World News Roundup: Yemen's southern separatists pull out of committee; Tear gas fired at protests, Hong Kong and more

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Yemen's southern separatists pull out of Riyadh agreement committees

Southern separatists in Yemen have pulled out of committees implementing a November agreement to end a power struggle in the south that had opened a new front in the country's multifaceted war. The pact was reached after more than a month of indirect talks in Saudi Arabia. Under the deal, the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) and other southerners would join a new national cabinet and place all forces under control of the internationally recognized government.

Tear gas fired at Hong Kong New Year's protests

A march drawing tens of thousands of anti-government protesters in Hong Kong on New Year's Day spiraled into chaotic scenes as police fired several rounds of tear gas and water cannon at crowds including families before halting the event. The violence broke out during the largely peaceful march as masses of citizens pressed authorities for further concessions in the Chinese-ruled city.

Rock-throwing Iraqi militias quit U.S. Embassy after protests

Supporters of Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary groups who stormed the U.S. Embassy's perimeter and hurled rocks in two days of protests withdrew on Wednesday after Washington dispatched extra troops and threatened reprisals against Tehran. The demonstrators, angry at U.S. airstrikes against the Tehran-backed Kataib Hezbollah group in which at least 25 people were killed, threw stones at the building while U.S. forces stationed on the rooftops fired tear gas to disperse them.

Tunisia's designated PM says he has formed a government

Tunisia's designated prime minister Habib Jemli submitted a proposed cabinet to President Kais Saied on Wednesday, but he has not yet publicly announced the names of cabinet ministers. The new government, which Jemli said last month would be formed of political independents, will be put to parliament on Thursday, where it must win majority support before taking office.

U.N. secretary-general 'deeply concerned' North Korea said it could resume weapons tests

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "deeply concerned" that North Korea has indicated it could resume nuclear and missile tests, a U.N. spokesman said on Wednesday. "The Secretary-General very much hopes that the tests will not resume, in line with relevant Security Council resolutions. Non-proliferation remains a fundamental pillar of global nuclear security and must be preserved," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

Israel's Netanyahu says he will seek immunity in graft cases

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday he would ask parliament to protect him from prosecution in the three graft cases he faces, a politically-risky move that could delay criminal proceedings against him for months. Netanyahu was indicted in November on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust over allegations he granted state favors worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Israeli media barons in return for gifts and favorable coverage.

Eight people killed in Syria army bombing in rebel-held Idlib: medics

At least eight people were killed on Wednesday when the Syrian army launched missiles that struck a shelter for displaced families in the country's northwest, witnesses and residents said. Five children were among those killed in the strike on a disused school in the town of Sarmin in Idlib province, two medics said, adding over 16 people were injured.

Sixteen inmates killed in Mexican prison fight, scarring troubled system

Sixteen inmates were killed and five wounded in a prison fight in the northern Mexican state of Zacatecas, authorities said, in one of the worst outbreaks of violence in the country's penal system since President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took power. The fight broke out around 2:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday at the Regional Center for Social Reintegration in the town of Cieneguillas, located on the western flank of state capital Zacatecas, the state government said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

Drug lord 'El Chapo' once held as much power as Mexican president -Lopez Obrador

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador declared an end to the days of collusion between crime and government, saying in a holiday address there was a time when drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman was as powerful as the country's president. Lopez Obrador, who took office in December 2018, rose to power with pledges to root out corruption in Mexico. He hailed his progress toward that goal in a speech on New Year's Eve at the Palenque ruins in southern Mexico.

Austrian conservatives and Greens strike New Year's coalition deal

Austrian conservative leader Sebastian Kurz struck a coalition deal on Wednesday with the Greens to ensure his return to power and bring the left-wing party into government for the first time, three months after Kurz won a parliamentary election. The deal marks a swing left for Kurz, whose last coalition was with the far-right Freedom Party. It also means Austria will join fellow European Union member states Sweden and Finland in having the Greens in government, albeit in a junior role, at a time of growing calls for urgent action on climate change.

(With inputs from agencies.)