LONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking a lifeline from European Union leaders Thursday after winning a no-confidence vote among her own Conservative lawmakers.

May will ask the other 27 EU leaders at a summit in Brussels for reassurances about the deal that she can use to win over a skeptical British Parliament, particularly those within her party who triggered the no-confidence vote in the first place.

Earlier this week, to great uproar in Parliament, May scrapped a planned vote on the deal this week when it became clear she would lose.

MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has speculated that the European legislators who voted for the resolution against the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline project must be pinning their hopes either on global warming or firewood.

"Some countries are closing down nuclear power plants. Also, they plan to stop using Russian natural gas. Will they opt for firewood? But the place where firewood can be obtained is well known," she told a news briefing on Thursday.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese envoy to the United Nations said Wednesday that the Iran nuclear deal has proved its worth and deserves full and effective implementation.

At a Security Council meeting on Iran, Chinese Permanent Representative to the UN Ma Zhaoxu said the deal as a major multilateralism achievement serves the common interest of the international community.

MOSCOW, December 13. /TASS/. The negotiations between Russia and India on some military and technical cooperation deals vital for ensuring India’s defense capability and national security are at the final stage, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov said on Thursday.

The diplomat who spoke at the 3rd Russia-India forum of the heads of research centers said that during the visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to New Delhi in October this year a major contract had been signed for the delivery of S-400 air defense missile systems to India.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — A high-speed train hit a railway engine and crashed into a pedestrian overpass at a station in the Turkish capital Ankara on Thursday, killing nine people and injuring 47 others, officials said.

The 6:30 a.m. (0330 GMT) train from Ankara to the central Turkish city of Konya collided head-on with the engine, which was checking the tracks at the capital’s small Marsandiz station, Transport Minister Mehmet Cahit Turhan told reporters after inspecting the site. The high-speed train transits that station without stopping.

COLOMBO, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's Parliament on Wednesday passed a vote of confidence on ousted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe with 117 lawmakers from the 225-member Parliament voting in favor.

The vote comes as incumbent Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and parliamentarians loyal to him boycotted sessions for the third consecutive week, alleging that Speaker of Parliament Karu Jayasuriya was acting in favor of Wickremesinghe and his United National Party (UNP).

WASHINGTON (AP) — The head of the government agency that monitors climate change says that in nearly two years he has never discussed the issue with President Donald Trump.

Acting National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration chief Adm. Timothy Gallaudet said in a press conference at a scientific meeting this week, “I personally have not briefed the president on climate change.”

Gallaudet said he doesn’t know if others had briefed the president. He did note that he was in the room when Trump signed a bill aimed at keeping plastic trash out of the ocean.

LONDON (AP) — The German parliament has approved a motion stating that the Brexit deal can’t be renegotiated, underlining the stance of the government and European Union allies.

The largely symbolic motion was approved hours before Chancellor Angela Merkel and the other 27 EU leaders gather in Brussels.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is seeking reassurances about the withdrawal deal, which she is struggling to sell to skeptical lawmakers.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian national car maker Proton launched its first SUV on Wednesday in a fresh effort to transform its stale brand and turn around its fortunes, more than a year after China’s Geely Holding Group Co. Ltd. bought a key stake in the company.

Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad launched the 1.8 liter (0.48 gallon) -engine X70 and expressed hopes for Proton’s recovery.

UN, December 12. /TASS/. The UN Secretariat cannot investigate the activity of Iran without a permission from the UN Security Council, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzia said.

Srinagar, Dec 13 (PTI) Two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants were killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said Thursday.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Brath Kalan area of Sopore on Wednesday evening following information about presence of militants there, a police official said.

He said the operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire on security forces.

13 Dec 2018; DW: A study has singled out quite possibly the most dangerous holiday of the year: Christmas Eve. While the researchers couldn't explain why, they did have a hunch.

Swedish scientists have found that people are most at risk of suffering a heart attack on December 24, often observed as Christmas Eve, than any other day during the holiday season, said a study published on Wednesday in the medical journal BMJ.