World News Roundup: Johnson rejects Sturgeon's request; EU warns Britain

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Ex-pope Benedict wants name removed from the controversial book: aide

Former Pope Benedict wants his name removed as co-author of a controversial book on the issue of priestly celibacy, his personal secretary said on Tuesday. Archbishop Georg Ganswein told Reuters that, at the former pope's behest, he had asked the principal author of the book, Cardinal Robert Sarah, to contact the publishers and make the necessary changes.

Yamaha warns musicians not to climb in instrument cases after Ghosn escape

Yamaha Corporation has warned people not to try and squeeze inside musical instrument cases after reports of former Nissan Motor boss Carlos Ghosn fled Japan concealed inside in one. "We won't mention the reason, but there have been many tweets about climbing inside large musical instrument cases. A warning after any unfortunate accident would be too late, so we ask everyone not to try it," the Japanese company said in a post on its Twitter account on Jan. 11.

UK PM Johnson rejects Sturgeon's request for independence referendum powers

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson wrote to Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Tuesday refusing her request to be given the powers to hold another Scottish independence referendum. As things stand, a referendum cannot take place without the consent of the UK government. Sturgeon wrote to Johnson in December asking him to enter negotiations on transferring the power to hold a referendum from London to Edinburgh.

Australia 'open for business' as cool change eases bushfire threat

Australia urged foreign tourists on Tuesday to put aside concerns about raging bushfires after the United States downgraded a travel warning, even as thick smoke disrupted preparations for the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. Australia is experiencing one of its worst bushfire seasons on record, with fires burning since September and claiming the lives of 28 people, destroying more than 2,500 homes and razing forests and farmland the size of Bulgaria.

Russian hackers targeted Ukrainian company at the center of impeachment storm: cybersecurity firm

Russian military hackers tried to steal emails from the Ukrainian energy firm where Hunter Biden, the son of Democratic presidential contender Joe Biden, had a seat on the board, a U.S. cybersecurity firm said on Monday. Energy company Burisma Holdings Ltd was at the center of attempts by U.S. President Donald Trump last July to pressure Ukrainian authorities to announce an investigation into the Bidens for purported corruption, an effort that has led to the Republican being impeached by the U.S. House of Representatives on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.

EU warns Britain against 'veiled discrimination' after Brexit

The European Union's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier warned London on Tuesday not to discriminate against EU citizens seeking permanent residency in Britain, calling on the UK government to set up an independent monitoring authority. "We must now work towards proper implementation of these rights and we won't be accepting any half measures or any form of disguised or veiled discrimination," Barnier told the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Europeans trigger dispute mechanism in Iran nuclear deal

France, Britain, and Germany formally triggered the dispute mechanism in Iran's nuclear deal with world powers on Tuesday, the strongest step they have taken so far to enforce an agreement that requires Iran to curb its nuclear program. The European powers said they had taken the step to avoid a crisis over nuclear proliferation being added to an escalating confrontation in the Middle East.

Turkey says ready to act against Libyan commander Haftar if attacks continue

Turkey will not refrain from "teaching a lesson" to Khalifa Haftar if his eastern Libyan forces continue attacks against the internationally recognized government in Tripoli, President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday. Turkey and Russia failed to convince Haftar on Monday to sign a binding truce to halt his nine-month campaign to try to conquer the Libyan capital from forces aligned with the internationally recognized government.

At least 67 killed by avalanches in Pakistan, India: government officials

At least 57 people were killed and others were missing after avalanches in Pakistan-controlled Kashmir over the last 24 hours, senior government officials said on Tuesday. In neighboring India, at least 10 people were killed after several avalanches hit the northern-part of Indian-administered Kashmir.

Iran makes arrests over plane disaster as protests rage on

Iran said on Tuesday it had arrested people accused of a role in shooting down a Ukrainian airliner and had also detained 30 people involved in protests that have swept the nation since the military belatedly admitted its error. Wednesday's shooting down of Ukraine International Airlines flight 752, killing all 176 people aboard, has led to one of the biggest public challenges to Iran's clerical rulers since they took power in the 1979 Islamic revolution.