Reuters World News Summary

U.S. and British warplanes, ships and a submarine launched strikes across Yemen in retaliation against Houthi forces for months of attacks on Red Sea shipping that the Iran-backed fighters cast as a response to the war in Gaza. China coal mine accident kills at least 8, rescue ops underway - Xinhua Rescue operations were underway after eight people died and 15 missing following an accident in a coal mine in the city of Pingdingshan, central China's Henan Province on Friday, state news agency Xinhua reported.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

US optimistic Yemen strikes degraded Houthi capabilities

The Pentagon on Friday appeared to be cautiously optimistic that Iran-backed Houthis will be unable to replicate the type of complex attacks they recently carried out in the Red Sea, as a senior Pentagon official disclosed that overnight strikes hit nearly 30 locations in Yemen. U.S. and British warplanes, ships and a submarine launched strikes across Yemen in retaliation against Houthi forces for months of attacks on Red Sea shipping that the Iran-backed fighters cast as a response to the war in Gaza.

China coal mine accident kills at least 8, rescue ops underway - Xinhua

Rescue operations were underway after eight people died and 15 missing following an accident in a coal mine in the city of Pingdingshan, central China's Henan Province on Friday, state news agency Xinhua reported. Preliminary investigation showed the accident occurred around 2:55 p.m. local time due to a coal and gas outburst at the mine, which is owned by China's Pingdingshan Tianan Coal Mining.

Britain's Sunak, in Ukraine, announces increase in military aid

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak visited wartime Kyiv on Friday to sign a new security agreement and announce an increase in military funding for Ukraine to buy drones, including surveillance, long-range strike and sea drones. Britain, one of Ukraine's closest allies during President Vladimir Putin's Russian invasion, will increase its support in the next financial year to 2.5 billion pounds ($3.19 billion), an increase of 200 million pounds on the previous two years, Sunak said.

Exclusive-Ukraine needs more attack aircraft for war effort - ground forces commander

Ukraine's ground forces commander said on Friday that Kyiv needed more military aircraft for its war effort, such as U.S. A-10 attack jets to support infantry and planes that could fire long-range cruise missiles. Colonel-General Oleksandr Syrskyi spoke to Reuters in an exclusive interview at an undisclosed location in the northeastern region of Kharkiv that borders western Russia.

Explainer-Did Biden break the law by ordering Yemen airstrikes?

Some members of the U.S. Congress have charged that President Joe Biden violated the Constitution by authorizing overnight strikes on Yemen. But provisions in U.S. law give the White House the authority to launch limited foreign military action, experts say. "There's not actually a strong case to prevent Biden from this kind of action," said Michael O'Hanlon, director of research in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution.

Israel rejects genocide charges, tells World Court it must defend itself

Israel on Friday rejected as false and "grossly distorted" accusations brought by South Africa at the U.N.'s top court that its military operation in Gaza is a state-led genocide campaign against Palestinians. Arguing it was acting to defend itself and was fighting Hamas, not the Palestinian population, Israel called on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to dismiss the case as groundless and reject South Africa's request to order it to halt the offensive.

Yemen's enigmatic Houthi leader is fierce battlefield commander

Abdul Malik al-Houthi, enigmatic leader of Yemen's Houthi fighters whose attacks on Red Sea shipping have drawn fire from the U.S. and British militaries, created the defiant force challenging world powers from a ragtag militia in sandals.

Multiple shipping lines have suspended operations or taken the longer route around Africa because of the campaign by the Houthis, who rule most of Yemen after beating tough odds in a war against forces backed by powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

US and Britain strike Yemen in reprisal for Houthi attacks on shipping

U.S. and British warplanes, ships and submarines launched dozens of air strikes across Yemen against Houthi forces in retaliation for months of attacks on Red Sea shipping that the Iran-backed fighters cast as a response to the war in Gaza. Witnesses confirmed explosions at military bases near airports in the capital Sanaa and Yemen's third city Taiz, a naval base at Yemen's main Red Sea port Hodeidah and military sites in the coastal Hajjah governorate.

Blizzard strikes US Midwest, cancelling flights and disrupting presidential campaign

Tens of millions of Americans were in the pathway of dangerous and damaging weather conditions as snowstorms moved across the Northwest and Midwest, flooding threatened the East Coast and potential tornadoes were on tap in the South. Airlines canceled or delayed more than 7,500 flights across the U.S. on Friday, including planes grounded at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport due to winds and blinding snow. In Iowa, Republican presidential candidates canceled events three days out from the state's caucuses, the first of the state-by-state contests in which parties pick their nominees ahead of this year's general election.

Taiwanese pack election rallies, China vows to 'smash independence plots'

Hundreds of thousands of people attended final pre-election rallies in Taiwan on Friday ahead of critical presidential and parliamentary polls, as China's defence ministry warned it would "smash any Taiwan independence plots". Taiwan, a neighbouring island China claims as its own, has been a democratic success story since holding its first direct presidential election in 1996, the culmination of decades of struggle against authoritarian rule and martial law.

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