Reuters World News Summary

Prayuth, who seized power in a 2014 coup before formally becoming prime minister soon after, was suspended five weeks ago as the court deliberated the case filed by the opposition Pheu Thai party, which argues he should have left office last month. Putin to host Kremlin ceremony annexing parts of Ukraine Russian President Vladimir Putin was set to host a Kremlin ceremony on Friday annexing four regions of Ukraine, while his Ukrainian counterpart said Putin would have to be stopped for Russia to avoid the most damaging consequences of the war.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Carolinas brace for Ian after hurricane batters Florida

Emergency crews strove on Thursday to reach stranded Florida residents as Hurricane Ian trained its sights on the Carolinas after cutting a coast-to-coast path of destruction across Florida, leaving behind deadly floodwaters, downed power lines and widespread damage. Ian, one of the strongest storms ever to hit the U.S. mainland, flooded Gulf Coast communities and knocked out power to millions before plowing across the peninsula to the Atlantic Ocean, where it regained strength ahead of another anticipated landfall in South Carolina on Friday.

New UK coins featuring image of King Charles revealed

The first British coins to feature the image of King Charles have been unveiled by the Royal Mint, with the portrait of the new monarch facing the opposite direction to his late mother Queen Elizabeth in keeping with tradition. The new image will appear on 50 pence ($0.55) coins, which will begin circulating in the coming months, and also on a commemorative 5 pound coin which also features two new portraits of Elizabeth on its reverse side.

Biden says U.S. and world security depend on Pacific security

U.S. President Joe Biden told Pacific island leaders on Thursday that the security of the United States and the world depended on security in their region. Biden spoke at the State Department where the United States is hosting more than a dozen leaders and representatives of Pacific island countries as part of an effort to stem China's expanding influence in the region.

Explainer-How the U.S. could tighten sanctions on Russia over Ukraine

The United States has imposed several rafts of sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine in February, targeting its central bank, major lenders, oligarchs and Russian President Vladimir Putin. On Wednesday, Washington warned that the United States would take measures against Moscow in the coming days over "sham" referendums held by Russia in occupied regions of Ukraine.

UK's Labour has 33-pt lead over ruling Conservatives -YouGov poll

Britain's opposition Labour party has surged to a 33-point lead over the ruling Conservatives, according to a YouGov poll on Thursday, after days of chaos in financial markets triggered by the government's planned tax cuts. The lead was a record high share for Labour in any YouGov poll as well as the highest figure the party has ever recorded in any published survey since the late 1990s, YouGov said.

Thai court to decide on PM Prayuth's future

Thailand's Constitutional Court is due to deliver its verdict on Friday on a case that seeks to determine whether Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha has already exceeded an eight-year limit as premier. Prayuth, who seized power in a 2014 coup before formally becoming prime minister soon after, was suspended five weeks ago as the court deliberated the case filed by the opposition Pheu Thai party, which argues he should have left office last month.

Putin to host Kremlin ceremony annexing parts of Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin was set to host a Kremlin ceremony on Friday annexing four regions of Ukraine, while his Ukrainian counterpart said Putin would have to be stopped for Russia to avoid the most damaging consequences of the war. There was a warning too from United Nations chief Antonio Guterres who said the planned annexations were a "dangerous escalation" and jeopardise prospects for peace.

Iran protests over young woman's death continue, 83 said killed

Protests continued in several cities across Iran on Thursday against the death of young woman in police custody, state and social media reported, as a human rights group said at least 83 people had been killed in nearly two weeks of demonstrations. Mahsa Amini, 22, from the Iranian Kurdish town of Saqez, was arrested this month in Tehran for "unsuitable attire" by the morality police that enforces the Islamic Republic's strict dress code for women.

U.S. charges Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska with violating sanctions

U.S. prosecutors on Thursday unveiled criminal charges accusing the Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska of violating sanctions imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine. Deripaska, the 54-year-old founder of aluminum giant Rusal, was among two dozen Russian oligarchs and government officials blacklisted by Washington in 2018 in reaction to Russia's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election to help Donald Trump become president.

Russia says Nord Stream likely hit by state-backed 'terrorism'

Russia said on Thursday that leaks spewing gas into the Baltic Sea from pipelines to Germany appeared to be the result of state-sponsored "terrorism", as an EU official said the incident had fundamentally changed the nature of the conflict in Ukraine. The European Union is investigating the cause of the leaks in the Gazprom-led Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines and has said it suspects sabotage was behind the damage off the coasts of Denmark and Sweden.

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