World News Roundup: Italian parties look to solve presidential conundrum, avoid political chaos; Analysis-Russian troop build-up sparks unintended NATO renewal and more

Despite intense diplomacy with Russia, the United States and its NATO allies say they cannot consider demands that Moscow is making for security guarantees while it masses troops near its neighbor's border and holds live-fire exercises in Belarus.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Italian parties look to solve presidential conundrum, avoid political chaos

The Italian parliament will convene on Jan. 24 to begin voting for a new head of state to replace the outgoing Sergio Mattarella. The president is highly influential in Italy and is often called on to resolve political crises. The voting procedure is complex, with ballots cast in secret, often making it difficult to predict the result. Here are some possible outcomes.

Analysis-Russian troop build-up sparks unintended NATO renewal

Russia's troop buildup near Ukraine is galvanizing NATO defenses in Europe that President Vladimir Putin wants to dismantle, giving the alliance a sense of renewal after failures in Afghanistan. Despite intense diplomacy with Russia, the United States and its NATO allies say they cannot consider demands that Moscow is making for security guarantees while it masses troops near its neighbor's border and holds live-fire exercises in Belarus.

Ex-Pope Benedict criticised in Munich Church abuse report

Former Pope Benedict XVI failed to take action against clerics in four cases of alleged sexual abuse in his archdiocese when he was Archbishop of Munich, a report found on Thursday. Munich law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl (WSW) was asked to investigate allegations of sexual abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising between 1945 and 2019.

N.Korea suggests it may resume nuclear, missile tests; slams 'hostile' U.S

North Korea will bolster its defences against the United States and consider resuming "all temporally-suspended activities", state news agency KCNA said on Thursday, an apparent reference to a self-imposed moratorium on tests of nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. Tension has been rising over a recent series of North Korean missile tests. A U.S. push for fresh sanctions was followed by heated reaction from Pyongyang, raising the spectre of a return to the period of so-called "fire and fury" threats of 2017.

Sudanese judges and prosecutors denounce protest crackdowns

Dozens of Sudanese judges and prosecutors have condemned the killing of more than 70 protesters since a military takeover in October and have called for investigations, in rare public statements released on Thursday. Frequent protests since the Oct. 25 takeover have been met with live gunfire and tear gas. At least 72 civilians have died and more than 2,000 have been injured, according to medics aligned with the protest movement.

Europe threatens 'massive' sanctions if Russia attacks Ukraine

The European Union threatened "massive" economic sanctions if Moscow attacks Ukraine, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken rallied allies on Thursday ahead of last-ditch crisis talks with Russia aimed at preventing war. Western countries are seeking to present a united diplomatic front before Blinken meets Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Friday, widely seen as one of the last chances to stop Russia from launching a new attack.

EU seeks to resolve N. Ireland impasse with UK by end of Feb

The European Union is seeking to resolve the impasse with Britain over Northern Ireland's trading arrangements by the end of February, aware that campaigning then begins for the province's assembly, the EU's chief negotiator told lawmakers on Thursday. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, who oversees post-Brexit relations with Britain, told a closed session of European Parliament members that a window of opportunity was likely to close by the end of February, according to attendees at the meeting and those briefed on it.

Aid finally reaches devastated Tonga, water supply ship awaited

The first emergency supply aircraft reached Tonga on Thursday, five days after a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami, as dispersed communities awaited the arrival of a ship with equipment to scale up supplies of drinking water. A Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130 Hercules landed at the South Pacific island nation's Fua'amotu International Airport, a defence spokesperson said, after a blanket of volcanic ash was cleared off the runway.

Norwegian mass killer Breivik has not reformed, must stay in jail, prosecution says

Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who in 2011 killed 77 people and maimed dozens more, has not reformed during his time in prison and should be kept behind bars, a state prosecutor told his parole hearing on Thursday. "He has demonstrated no empathy or genuine regret," Prosecutor Hulda Karlsdottir said in closing remarks at the end of three days in court. "He continues to glorify his own role."

Stampede at Liberia church gathering kills 29

A stampede at a church gathering in Liberia's capital Monrovia killed 29 people overnight, the deputy information minister told state radio on Thursday. The incident occurred during an all-night Christian worship event at New Kru Town, a neighbourhood on the outskirts of the capital, Jalawah Tonpo said.

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