Reuters World News Summary

With a final course-correcting maneuver by on-board rocket thrusters, Webb reached its destination at a position of orbital stability between the Earth and sun known as Lagrange Point Two, or L2, arriving one month after launch, the space agency said on its website. NATO sends reinforcements and U.S. puts troops on alert as Ukraine tensions rise NATO said on Monday it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets, in what Russia denounced as Western "hysteria" in response to its build-up of troops on the Ukraine border.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Canada's foreign ministry hacked, services hit

Hackers launched a cyber attack on Canada's foreign ministry last week and some services are still down, officials said on Monday without disclosing who Ottawa thought was responsible. The incident was detected last Wednesday, a day before Canada's signals intelligence agency said network operators of critical infrastructure should boost their defenses against Russian state-sponsored threats.

NASA's new space telescope reaches destination in solar orbit

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, designed to give the world an unprecedented glimpse into the earliest stages of the universe, arrived at its gravitational parking spot in orbit around the sun on Monday, almost 1 million miles from Earth. With a final course-correcting maneuver by on-board rocket thrusters, Webb reached its destination at a position of orbital stability between the Earth and sun known as Lagrange Point Two, or L2, arriving one month after launch, the space agency said on its website.

NATO sends reinforcements and U.S. puts troops on alert as Ukraine tensions rise

NATO said on Monday it was putting forces on standby and reinforcing eastern Europe with more ships and fighter jets, in what Russia denounced as Western "hysteria" in response to its build-up of troops on the Ukraine border. The U.S. Department of Defense in Washington said about 8,500 American troops were put on heightened alert and were awaiting orders to deploy to the region, should Russia invade Ukraine.

Yemen's Houthis fail in second missile attack on UAE

Yemen's Houthi movement, aligned with Iran, launched a missile attack at the United Arab Emirates on Monday that targeted a base hosting the U.S. military but was thwarted by U.S.-built Patriot interceptors, U.S. and Emirati officials said. The attack, which sent U.S. troops into bunkers, was the second in a week on the UAE, the tourism and commercial hub of the Gulf region. On Jan. 17, the Houthis hit a fuel depot in Abu Dhabi, killing three people.

WikiLeaks' Assange gets chance to take extradition case to UK's top court

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday was given the chance to challenge at Britain's highest court a decision allowing him to be extradited to the United States to face 18 criminal charges including breaking a spying law. U.S. authorities want Australian-born Assange, 50, currently in jail in London as he awaits a ruling on his extradition, to face trial on 18 counts relating to WikiLeaks' release of vast troves of confidential U.S. military records and diplomatic cables which they said had put lives in danger.

U.S. puts 8,500 troops on alert to deploy amid Ukraine tensions

The U.S. military on Monday put about 8,500 troops on alert to be ready to deploy to Europe if needed, potentially on very short notice, in the latest effort to reassure jittery NATO allies in the face of a Russian military buildup near Ukraine. Although the decision did not bolster U.S. support to Ukraine, which is not part of the NATO alliance, it underscored the growing NATO preparations for what Washington and Kyiv believe are Russian moves to mass its forces for a potential invasion of Ukraine.

At least six killed in Cameroon stadium stampede, says state broadcaster

At least six fans died in a stampede at the Yaounde Olembe Stadium in Cameroon on Monday before the host nation's round of 16 game in the African Cup of Nations against Comoros, the Central African nation's national broadcaster reported. It said dozens of others were injured.

UK's Johnson faces birthday party allegation as he fights for job

Britain's Boris Johnson was fighting to shore up his premiership on Monday after his office said his birthday in 2020 was marked by a gathering in Downing Street, adding fuel to an investigation into government parties during COVID-19 lockdowns.

Johnson, who in 2019 won the biggest Conservative majority in more than 30 years, is facing a raft of accusations that he and his staff partied https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/lockdown-party-allegations-facing-uk-pm-johnson-2022-01-13 during the worst pandemic for a century and a complaint of racist discrimination https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-lawmaker-says-he-will-meet-police-over-government-blackmail-accusations-2022-01-22 in his party.

Burkina Faso army deposes president in West Africa's latest coup

Burkina Faso's army said on Monday it had ousted President Roch Kabore, suspended the constitution, dissolved the government and the national assembly, and closed the country's borders. The announcement cited the deterioration of the security situation and what the army described as Kabore's inability to unite the West African nation and effectively respond to challenges, which include an Islamist insurgency.

'Old windbags go home': author Allende heralds Chile's new political generation

Chilean author Isabel Allende heralded the young and female-dominated incoming government of President-elect Gabriel Boric on Monday and said it marked a much-needed changing of the guard of the Andean country's political leadership. "It's a new generation rising to power. It's time for the old windbags to go home and play bingo," the 79-year-old writer said during a Zoom press conference to mark the launch of her latest novel "Violeta," a tale inspired by her mother.

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