Here are today’s top stories.
Trump: No State of the Union during shutdown after being disinvited by Pelosi
President Donald Trump made a concession to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi late Wednesday, agreeing to not give a State of the Union address until after the government shutdown standoff has ended.
Donald Trump dared Nancy Pelosi to cancel his State of the Union speech. So she did.
President Donald Trump will NOT be giving his State of the Union speech on the House floor next Tuesday.
Secret Service members create challenge coin for working without pay
Special challenge coins are being distributed among US Secret Service personnel and their families, who are expressing frustration at the requirement they work without pay during the partial government shutdown.
Maduro defiant as Venezuelan opposition leader declares himself acting president
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday gave US diplomats 72 hours to leave the country in response to the head of the National Assembly declaring himself acting president amid massive anti-government protests.
Canadian ambassador says detained Huawei CFO has strong case
Remarks made by US President Donald Trump may have strengthened China’s hand in fighting a US extradition request for detained Chinese telecoms executive Meng Wanzhou, according to Canada’s top diplomat in Beijing.
Microsoft search engine Bing is blocked in China
Microsoft said that Bing is “currently inaccessible in China” and that it is figuring out what to do next.
Bring Back our Girls activist Oby Ezekwesili withdraws from Nigeria’s presidential race
Bring Back our Girls activist and former Nigerian minister Oby Ezekwesili has withdrawn her candidacy from next month’s presidential elections, a statement on her website confirmed Thursday morning.
Nigerian police officer tells gays: Leave country or face prosecution
A high-ranking Nigerian policewoman has told gay people living in the country to leave or risk prosecution.
Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun detained in China for espionage
Chinese-Australian writer Yang Hengjun has been detained by Chinese authorities for alleged espionage, the family’s lawyer told CNN Thursday.
Maduro cuts ties after US backs opposition
Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro has responded with defiance after the US recognised opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president. Mr Maduro said Venezuela was breaking off relations with the US and gave diplomats 72 hours to leave. But the US said “former President Maduro” no longer had the authority.
Brexit uncertainty a disgrace, says Airbus
European planemaker Airbus has warned that it could move wing-building out of the UK in the future if there is a no-deal Brexit. The firm’s chief executive, Tom Enders, said the firm “will have to make potentially very harmful decisions for the UK” in the event of no deal.
Celebrities shunned Prince William charity
Prince William has said that every celebrity he asked to back his Heads Together mental health initiative three years ago refused. The Duke of Cambridge said “a lot” of people were approached, but no one wanted to be associated with mental illness.
How dining in the dark can open your eyes
Putting both your hands on someone’s shoulders a few minutes after you’ve just met, feels strange, a little too intimate. But at the “Dining in the Dark” experience at Davos, we have no choice. We have to hold on to our waiter, Darren, so that he can guide us into the room.
Mass death of wild horses in Australia heat
An extreme heatwave in Australia has led to the deaths of more than 90 wild horses in the outback, authorities say. Rangers found dead and dying animals in a dried-up waterhole near Alice Springs, in the Northern Territory, last week. About 40 of the animals had already died from dehydration and starvation.
Real Madrid tops football’s rich list
Real Madrid has topped the table of the world’s 20 richest football clubs, displacing Manchester United with record revenues of €750.9m (£674.6m). Man Utd slipped to third with Barcelona making it the first Spanish one-two since 2014-15, said Deloitte.
Chris Hemsworth launches his own fitness app Centr
Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work. Want to work out like Thor? Marvel star Chris Hemsworth is releasing his own fitness app. Dubbed Centr, the app will be available for iPhone and Apple Watch starting Feb.
Now Facebook can more easily delete your trash Pages
Facebook is sick and tired of your trash content, and by golly it’s finally going to do something about it. In a Jan. 23 blog post, the Mark Zuckerberg-helmed advertising giant announced two upcoming changes to the service that we all know and love. First, starting on Jan.
This massive fried rice prank turned into a great Photoshop battle
Twitter has always loved to ride the wave of internet culture. And this wave is certainly a big one. Originating with the popular Japanese channel Mizutamari Bond, YouTuber Kanta created a prank video featuring an artificial giant fried rice wave, which he claims cost approximately $3,938.00.
Microsoft Edge mobile browser will warn users about fake news
How do you spot a fake? When users of Microsoft’s Edge mobile browser visit a news website with a dubious reputation, they’ll now get a warning to proceed with caution. As spotted by The Guardian , Microsoft has partnered with the news watchdog organization NewsGuard to provide Edge users with more information about the news veracity of the site they’re visiting.
Mark Zuckerberg killed a goat and served it to Jack Dorsey … cold
Mark Zuckerberg had Jack Dorsey over for dinner and it was somehow even more weird than you might expect. When asked about his most “memorable encounter” with Zuckerberg, Dorsey revealed that not only did Zuckerberg once invite him over for an (undercooked) goat dinner, it was a goat the Facebook CEO killed himself…
Instagram: We swear we’re not hiding your posts
Instagram is once again trying to reassure users that its algorithm isn’t actively “hiding” posts from people. The company issued a rare rebuttal to criticism of its algorithm in response to a viral meme claiming that said algorithm only surfaces posts to 7 percent of an account’s followers.
Hulu takes another dig at Netflix, drops its price to just $5.99 per month
Every product here is independently selected by Mashable journalists. If you buy something featured, we may earn an affiliate commission which helps support our work. Just as Netflix’s prices go up, Hulu’s are going down. Hulu has announced today that its reducing the price of its ad-supported subscription plan to $5.99 per month.
