News in Brief (14-2-2019)

FE Team | Published: February 13, 2019 23:19:35

UK govt downplays idea it
will seek Brexit delay
LONDON, Feb 13: The British government is downplaying a report that its chief Brexit negotiator said lawmakers will have to choose between backing Prime Minister Theresa May's unpopular divorce deal and a delay to the U.K.'s exit from the European Union. An ITV News correspondent says he overheard negotiator Olly Robbins in a Brussels bar saying the government would ask Parliament in late March to back her agreement, rejected by lawmakers last month, or seek an extension to the Brexit deadline. — AP
US to extend use of Russian spacecraft
for ISS mission until April 2020
MOSCOW, Feb 13: The United States will extend the use of Russia's Soyuz spacecraft to carry astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and ensure their return to the Earth until April 2020, Sputnik news agency reported Tuesday. According to a scheme planned for now, two NASA astronauts will remain on the ISS for nine months instead of the usual six months, Sputnik quoted the source as saying. — Xinhua
50 more bodies found in secret graves in Mexico
MEXICO CITY, Feb 13: Authorities in the western Mexico state of Colima say they have found 50 more bodies buried in secret graves just a week after announcing they had found 19 corpses in that area. The Colima state prosecutor's office says the additional bodies were found in a lot adjoining the area where the first graves were found last week. — AP
Philippines arrests head
of news site Rappler
MANILA, Feb 13: The CEO of Rappler, a news website critical of the government in the Philippines, has been arrested at its headquarters in Manila. Maria Ressa said the accusation of "cyber-libel" is an attempt by Rodrigo Duterte's government to silence the publication. It is the latest in a string of different allegations against her. — BBC
Pompeo, Polish FM discuss
US troop presence
WARSAW, Feb 13: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Polish Foreign Affairs Minister Jacek Czaputowicz discussed the presence of U.S. troops in Poland during their meeting here on Tuesday. "We have talked about plans to further expand and consolidate the presence of US troops in Poland," Czaputowicz said. "I hope to continue the political dialogue regarding this matter with our US partners." — Xinhua
Thai princess apologises after
ill-fated run for PM
BANGKOK, Feb 13: A Thai princess has apologised after her short-lived candidacy for prime minister earned a royal rebuke from her brother - the king - and sent jitters across the politically febrile country just weeks before elections. Thailand has been mired in political drama since Friday, when Princess Ubolratana's name was submitted as a prime ministerial candidate by the Thai Raksa Chart Party. The party is allied with the powerful Shinawatra clan, which has won all elections since 2001 but whose patron, the billionaire ex-premier Thaksin, lives in self-exile to avoid jail. — AFP
Instagram removes gay Muslim comics after warning
JAKARTA, Feb 13: Instagram has removed an account that published comic strips depicting the struggles of gay Muslims in Indonesia following a frenzy of moral outrage online in the world's biggest Muslim nation. The Ministry of Communications said Wednesday the account under the username Alpatuni was pornographic and it was closed after the communications minister wrote a warning letter to Instagram. — AP