Morning news brief: US mulls more strikes on Iran-backed groups; Grammy Awards 2024, and more

In the latest development on Middle East crisis,John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman said the recent USstrikes on Iran-backed groups on Friday night (Feb 2) mark only the initial phase of action, with further measures to follow.

In the Indian state of Jharkhand, Chief Minister Champai Soren's government is poised for a victory in the floor test scheduled for Monday (Feb 5).

In other news, Chinese-origin Australian writer Yang Hengjun, accused of espionage by China, received a suspended death sentence from a Beijing court.

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White House national security spokesman John Kirby on Sunday (Feb 4) that the strikes which took place Friday night by the United States against Iran-backed groups were just the "first round" of action and more will follow.

The US military hit Tehran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria were a retaliation for a deadly attack on US troops in Jordan, which killed three US soldiers. A day after that, the US and the United Kingdom unleashed attacks on the Iran-aligned Houthis of Yemen late on Saturday in a joint action.

A floor test in the Indian state of Jharkhand will take place on Monday (Feb 5) with Chief Minister Champai Soren's government confident of a win. Former chief minister Hemant Soren, who has been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), will cast his vote in the floor test. Champai Soren became the CM last week following political upheaval in the state.

Music’s biggest night is here as The Recording Academy brought out its big guns to acknowledge the best in the world of music last year. Ahead of the main televised event, Grammys premiere ceremony began at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. While Elaine Martone picked up her Grammy for being the Producer of the Year in Classical music, Michelle Obama won Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording forThe Light We Carry: Overcoming In Uncertain Times.

Australian writer Yang Hengjun a suspended death, who was accused of espionage by China, was given a suspended death sentence by a court in Beijing on Monday (Feb 5). According to a report by the news agency Reuters, Sydney-based scholar Feng Chongyi said the court delivered a suspended death sentence that would convert to life imprisonment after two years.

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