The World Today

The British Parliament has delivered Theresa May the power to start the process of leaving the European Union in an overwhelming vote. It is a major victory for the Prime Minister who will start the process of leaving in a matter of weeks.

A humanitarian crisis is looming in eastern Ukraine where the battle between government forces and Russian backed rebels has cut off power and heating to an entire town in freezing conditions. Authorities say they were preparing for the evacuation of at least 16,000 residents of the town where at least 20 people have been killed since Sunday.

An eastern Victorian community is fighting for its survival as Australia's biggest hardwood sawmill considers closure. The Australian Sustainable Hardwoods mill in Heyfield has threatened to shut its doors unless the Victorian Government agrees to ongoing timber supply contracts. The mill's closure would leave 250 local workers and up to 7,000 people across the state without work.

The Northern Territory Government is expected to commit millions of dollars more to youth diversion programs following the scandal over abuse in youth detention. It follows a series of cuts to youth diversion programs over the last decade. But the Government will have a tough argument to make because community concern over detention abuse is matched by anger over youth crime.

James and Lachlan Murdoch have issued a memo to 21st Century Fox staff criticising the Trump travel bans. The memo says the company was founded by immigrants and comprises immigrants at all levels. The chief executive and chairman of Fox said immigration is an essential part of America's strength.

The White House has issued conflicting messages today about whether the US will honour the deal with the Australia to take more than a thousand refugees from Australia's offshore detention centres. Earlier today the White House spokesman Sean Spicer confirmed that the deal would go ahead, provided the refugees went through an 'extreme vetting' process. But the White House then called the ABC's Washington office to clarify that the deal was still 'under consideration'. Lawyer David Manne represents a number of asylum seekers in Nauru and Manus Island and he says despite the confusion he is working on the assumption the deal is going ahead.

Chinese business figures were some of the biggest donors to Australian political parties in the last year. Their contributions are disclosed in documents released today by the Australian Electoral Commission. And Federal Government Ministers themselves were also among the big donors to the Liberal Party ahead of last year's election.

The Senate is still likely to prove a problem for the Prime Minister, Malcolm Turnbull, as he seeks to put in place the Government's economic agenda. In a major speech to the Press Club today the Prime Minister is making the case for the Coalition's proposed company tax cuts and announcing a new bill on childcare. But Labor and the Greens say they won't support the tax cuts, or the welfare cuts earmarked to pay for the childcare changes, and Nick Xenophon says his team isn't yet convinced either.

Several US states have launched legal action to overturn the Trump administration's immigration ban, arguing it's illegal, immoral and unconstitutional. There's also been a lengthy debate on the floor of the Senate, where Democrats have denounced the ban. But the protests appear to be falling on deaf ears with indications the executive order could be strengthened rather than watered down.

The global technology giant Cisco has joined other companies in slamming Donald Trump's immigration bans. Cisco had added to criticism from the likes of Google, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix and General Electric in urging the Trump administration to reconsider the controversial travel measures.