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Xinhua World News Summary at 0130 GMT, Feb. 2

Xinhua, February 2, 2017 Adjust font size:

U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted to confirm former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson as U.S. Secretary of State.

Tillerson was approved to be the top U.S. diplomat in a 56-43 vote, with three democratic and an independent lawmakers joining all Republicans to back him. Democratic Senator Chris Coons skipped the vote.(U.S.-Secretary of State)

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LONDON -- Politicians in House of Commons gave overwhelming backing on Wednesday night to a parliamentary bill, paving the way for Prime Minister Theresa May to trigger the Article 50 mechanism for Britain to leave the European Union.

The vote 498 against 114 gave the government a clear and comfortable majority of 384. The vote was the most critical in a process that will lead to more detailed discussions before peers in the House of Lords vote, ahead of Queen Elizabeth II giving the bill her Royal assent.(Britain-EU-Brexit)

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WASHINGTON -- The United States on Wednesday officially put Iran "on notice" over Tehran's recent missile launch and an attack against a Saudi vessel by Iran-Supported Houthi militants.

These actions "underscore what should have been clear to the international community all along about Iran's destabilizing behavior across the Middle East," Michael Flynn, national security advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump, said in a statement.(U.S.-Iran-Relations)

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WASHINGTON -- U.S. Federal Reserve on Wednesday left the benchmark interest rates unchanged and offered no hint on when it might move.

The central bank painted a relatively upbeat picture for the economy. "Labor market continued to strengthen and ... economic activity has continued to expand at a moderate pace," the central bank in a statement after concluding its two-day policy meeting.(U.S.-Fed)

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BRUSSELS -- The European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini here on Wednesday decried the Israeli government's announcement to build an additional 3,000 housing units in the West Bank, warning the move marked "a very worrying trend."

"The announcement by the Israeli government ...marks a very worrying trend, posing a direct challenge to the prospects of a viable two-state solution, which is increasingly difficult," Mogherini said in a statement.

(EU-Israel-West Bank Settlements)

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UNITED NATIONS -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said here Wednesday that the U.S. travel ban imposed on refugees and immigrants from seven countries "is not the way to best protect the U.S. or any other country," voicing his hope that "this measure should be removed sooner, rather than later."

The secretary-general made the remarks in response to a press question as he was briefing reporters here on his travel to Ethiopia, where he attended an African Union summit. In the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa on Monday, Guterres commended African countries for opening their borders to refugees and people fleeing violence while other parts of the world, including the developed West, close boundaries and build walls.(UN-Trump-Travel Ban) Endi