BRITAIN LAWMAKERS FINALLY CLEAR HISTORIC BREXIT DEAL Britain's parliament finally approved Brexit on Thursday, allowing it to become the first country to leave the European Union by the end of this month, ending years of arguments that toppled two governments and divided a nation. The House of Commons erupted in cheers after MPs ratified Prime Minister Boris Johnson's divorce deal with Brussels 330 votes to 231, drawing a line under an extraordinary era of political drama and chaos. For much of the time since the 2016 Brexit referendum, lawmakers have been at each others' throats over how, when or even if Britain should leave its closest trading partners after nearly 50 years. Some viewed Brexit with horror, fearing that it stripped them of their European identities and turned Britain into an insular, less important nation. Others embraced it with fervour, viewing it as a chance to "take back control" from officials in Brussels and see Britain regain some of its past might. Businesses and governments in Europe, puzzled by Britain's struggles over what they viewed as a self-inflicted wound, hoped that Brexit could still somehow be undone. But Johnson's comprehensive victory in last month's general election brought an abrupt end to the turmoil, giving his Conservatives a parliamentary majority with which to push it through. MPs gave their initial blessing to the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill before Christmas, and the government set aside just three days this week for detailed scrutiny of the complex text. But few MPs even bothered to turn up on Tuesday and Wednesday, with both sessions ending early, while the government easily saw off opposition attempts to amend the text. The momentous day on which Johnson effectively gets permission to abandon the European integration project was all but ignored in Thursday's media. "We will be leaving the EU on January 31. We will have delivered on the PM's commitment to get Brexit done," a government spokesman said, echoing Johnson's election mantra. HOUSE APPROVES MEASURE TO RESTRAIN TRUMP'S ACTIONS ON IRAN Reigniting a debate over who has the power to declare war, the Democratic-controlled House on Thursday approved a resolution asserting that President Donald Trump must seek approval from Congress before engaging in further military action against Iran. The war powers resolution is not binding on the president and would not require his signature. But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi nonetheless insisted it "has real teeth" because "it is a statement of the Congress of the United States." The measure will "protect American lives and values" by limiting Mr. Trump's military actions, Ms. Pelosi said. "The administration must de-escalate and must prevent further violence." The White House called the resolution "ridiculous" and "completely misguided." The House passed the measure, 224-194, with just three Republicans voting in support. Eight Democrats opposed the measure. IRAN MOSTLY LIKELY BROUGHT DOWN UKRAINE AIRLINER WITH ANTI-AIRCRAFT MISSILES: WESTERN LEADERS Evidence suggests an Iranian missile brought down a Ukrainian passenger plane that crashed near Tehran, possibly in error, Western leaders say. The leaders of Canada and the UK called for a full and thorough investigation into the crash, which killed all 176 people on board. Iran has ruled out a missile strike by its air defences. The crash came just hours after Iran carried out missile strikes on two airbases housing US forces in Iraq. US media have speculated that the timing of the crash suggests the plane may have been mistaken for a US warplane as Iran prepared for possible US retaliation for the strikes. CBS News quoted US intelligence sources as saying a satellite detected infrared "blips" of two missile launches, followed by another blip of an explosion. Meanwhile, Newsweek quoted a Pentagon and senior US intelligence officials, as well as an Iraqi intelligence official, as saying they believed Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 was hit by a Russian-made Tor missile. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he had "suspicions" about what happened to the plane. Amid tensions heightened by the US killing of top Iranian general Qasem Soleimani on 3 January, Iran has said it will not hand over the recovered black box flight recorders to Boeing, the plane's manufacturer, or to the US. However, Iran's Foreign Ministry has invited Boeing to take part in the official inquiry into the crash. Under global aviation rules Iran has the right to lead the investigation, but manufacturers are typically involved. Iranian TV pictures later in the day showed the crash site being bulldozed. 63 'TERRORISTS', 25 OTHERS KILLED IN NIGER ARMY BASE ATTACK: DEFENCE MINISTRY Heavily armed assailants stormed a military base in Niger on Thursday killing 25 people and leading to fierce clashes that killed 63 "terrorists", the defence ministry said, in an area where dozens died in a previous jihadist attack. The raid near to the volatile frontier with Mali by attackers in vehicles and on motorbikes began in Chinegodar, in the western Tillaberi, at 01:00 pm (12H00 GMT), defence spokesman Colonel Souleymane Gazobi said on television. "The response with the combined air support of the Niger air force and partners made it possible to strike and rout the enemy outside our boundaries," he said. Partners often means U.S. drones in the Sahel, or French fighter planes or drones in the country. He put the toll at 25 dead and six injured on the "friendly side" and on the "enemy side 63 terrorists neutralised". The attack happened in the same region Tillaberi, also bordering Burkina Faso, where 71 Niger soldiers were killed in a December attack, claimed by the Islamic State group, that saw hundreds of jihadists storm a camp near the border with Mali with artillery. It was the deadliest on Niger's military since Islamist extremist violence began to spill over from neighbouring Mali in 2015, and dealt a blow to efforts to roll back jihadism in the Sahel. That attack spurred leaders of the G5 Sahel nations to call for closer cooperation and international support in the battle against the Islamist threat. RUSSIAN ARMY ANNOUNCES CEASEFIRE IN SYRIA'S IDLIB The Russian army announced Thursday that a ceasefire has begun in Syria's Idlib, the last major opposition stronghold in the country, in accordance with a Russ-a-Turkey agreement. From 1100 GMT "a ceasefire has been in place in the de-escalation zone of Idlib," the Russian military's Centre for Reconciliation in Syria said in a statement. Despite a ceasefire announced in August 2019, the Syrian regime backed by Moscow has in recent weeks ramped up its attacks on the jihadist-held bastion of Idlib, in northwest Syria against rebels backed by Ankara, provoking a surge of displaced people heading towards Turkey. In December alone some 284,000 people fled the bombardments and fighting, especially in southern Idlib, according to the United Nations. Thursday"s announcement came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in Istanbul with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The leaders used a joint statement to call for a truce "supported by the necessary measures to be taken for stabilising the situation on the ground" in Libya. On Tuesday Turkey had called for Russia to stop the regime attacks on Idlib and respect the August ceasefire. POPE APPEALS TO US AND IRAN TO PURSUE DIALOGUE, SELF-RESTRAINT Pope Francis on Thursday urged the United States and Iran to avoid escalation and pursue "dialogue and self-restraint" to avert wider conflict in the Middle East. The pope made his appeal, his first direct comment on the current crisis, in a yearly speech that has come to be known as his "State of the World" address to ambassadors accredited to the Vatican. "Particularly troubling are the signals coming from the entire region following the heightening of tensions between Iran and the United States," Francis told the diplomats from more than 180 states. He said the tensions risked "compromising the gradual process of rebuilding in Iraq, as well as setting the groundwork for a vaster conflict that all of us would want to avert". "I, therefore, renew my appeal that all the interested parties avoid an escalation of the conflict and keep alive the flame of dialogue and self-restraint, in full respect of international law," he said. MOST PUERTO RICANS WITHOUT POWER, MANY SLEEP OUTDOORS AFTER QUAKES More than half of Puerto Rico's 3 million people remained without power on Wednesday and thousands slept outdoors after earthquakes toppled homes on the Caribbean island and raised fears more could collapse. Tuesday's quakes, including the most powerful one to strike the U.S. territory in 102 years, killed at least one person and destroyed or damaged about 300 homes. A state of emergency was declared. The south of the island was hardest hit, dozens of homes collapsing in towns like Yauco, Guanica, and Guayanilla during a 6.4 magnitude earthquake and 5.9 aftershock. Tremors shook the island on Wednesday and thousands slept outdoors or in their cars, fearful their homes would collapse in the event of another major event. "Horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, everything fell on top of us," said Josefina Pacheco who ran out onto the street during the quakes. "It's really hard to see so many houses around you on the ground." Power was not expected to be restored to the whole island until the weekend after quakes knocked out its main generating plant and damaged energy infrastructure, the head of the AEE electricity agency, Jose Ortiz, told El Nuevo Dia newspaper. LIST OF WORLD'S MOST POWERFUL PASSPORTS IS OUT: HERE'S WHERE INDIA RANKS IN 2020 The Henley Passport Index, which periodically ranks the world's most travel-friendly passports, released its latest report on Wednesday. The Indian passport featured on the 84th position on the list. According to The Henley Passport Index 2019, the Indian passport has a mobility score of 58, which means that the passport holders can access 58 countries around the world without a prior visa. India shares the position with Mauritiana and Tajikistan. Its rank improved from the 86th position in 2019. For the third consecutive year, Japan again secured the top position, with a score of 191, followed by Singapore on the second, while Germany and South Korea shared the third spot. Meanwhile, the passports of Pakistan (104), Somalia (104), Syria (105), Iraq (106) and Afghanistan (107) found themselves towards the bottom of the list. Dr Christian H Kaelin, Chairman of Henley & Partners who is said to be the inventor of the passport index concept, in an official release said the latest ranking provides a "fascinating insight into a rapidly changing world". "Asian countries' dominance of the top spots is a clear argument for the benefits of open-door policies and the introduction of mutually beneficial trade agreements. Over the past few years, we have seen the world adapt to mobility as a permanent condition of global life. The latest rankings show that the countries that embrace this reality are thriving, with their citizens enjoying ever-increasing passport power and the array of benefits that come with it."