Reuters World News Summary

The United States and Britain unleashed attacks against 36 Houthi targets in Yemen, a day after the U.S. military hit Tehran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a deadly attack on U.S. troops in Jordan. Namibia interim president says no plan to run in this year's election Namibia's Nangolo Mbumba, who took over as interim president of the southern African country on Sunday after Hage Geingob died in office, said he had no plans to run in elections due at the end of the year.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Hamas hounds Israeli forces in main Gaza cities

Palestinian gunmen kept up attacks against Israeli forces on Sunday in the Gaza Strip's two main cities, weeks after they were overrun by troops and tanks, in a sign Hamas still maintains some control ahead of any potential truce. Nearly four months into the war triggered by the Palestinian Islamist group's deadly cross-border rampage in Israel, there was persistent fighting in Gaza City in the north of the densely populated enclave, and in Khan Younis to the south.

Ukraine's Zelenskiy is considering replacing Zaluzhnyi, others

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in an interview broadcast on Sunday, said he was considering a "reset" to replace several senior officials. Speculation has gripped Ukraine for weeks over suggestions that the president was about to dismiss the highly popular commander, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi. The two have been at odds over the conduct of the nearly two-year-old Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Senegal parliament to debate extending president's mandate as protests break out

Senegalese police on Sunday cracked down on protests against the postponement of the presidential election, as parliament prepared to debate a bill that would reschedule the vote for August and extend President Macky Sall's mandate. Sall announced on Saturday the Feb. 25 vote would be delayed to an unspecified date due to a dispute over the candidate list and alleged corruption within the constitutional body that handled the list. Some opposition and civil society groups have denounced the move as an "institutional coup".

US intends further strikes against Iran-backed groups - White House

The United States intends to launch further strikes at Iran-backed groups in the Middle East, the White House national security adviser said on Sunday, after hitting Tehran-aligned factions in Iraq, Syria and Yemen over the last two days. The United States and Britain unleashed attacks against 36 Houthi targets in Yemen, a day after the U.S. military hit Tehran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria in retaliation for a deadly attack on U.S. troops in Jordan.

Namibia interim president says no plan to run in this year's election

Namibia's Nangolo Mbumba, who took over as interim president of the southern African country on Sunday after Hage Geingob died in office, said he had no plans to run in elections due at the end of the year. That means Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, who replaces Mbumba as vice president and was nominated by the governing South West Africa People's Organisation (SWAPO) just over a year ago to be its candidate, will remain on the ballot.

Israel's Netanyahu cautious on hostage deal amid coalition rifts

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday Israel was not ready to accept a deal at any price to release hostages held by Hamas amid rifts in his coalition over a U.S. push to get more aid into Gaza. The comments came during the latest episode in a rumbling coalition row between religious nationalist parties opposed to any concessions to the Palestinians and a centrist group including former army generals.

El Salvador President Bukele poised for a landslide as voters cast ballots

Salvadorans voted on Sunday in elections expected to hand President Nayib Bukele another landslide victory, with many happy to overlook the young leader's authoritarian drift after he crushed gang violence that had paralyzed life in the poor Central American country. Bukele, 42, appears poised to become the first Salvadoran president in almost a century to be re-elected.

Chile forest fires kill 99 as hundreds remain missing

Wildfires sweeping through central Chile have killed at least 99 people and hundreds are still missing, authorities said on Sunday, as President Gabriel Boric warned the country faces a "tragedy of very great magnitude". Wildfires that began several days ago are menacing the outer edges of Vina del Mar and Valparaiso, two coastal cities popular with tourists. The urban sprawl of those cities accounts for more than a million residents west of the capital Santiago.

Exclusive-Eisai expects 1,500 Alzheimer's patients in China launch, sees 'huge' growth

Japan's Eisai aims to roll out its groundbreaking Alzheimer's drug Leqembi to 1,500 people in China later this year, but expects growth to accelerate significantly in 2025 as diagnosis methods change, a company spokesperson told Reuters. More convenient Alzheimer's blood tests expected to be ready then could help Eisai reach a bigger share of China's estimated 17 million people with early-stage disease, the spokesperson said.

US official urges Papua New Guinea to reject Chinese security deal

A senior U.S. state department official urged Papua New Guinea(PNG) to turn down China's offer of a potential security pact, warning the Pacific nation that any security guarantee with Beijing comes with consequences and costs. "We've seen that the Chinese commitment in defence or investment comes with a high cost. That's what we'd say to PNG," United States Deputy Secretary of State Richard Verma told the Sydney Morning Herald in an interview published on Monday.

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