The Top Stories on the Internet Today (Wednesday January 23)

Here are today’s top headlines.

Afghanistan: At least 12 dead in Taliban attack on military base

At least 12 members of the Afghan military were killed and another 28 injured when the Taliban carried out a suicide attack on a military base in the central province of Maidan Wardak, authorities said.

Canada expects US to formally request extradition of Huawei CFO soon

The United States will soon make a formal request for the extradition of Huawei’s chief financial officer, according to the Canadian government, marking the next step in a case that has set off a geopolitical storm.

Israel, Iran exchange fire as tensions soar

Israel carried out a series of airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria, the Israeli military said, in response to an Iranian missile fired at the Golan Heights.

World’s first gene edited babies were illegal, say Chinese authorities

Authorities in China say experiments which led to the birth of the world’s first gene-edited babies broke the country’s laws, state-run Xinhua news reported Monday.

2020 Democrats confront how to deal with Trump

There is a common challenge confronting all of the 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls: how to take on Donald Trump while maintaining their dignity, sanity and message control.

Social media access restored in Zimbabwe

Access to social media platforms in Zimbabwe was reinstated on Monday, hours after a court deemed the government’s internet shutdown illegal.

Egypt TV host handed 12-month jail term for interviewing gay man

A court in Egypt sentenced a TV journalist to 12 months’ jail time on Sunday for “promoting homosexuality” after he interviewed a gay man, state-run media reported.

Virgin reveals adults-only cruise ship

(CNN) – The words “cruise holiday” and “rock star” don’t usually go together. Unless you’re talking about Virgin Voyages’ first ship, the adults-only Scarlet Lady, which will depart Miami for the Caribbean in 2020. The Richard Branson-backed cruise line has just released renderings of the ship’s 78 luxury “RockStar Suites,” which will be located on the ship’s 15th deck.

Zimbabwe leader abandons trip amid unrest

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has broken off a trip to Europe amid violent protests in his home country. Mr Mnangagwa had been due to attend the Davos economic summit where he was expected to seek investment for Zimbabwe. Ministers say the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) is using sharp fuel price increases as a pretext for violence.

Oscar nominations: What to expect

Predicting the result of the Oscars can be a tricky business. Especially as the Academy’s membership, which votes for the awards, is changing year by year. Efforts to make it less old and less white have resulted in a significant influx of younger voters, people from ethnic minorities and a wider spread of international members.

France angered by Italy’s Africa remarks

France has summoned Italy’s ambassador after the Italian deputy prime minister accused the French of exploiting Africa and fuelling migration. On Sunday, Luigi di Maio called on the European Union to impose sanctions on France for its policies in Africa. He said France had “never stopped colonising tens of African states”.

‘165-year-old Turk’ registers to vote

Political parties in Turkey are crying foul after thousands of unlikely voters appeared on the electoral roll. Among the oddities are many first-time voters over 100 years old – and one aged 165. Opposition parties also said they had discovered more than 1,000 voters registered at a single apartment.

The Democratic Race For 2020 Opens With A Battle for Black Voters

COLUMBIA, S.C. ― The battle for black voters in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary has begun in earnest, a sign of how crucial candidates and strategists view the bloc to a successful campaign. Sens. Bernie Sanders and Cory Booker, two potential candidates, spoke at a Martin Luther King Jr.

Report Identifies Secret North Korean Missile Headquarters

WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (Reuters) – One of 20 undeclared ballistic missile operating bases in North Korea serves as a missile headquarters, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) published on Monday.

Trump Makes Surprise Visit To MLK Memorial, Leaves After About 2 Minutes

President Donald Trump on Monday made an unannounced trip to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington. The president did not mention the civil rights icon during the visit, which ended about two minutes after he arrived. “Good morning, everybody,” Trump told reporters after laying a wreath in front of the monument.

MLK’s Son Criticizes Mike Pence: My Father ‘Was a Bridge Builder, Not A Wall Builder’

On Sunday, Pence quoted King during an appearance on CBS’ “Face The Nation” as he praised President Donald Trump for his latest attempt at ending the ongoing partial government shutdown . “One of my favorite quotes from Dr. King was, ‘Now is the time to make the real promises of democracy.’

United Passengers Stranded On Canadian Tarmac For Over 18 Hours

Passengers aboard a United Airlines flight from Newark, New Jersey, to Hong Kong endured a hellish weekend of travel when their plane was grounded for more than 18 hours at a frigid Canadian airport. Hours after taking off from Newark Liberty International Airport around 3 p.m.

Joe Biden: White America Has To Admit There Is Systemic Racism

Former Vice President Joe Biden said at a breakfast Monday honoring Martin Luther King Jr. that “white America has to admit there is systemic racism.” Biden, a potential 2020 presidential candidate, said at the event hosted by Al Sharpton’s National Action Network that “we have a lot to root out, but most of all the systematic racism that most of us whites don’t like to acknowledge even exists.”

Spotify is reportedly rolling out a feature to let you block artists

Soon, you may be able to block R. Kelly from ever appearing on your playlists. Spotify is testing an iOS feature called “don’t play this artist,” allowing users to block particular artists from being included in playlists, libraries, charts, and radio stations on the music streaming platform, The Verge reports.

Donald Trump added to Mount Rushmore… by Jimmy Kimmel

Picture this: Donald Trump’s giant face added to Mount Rushmore, sitting beside the likenesses of former presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln. That’s the scenario Jimmy Kimmel thrust upon viewers on Monday night, during his two-years-in-the-presidency special “Intermission Accomplished: A Halftime Tribute to Trump.”

Stephen Colbert smashes Pence’s Trump-MLK comparison with one quote

On Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday weekend, Vice President Mike Pence decided it was a great idea to steal a line from the civil rights legend’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech to draw comparisons to Donald Trump, and garner support for his $5.7 billion border wall. Seriously.

White House tweet tributes to Martin Luther King Jr. aren’t going over well

Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ tweet honoring Martin Luther King Jr. is not going over well. In a tweet, the White House press secretary wrote that King “gave his life” for the civil rights movement, and that “our country is better thanks to his inspiration and sacrifice.” Here’s the thing: King didn’t give his life.

Self-driving scooters and bikes? Uber’s working on it.

Your electric scooter could one day be autonomous. Uber is working on self-driving scooters and bikes, according to 3DRobotics CEO Chris Anderson. The company announced plans to explore electric scooters and bikes that can drive themselves to charging stations and riders.

‘Fox & Friends’ apologizes for making it seem like Ruth Bader Ginsburg died

PSA: Ruth Bader Ginsburg is alive and well, thank you very much. The Fox & Friends co-hosts apologized after a graphic aired on the show appeared to announce her death. Before Ainsley Earhardt’s interview with a college professor about diverse viewpoints on Monday, the segment showed a photo of Ginsburg with “1933-2019” accompanying it.