US launches Red Sea force to fight Houthi attacks, Five stories to know today

1. Israel keeps pounding the shattered Gaza Strip while Yemen's pro-Palestinian Houthi movement vows to defy a U.S.-led naval mission and keep hitting Israeli targets in the Red Sea. 2. A judge overseeing Donald Trump's New York civil fraud case says an expert witness 'lost all credibility' by justifying Trump's business records after being paid nearly $1 million by the former president to testify. 3. The Vatican says in a landmark ruling that Roman Catholic priests can give blessings to same- couples as long as they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies. 4. Ukraine's embattled economy can weather the next few months until foreign aid arrives but 2024 will be tougher than this year and Kyiv will need to rely more on its own resources. 5. A magnitude-6.2 earthquake hit one of China's poorest regions killing at least 127 people, injuring hundreds and bringing down mud houses in remote villages.