U.K. election to be held Dec. 12 after motion passes

LONDON -- Britons will be heading out to vote in the dark days of December after the House of Commons on Tuesday backed an early national vote that could break the country's political impasse over Brexit -- or turn out to be merely a temporary distraction. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes electing a new crop of lawmakers will give his Conservative Party a majority and break the stalemate that blocked his plan to take Britain out of the European Union this month. This week the EU granted Britai