*) US rejects Russia demand on Ukraine, offers ‘diplomatic path’ out of crisis

The United States has rejected Russia's key demand to bar Ukraine from NATO, reiterating its belief that Moscow is ready to invade, but it set out a diplomatic path to address the crisis in eastern Europe.

“NATO's door is open, remains open, and that is our commitment," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, adding that allied military deployments in Eastern Europe are nonnegotiable.

There was no immediate response from Russia but Russian officials have warned that Moscow would quickly take “retaliatory measures” if the US and its allies reject its demands.

*) UN urges nations to release frozen assets, increase aid to Afghanistan

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged nations to urgently boost humanitarian aid for millions of Afghans living in “a frozen hell” and release nearly $9 billion in frozen assets.

“Time is of the essence,” and liquidity must be immediately restored to the Afghan economy to pull it back from the brink of collapse, the UN chief added.

He said that possible solutions are freeing up the country’s frozen currency reserves, re-engaging with its Central Bank and finding other ways to inject money, including allowing international funds.

*) North Korea fires two more missiles in latest testing blitz

North Korea has fired two suspected ballistic missiles, marking its sixth weapons test this month in one of the most intense spates of launches on record.

The short-range ballistic missiles were reportedly fired from the Hamhung city area towards the East Sea from around 2300 GMT, flying 190 kilometres at an altitude of 20km.

North Korea has not fired this many missiles in a month in decades, and some suggest this marks the most recorded missile launches by Pyongyang in a month.

The barrage could be part of North Korea's regular military training, or linked to ongoing celebrations of Kim's decade in power or upcoming domestic anniversaries.

*) Erdogan sees warming of Turkiye-Israel ties with Israeli President Herzog's visit

Israeli President Isaac Herzog will pay an official visit to Turkiye in February in a major step towards repairing fragile relations between both countries.

"The visit could pave the way for a new era in Israel-Turkiye relations," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said, adding that Ankara is ready to work with Tel Aviv in all fields, including natural gas.

Ties between Ankara and Tel Aviv had nosedived during ex-Israel prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's rule, who Erdogan called "unfriendly" towards Turkiye.

And finally …

*) Object found in the Milky Way surprises astronomers

Australian researchers have discovered a strange spinning object in the Milky Way that is unlike anything astronomers have ever seen.

The object, first spotted by a university student, releases a huge burst of radio energy three times each hour, pulsing every 18.18 minutes.

While there are other objects in the universe that switch on and off, 18.18 minutes is a frequency that has never been observed before.

Researchers are now working to understand what the object is. So far, they have been able to establish that the object is about 4,000 light-years from Earth, is incredibly bright and has an extremely strong magnetic field.