World News Roundup: Party of Pakistan's Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif launches election campaign; German farmers, tractors and trucks block Berlin avenue in tax protest and more

The campaign for the Feb. 8 polls, delayed since November, looks set to fire up a lukewarm race so far amid an uncertain political environment after Sharif's main rival and jailed former premier Imran Khan's party is facing what is considered a military-backed crackdown. North Korean hackers, criminals share money laundering networks in Southeast Asia - UN North Korean hackers are sharing money-laundering and underground banking networks with fraudsters and drug traffickers in Southeast Asia, according to a United Nations report published on Monday, with casinos and crypto exchanges emerging as key venues for organised crime.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

German farmers, tractors and trucks block Berlin avenue in tax protest

Thousands of tractors and trucks and about 10,000 people blocked the avenue leading to Berlin's Brandenburg Gate on Monday, capping a week of protests against higher taxes for farmers that have become a flashpoint for anti-government anger.

Vehicles that arrived overnight from across Germany parked nose-to-tail along the route, and crowds of farmers wrapped up against the cold waved German flags and held up banners marked with slogans including "Without farmers, no future".

Russia says it will build ties with North Korea as foreign ministers set to meet

Russia will develop ties with North Korea in all areas building on agreements between their leaders in September, the Kremlin said on Monday, as their foreign ministers were set to meet in Moscow. North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui arrived on Sunday on a rare visit to Moscow for talks with her counterpart Sergei Lavrov as the two countries deepen economic, political, and military ties, the North's state news agency KCNA said.

Reformist Arevalo assumes Guatemalan presidency after opposition delays

Anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arevalo took office as Guatemala's president early on Monday after a chaotic inauguration caused by a last-minute attempt by opposition lawmakers to weaken his authority. After a delay of nearly nine hours, the newly sworn-in president and Vice President Karin Herrera made their first appearance at the National Palace of Culture to greet a crowd that had assembled at the capital's Plaza de la Constitucion.

Qatar pauses Red Sea tankers after Western strikes on Houthis

Qatar's state energy company, one of the world's biggest liquefied natural gas exporters, has paused sending tankers through the Red Sea after U.S.-led strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen targeting the crucial trade route. Attacks on ships by the Houthis, who say they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians, have disrupted global commerce and alarmed major Western powers in a spillover from Israel's more than three-month war with Hamas militants in Gaza.

US Deputy Treasury Secretary to discuss use of new Russia sanctions authority in trip to Europe, Japan

U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo will travel to Europe and Japan this month, where he will coordinate with partners on the use of a new Russia sanctions authority that takes aim at financial institutions, a Treasury spokesperson told Reuters. Adeyemo will travel to Rome, Berlin, Frankfurt and Tokyo from Jan. 16-23, where he will meet with G7 partners as well as key private sector representatives, including financial institutions, academics and other industry leaders, to discuss the executive order, the spokesperson said.

No snow: Tourists cancel holidays as Indian ski resorts run dry

A lack of snowfall has led to empty ski resorts and holiday cancellations in the Indian Himalayas, with scientists linking the "unusual" winter to the El Nino weather phenomenon. The dry spell in Kashmir has pushed skiers to skip the popular resort of Gulmarg, one of the highest in the world, and left hotels in the scenic region waiting for fresh falls to draw tourists to the panoramic views of snow-capped peaks.

Iceland volcano recedes after 'black day' of town fires

A volcano that erupted in southwest Iceland for the second time in less than a month appeared to be significantly less active on Monday despite indications that magma is still flowing underground. "A black day" read the front page headline of Icelandic daily Morgunbladid across an image of bright-orange lava fountains and houses burning in the town of Grindavik, some 40 kilometres (25 miles) south-west of the capital Reykjavik.

Israel pounds targets across Gaza, awaits Hamas word on three hostages

Israeli forces bombarded targets in the south, north and centre of Gaza on Monday ahead of an expected announcement by Hamas on the fate of three Israelis held hostage by the Palestinian militant group shown in a video clip at the weekend.

Twelve Palestinians were killed and others wounded in an Israeli airstrike overnight on a house in Gaza City in the north, health officials said, while plumes of smoke rose above the main southern city of Khan Younis shelled by Israeli tanks.

Party of Pakistan's Ex-PM Nawaz Sharif launches election campaign

The party of Pakistan's former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, considered the front-runner to win upcoming general elections, launched its campaign on Monday amid accusations that the military's support is already giving him an edge over rivals. The campaign for the Feb. 8 polls, delayed since November, looks set to fire up a lukewarm race so far amid an uncertain political environment after Sharif's main rival and jailed former premier Imran Khan's party is facing what is considered a military-backed crackdown.

North Korean hackers, criminals share money laundering networks in Southeast Asia - UN

North Korean hackers are sharing money-laundering and underground banking networks with fraudsters and drug traffickers in Southeast Asia, according to a United Nations report published on Monday, with casinos and crypto exchanges emerging as key venues for organised crime. The United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said without elaborating it had observed "several instances" of such sharing in the Mekong area - which includes Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia - by hackers including North Korea's Lazarus Group.

(With inputs from agencies.)