Reuters World News Summary

In Suzu, a town of just over 5,000 households near the quake's epicentre, 90% of houses may have been destroyed, according to its mayor Masuhiro Izumiya. Hamas' Arouri was a key player until death in sudden Beirut strike Deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri had long expected the Israeli drone strike that security sources said killed him in Beirut on Tuesday, three months after his group's surprise cross-border assault that triggered a devastating war in Gaza.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Russia pounds Ukraine's two biggest cities in new wave of attacks

Russia pounded Ukraine's two biggest cities on Tuesday in a new wave of heavy air strikes that killed at least five civilians and prompted calls for the West to quickly provide more military assistance. Ukraine's Interior Ministry said 135 people had been injured in the latest missile and drone attacks, including 61 in and around Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city in the northeast and 17 in and around the capital, Kyiv.

US reaches deal to extend military presence at Qatar base -source

The United States has reached a deal to extend its military presence at a base in Qatar for another 10 years, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters on Tuesday. The base in question is the Al Udeid Air Base, which is located in the desert southwest of Doha and hosts the largest U.S. military facility in the Middle East, the source said, asking to not be identified.

Israeli drone kills deputy Hamas chief in Beirut

Deputy Hamas chief Saleh al-Arouri was killed on Tuesday night in an Israeli drone strike on Beirut's southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, a stronghold of the allied Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, signalling the conflict between Hamas and Israel could be expanding to engulf more of the region. In response to questions from Reuters, the Israeli military said it does not respond to reports in the foreign media.

Five dead after JAL airliner crashes into quake aid plane at Tokyo airport

All 379 people aboard a Japan Airlines (JAL) plane escaped the burning airliner after a collision with a Coast Guard aircraft at Tokyo's Haneda airport that killed five of six crew on the smaller aircraft on Tuesday. Live footage on public broadcaster NHK showed the JAL Airbus A350 airliner burst into flames as it skidded down the tarmac shortly before 6 p.m. (0900 GMT).

Hong Kong tycoon Lai pleads not guilty in national security trial

Hong Kong tycoon and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai pleaded not guilty on Tuesday in a landmark trial, where he is accused of endangering China's national security, as prosecutors laid out details of what they said was collusion with foreign forces. Lai, a leading critic of the Chinese Communist Party, faces two counts of conspiracy to collude with foreign forces - including calling for sanctions against Hong Kong and Chinese officials - under a China-imposed national security law.

South Korea opposition chief stabbed in neck, recovering after surgery

South Korean opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung was stabbed in the neck on Tuesday by a man who lunged at him with a knife after asking for his autograph, officials said. Lee, 59, was rushed to hospital, where he underwent surgery to repair a major blood vessel, and was later recovering and conscious in an intensive care unit, party spokesperson Kwon Chil-seung told reporters.

Japan quake toll rises to 55 with many trapped under possibly thousands of homes

A powerful earthquake that hit Japan on New Year's Day killed at least 55 people, with rescue teams struggling in freezing temperatures on Tuesday to reach coastal areas where many are feared trapped under possibly thousands of destroyed homes. In Suzu, a town of just over 5,000 households near the quake's epicentre, 90% of houses may have been destroyed, according to its mayor Masuhiro Izumiya.

Hamas' Arouri was a key player until death in sudden Beirut strike

Deputy Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri had long expected the Israeli drone strike that security sources said killed him in Beirut on Tuesday, three months after his group's surprise cross-border assault that triggered a devastating war in Gaza. "I am waiting for martyrdom and think that I lived too long," he said in August, as he urged Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank to take up arms amid a surge of violence.

Gaza war spreads to Beirut with killing of Hamas deputy leader

Israel killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in a drone strike in Lebanon's capital Beirut on Tuesday, Lebanese and Palestinian security sources said, raising the potential risk of war in Gaza spreading well beyond the Palestinian enclave. Arouri, 57, was the first senior Hamas political leader to be assassinated since Israel launched a shattering air and ground offensive against Gaza's Hamas rulers almost three months ago after the group's shock rampage into Israeli towns.

Malta-flagged container ship reported seeing 3 explosions towards its port quarter off Yemen -Ambrey

British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Tuesday that a Malta-flagged container ship reported seeing three explosions towards its port quarter, 15 miles (24 km) southwest of Yemen's Mocha. The vessel master was heard over VHF, calling a coalition warship, the firm added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)