Reuters World News Summary

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Divided and riven by crisis, Britain searches for Brexit 'plan B'

Prime Minister Theresa May will on Thursday try to break the impasse in Britain's political elite over how to leave the European Union by searching for a last-minute exit deal though there was so far little sign of compromise. After May's two-year attempt to forge an amicable divorce was crushed by parliament in the biggest defeat for a British leader in modern history, May called for party leaders to put self-interest aside to find a way forward.

U.N. members owe $2 billion in debt to peacekeeping, U.S. owes a third

U.N. member states owe nearly $2 billion in peacekeeping funds, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has warned, with the United States responsible for more than a third of that. "Active peacekeeping missions are soon expected to face liquidity gaps due to late payments and increasing arrears," Guterres wrote in a Jan. 11 letter to the 193 member states. "Arrears are nearing $2 billion and are likely to keep growing."

Belarusian model who claimed Trump secrets detained in Moscow: Ifax

A model from Belarus who claimed to have evidence of Russian interference in U.S. President Donald Trump's election was detained in an airport in Moscow on Thursday after being deported from Thailand, Interfax cited the police as saying. Anastasia Vashukevich, 27, and three others were detained upon arrival at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport and have been transferred to a police station, Interfax cited the Interior Ministry as saying.

Car bomber kills 10 in Colombia police academy attack

A car bomb exploded at a police academy in Colombia's capital Bogota on Thursday, killing at least 10 people and wounding over 50 in an attack that prompted fears of a return to the country's violent past. Authorities said the car broke through checkpoints into the grounds of the General Santander School and exploded, shattering windows of apartments nearby. It was the deadliest attack in Bogota since the government struck a 2016 peace deal with the Marxist FARC rebel group.

Trump missile defense review calls North Korea 'extraordinary threat'

President Donald Trump unveiled a revamped U.S. missile defense strategy on Thursday that called North Korea an ongoing and "extraordinary threat," seven months after he declared the threat posed by Pyongyang had been eliminated. The plan, which also detailed concerns about the burgeoning capabilities of Iran, Russia and China, called for developing space-based sensors to detect incoming enemy missiles and exploring space-based weapons to shoot down missiles among other steps to shield the United States.

UK's Prince Philip, 97, escapes unhurt from car crash

Queen Elizabeth's 97-year-old husband Prince Philip escaped uninjured from a car crash while driving on Thursday near the Sandringham estate in eastern England. Police said two people in a car that collided with that of the prince, also known as the Duke of Edinburgh, were both taken to hospital for minor injuries but later discharged.

Pompeo's North Korea counterpart arrives in Beijing: South Korea's Yonhap

North Korea's top envoy involved in talks with the United States arrived in Beijing on Thursday and is thought to be en route to Washington, South Korean wire service Yonhap said on Thursday. U.S. and South Korean media previously quoted unidentified sources as saying U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and senior North Korean official Kim Yong Chol were expected to meet in the U.S. capital on Friday to discuss a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

U.S.-backed SDF vows to escalate operations against Islamic State in Syria

The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces vowed on Thursday to ramp up attacks on Islamic State remnants and cells, a day after a bomb attack killed two U.S. soldiers in northern Syria. "With the help of the (U.S.-led) coalition, we will escalate our military operations to eliminate Deash remnants and chase down their sleeper cells," the SDF alliance, led by the Kurdish YPG militia, said in a statement.

China's envoy to Canada says Huawei 5G ban would have repercussions

China's envoy to Canada on Thursday warned Ottawa there would be repercussions if it banned technology firm Huawei Technologies Co Ltd from supplying equipment to Canadian 5G networks, the latest blast in a deepening bilateral dispute. Ambassador Lu Shaye, speaking at a news conference, did not give details. Canada is currently studying the security implications of 5G networks, but unlike some allies has not announced Huawei equipment will be excluded.

U.S. believes Islamic State likely responsible for Manbij blast: sources

The U.S. government believes the Islamic State militant group is likely responsible for Wednesday's attack in northern Syria that killed four Americans, although it has not reached a firm conclusion, two U.S. government sources said on Thursday. The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies were investigating who carried out the attack in Manbij, Syria.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)