Trump Fires Acting Attorney General Who Defied Him

WASHINGTON — President Trump fired his acting attorney general on Monday night, removing her as the nation’s top law enforcement officer after she defiantly refused to defend his executive order closing the nation’s borders to refugees and people from predominantly Muslim countries.

In an escalating crisis for his 10-day-old administration, the president declared in a statement that Sally Q. Yates, who had served as deputy attorney general under President Barack Obama, had betrayed the administration by announcing that Justice Department lawyers would not defend Mr. Trump’s order against legal challenges.

Kim Jong Un May Order Mid-Range Missile Launch

North Korea's Kim Jong Un will most likely order the launch of a Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) instead of a long-range one, South Korean military officials said Monday. The news comes hours after U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean Acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn vowed to strengthen their defenses to combat North Korea's nuclear threat.

"There are no signs of an imminent test firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) by North Korea. But we are closely monitoring any new military activities in the country as it could launch an IRBM at any time if leader Kim Jong Un gives the order," an official at the South Korean defense ministry said, according to Yonhap News Agency. 

Holocaust Memorial selfie-takers apologize to Israeli shamer

BERLIN (Reuters) - German-Israeli satirist Shahak Shapira, who set up a website shaming selfie-takers at Berlin's Holocaust Memorial, says he has halted the project for now after a dozen people apologized for their disrespect.

His "Yolocaust.de" website had combined selfies, often with the participants grinning or striking poses, taken at the memorial with graphic images from Nazi concentration camps, including piles of bodies.

"I'm watching you. Stop doing it," Shapira told Reuters Television.

The Knights of Malta-Vatican feud: a tale of chivalry and sovereignty

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - On the afternoon of Jan. 24, a black BMW pulled out of a 16th century palace in Rome, crossed the Tiber River and headed for the Vatican, a short trip to end a brazen challenge to the authority of Pope Francis.

Inside the car was 67-year-old Englishman Matthew Festing, the head of an ancient Catholic order of knights which is now a worldwide charity with a unique diplomatic status.

Festing was about to resign, the first leader in several centuries of the Order of Malta, which was founded in 1048 to provide medical aid for pilgrims in the Holy Land, to step down instead of ruling for life.

Deadly attack on Quebec City mosque

A shooting at a Quebec City mosque during evening prayers left six people dead in an attack that Canada’s prime minister called an act of terrorism. Police arrested two suspects, including one who called 911 to say he was armed but ready to give himself up.

More than 50 people were at the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre when the shooting erupted Sunday night. In addition to the six who died, five were in critical condition and 12 others suffered minor injuries, University of Quebec Hospital Centre spokeswoman Genevieve Dupuis said Monday. The dead ranged in age from 35 to 65.