COPENHAGEN/DUBAI, Dec 15 (Reuters) - Danish shipping company Maersk on Friday denied a claim by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement that the militia carried out a drone strike on a Maersk vessel sailing towards Israel.

The Houthis earlier claimed it carried out a military operation against a Maersk container vessel, directly hitting it with a drone. The Houthis, who made the claim in a statement, did not release any evidence.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House on Wednesday authorized the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, with every Republican rallying behind the politically charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president.

WASHINGTON (AP) — It’s the presidential election no one is really jazzed about.

Relatively few Americans are excited about a potential rematch of the 2020 election between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, although more Republicans would be satisfied to have Trump as their nominee than Democrats would be with Biden as their standard-bearer, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

MOSCOW (AP) — President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that some 244,000 Russian troops who were called up to fight in Ukraine are on the battlefield.

Putin said during his year-end press conference that the Kremlin doesn’t need a second wave of mobilization of reservists, with 1,500 men recruited into the army every day across the country.

As of Wednesday evening, a total of 486,000 soldiers have signed a contract with the Russian military, Putin said.

He did not give a total number of troops fighting in Ukraine.

LONDON (AP) — Yemen’s Houthi rebels have escalated attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea during the Israel-Hamas war, raising concerns about the impact on the flow of oil, grain and consumer goods through a major global trade artery.

Israeli-linked vessels have been targeted, but the threat to trade has grown this week as a Norwegian-flagged oil tanker was struck and missiles were fired at a vessel carrying jet fuel toward the Suez Canal, where about 10% of the world’s trade passes through.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Some of the Republicans seeking their party’s 2024 presidential nomination have said the case of a Texas woman whose health deteriorated as she unsuccessfully sought an abortion should be handled with “compassion,” but they did not criticize the state’s law.

It’s the latest indication that the candidates see the politics surrounding abortion as a delicate — and fraught — issue for the GOP after the Supreme Court’s reversal of constitutional protections for the procedure helped power Democrats to unexpectedly strong performances in the 2022 midterms.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As the age-old adage goes, don’t mess with success. The Grammy Awards aren’t, bringing Trevor Noah back as host in 2024.

Noah shared the news Wednesday night on his podcast “What Now? With Trevor Noah.”

For those keeping count, the 66th Grammys will mark his fourth consecutive year of hosting duties.

MOSCOW, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine does not wish to hold negotiations on its demilitarization, so Russia is forced to take other measures including military ones, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.

He made this statement during his annual press conference and question-and-answer session.

"As for demilitarization, they (Ukraine) don't want to negotiate, well, then we are forced to take other measures, including military measures," said Putin.

When Russia realizes its target of the special military operation, then peace will come, he added.

BRUSSELS (AP) — Ireland’s prime minister Leo Varadkar said on Thursday that the European Union is losing its credibility because of a lack of a strong position in the war between Israel and Hamas, urging his counterparts to call for a humanitarian cease-fire.

Speaking at the start of a EU summit in Brussels focusing more on Ukraine, Varadkar said the EU should condemn “terrorism perpetrated by Hamas,” but also call for justice for the Palestinian people.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says former President Donald Trump ‘s policies toward China left America “more vulnerable and more isolated” in the global economy, a rare jab by her at the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — The leaders of Guyana and Venezuela headed for a tense meeting Thursday as regional nations sought to defuse a long-standing territorial dispute that has escalated with Venezuelans voting in a referendum to claim two-thirds of their smaller neighbor.

Pushed by regional partners, Guyanan President Irfaan Ali and Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro agreed to meet at the Argyle International airport on the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent. The prime ministers of Barbados, Dominica and Trinidad and Tobago said they also would attend.

ULAN BATOR, Dec.14 (Xinhua) -- Russia will not reduce its electricity supply to Mongolia in the near future, said the Mongolian government's press office on Thursday.

"The Russian side said that it will not limit the supply of electricity in the near future. The inter-governmental commission of the two countries will continue to work on the issue," the press office said in a statement.