Reuters World News Summary

The accounts from two eyewitnesses and another individual, obtained by Reuters on Tuesday and previously unreported, corroborated earlier social media posts that appear to show Djokovic in Belgrade less than two weeks before he headed to Spain and then on to Australia. Russian troops to quit Kazakhstan, says president, taking aim at the elite Russian-led forces will begin withdrawing from Kazakhstan in two days' time after stabilising the Central Asian nation following serious unrest, the president said on Tuesday, in a speech that took aim at wealthy associates of his predecessor.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Germany's SPD expects vote on general vaccine mandate in March

The ruling Social Democrats (SPD) expect a bill on making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory in Germany to be voted on by parliament in March, the party's leader in the legislature said on Tuesday. Parliament passed a law in December making coronavirus vaccinations compulsory for certain professions from mid-March onwards.

Djokovic travelled across Europe before Australia trip, at odds with declaration

Novak Djokovic was in Serbia in the two weeks before flying to the Australian Open from Spain, according to three Belgrade residents, whose accounts to Reuters backed social media posts that contradict information contained in his immigration declaration on arrival in Melbourne. The accounts from two eyewitnesses and another individual, obtained by Reuters on Tuesday and previously unreported, corroborated earlier social media posts that appear to show Djokovic in Belgrade less than two weeks before he headed to Spain and then on to Australia.

Russian troops to quit Kazakhstan, says president, taking aim at the elite

Russian-led forces will begin withdrawing from Kazakhstan in two days' time after stabilising the Central Asian nation following serious unrest, the president said on Tuesday, in a speech that took aim at wealthy associates of his predecessor. In a video call with parliament after putting down what he has called an attempted coup, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev appointed a new government headed by career public servant Alikhan Smailov.

Ukraine and U.S. remain united to deter Russian aggression, Kyiv says

Ukraine and the United States remain united in seeking to defuse a standoff with Moscow through diplomacy and are working closely to deter Russian aggression, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said after speaking to his U.S. counterpart. Kuleba spoke to Secretary of State Antony Blinken a day after the United States urged Russia at talks in Geneva to pull back an estimated 100,000 troops from near Ukraine's borders.

Pope makes surprise visit to Rome record store, gets classical CD

Pope Francis, a lover of classical music, slipped out of the Vatican on Tuesday evening to visit old friends who run a Rome record shop and came away with a gift of a CD. The visit was to have remained private but Javier Martinez-Brocal, a reporter for the Rome Reports television news agency, was in the area by chance, filmed it with his smart phone, and posted it on Twitter.

U.S. assisting 'few dozen' citizens and families to depart Afghanistan -State Dept

The United States is currently working with a few dozen U.S. citizens and their families in Afghanistan who have identified themselves as prepared to depart and have the necessary travel documents, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Tuesday.

U.S. calls for probe into banned Bosnian Serb commemoration

The United States on Tuesday urged Bosnia and Herzegovina authorities to investigate reports that banned ceremonies by the Serb Republic last weekend glorified war criminals and targeted returnees to towns from which non-Serbs were expelled. "We urge competent authorities to investigate these incidents without delay and to hold the responsible individuals accountable," a State Department spokesperson said in a statement.

France says still far from reviving 2015 Iran nuclear deal

Iran and world powers are still far from any agreement to revive their 2015 nuclear deal despite making some progress at the end of December, France's foreign minister said on Tuesday. Indirect talks between Iran and the United States on salvaging the 2015 Iran nuclear deal resumed on Jan. 3.

N.Korea's Kim calls for more 'military muscle' after watching hypersonic missile test

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un called for boosting the country's strategic military forces as he observed the test of a hypersonic missile https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-launches-possible-ballistic-missile-japan-says-2022-01-10, state media said on Wednesday, officially attending a missile launch for the first time in nearly two years. On Tuesday authorities in South Korea and Japan detected the suspected launch, which drew condemnation by authorities around the world and prompted an expression of concern from the U.N. secretary-general.

Russia holds tank drills near Ukraine, sounds downbeat on talks

Russia staged live-fire exercises with troops and tanks near the Ukrainian border on Tuesday while sounding a downbeat note over the prospects for talks with the United States that Washington hopes will remove the possible threat of an invasion of Ukraine. A day after the U.S. side urged Russia at talks in Geneva to pull back an estimated 100,000 troops from near the border, the defence ministry said about 3,000 servicemen had started combat training including mock battles in four regions of southwestern Russia.