant many times over. The regulation will mean anyone wanting to buy or home a puppy or kitten will have to deal directly with …

USA Today reports: A 47-year-old man and a 54-year-old woman have been arrested in connection with the “criminal use of drones” that forced the shutdown of London’s Gatwick international airport for several days, affecting 140,000 holiday travelers. Police said the pair were from the small town of Crawley, near Gatwick. No one had claimed responsibility for the bizarre incidents that …

The Guardian reports: Offering public support that the embattled British prime minister may rather do without, Putin said he “understood” May’s position in “fighting for this Brexit”. “The referendum was held,” the Russian president said from Moscow during a press conference shown on national television. “What can she do? She has to fulfill the will of the people expressed in …