BBC News (World)

Roberto Saviano fined for insulting Italian PM Giorgia Meloni A prominent Italian journalist has been found guilty of libel after insulting Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in a television interview. Roberto Saviano used a swear word to describe Ms Meloni while attacking her stance on migration in December 2020. He has been handed a suspended fine of 1,000 euros (£864). Though he will only have to pay it if he repeats the offence,campaignerssaid the verdict sent a "chilling message" about press freedom. Speaking to reporters outside the court, Mr Saviano said Ms Meloni's government had sought to "intimidate" him for calling out "lies" about migrants, news agency AFP reported. read more

Why Republican Steve Scalise is not House Speaker yet Republicans have picked Steve Scalise as their choice to be the new Speaker of the House of Representatives after a secret vote. He beat the other candidate, Jim Jordan, 113 votes to 99, in a closed-door meeting at the US Capitol. The Speaker is one of the most important posts in the US government, running the lower chamber of Congress. There will now be a vote of the full House where a simple majority of votes, 217, is required to win the job. The House was adjourned on Wednesday evening as Mr Scalise scrambled to find enough votes in his party. read more

Kenyan publisher recalls book after uproar over Prophet Muhammad image A Kenyan publisher has withdrawn a school book that included a drawing depicting Prophet Muhammad following an outcry by Muslim leaders and parents. They complained that it was blasphemous to draw the prophet and to ask pupils to colour in the illustration. Mentor Publishing Company said it regretted the "grave" mistake in the book on Islamic studies for pupils in the second year of primary school. About 11% of Kenyans are Muslims, the second largest religious group. read more

Afghanistan hit by second earthquake in days A second large earthquake has hit Afghanistan just days after a 6.3 magnitude quake in the same region killed more than 1,000 people. The latest quake, of the same magnitude, struck at around 05:10 local time (00:40 GMT) on Wednesday. The epicentre is 28km (17 miles) north of the city of Herat. The impact of the new quake is not yet clear, but many are already sleeping in the open after their homes were destroyed on Saturday. There is also a shortage of blankets, food and other supplies. Saturday morning's earthquake hit Zindajan, a rural district some 40km (25 miles) from Herat city. read more

Finland investigates suspected sabotage of Baltic-connector gas pipeline Finland says damage to an underwater natural gas pipeline with Estonia on Sunday may have been deliberate and was probably caused by "external activity". The Baltic-connector pipeline was shut down after a sudden drop in pressure. A telecoms cable was also damaged. Finland's prime minister said on Tuesday that the source of the leak had been found and was being investigated by both countries. Petteri Orpo added that the cause was not yet clear. read more

Israeli soldier and militants killed in confrontation on Lebanon frontier A senior Israeli officer was killed in a confrontation with militants on the frontier with Lebanon on Monday, Israel's military has confirmed. The military said troops and aircraft killed two "terrorist infiltrators" who had crossed into Israeli territory. Palestinian Islamic Jihad claimed that they were its members. Later, at least three militants from Lebanon's Hezbollah movement were killed as the military attacked sites in Lebanon in response to mortar fire. It was the second day in a row that attacks have been launched from Lebanon, and it coincided with a war between Israel with Palestinian militants in Gaza. read more

Did Iran support plan for attack on Israel? Questions about the involvement of Israel's arch-enemy Iran are already being asked in the wake of the deadly assault by Hamas on Israeli communities around the Gaza Strip. A report in the Wall Street Journal quotes unnamed members of Hamas and the Lebanese guerrilla movement Hizbollah as saying that Iran gave the go-ahead for the attack a week ago. But a senior defence official in Washington later said that the US had "no information at this time" to corroborate specific allegations of an Iranian role in the attacks. Regardless, the stakes on the truth of this are high. If it emerged that Iran was behind the attacks, it could widen the conflict into a regional confrontation. read more

Gaza 'soon without fuel, medicine and food' The Gaza Strip could be on the brink of a new humanitarian crisis if supplies are not allowed in, authorities say, as Israel responds to the Hamas attacks. Residents say aid has not reached the enclave since Saturday, and on Monday Israel declared a "complete siege" on the territory - saying electricity, food, fuel and water would be cut off. Gaza is home to about 2.3 million people, 80% of whom rely on aid. More than 500 people have died there in Israel's retaliatory strikes. read more

Oil prices rise on fear of Middle East supply disruptions Oil prices jumped by 4% on Monday on concerns that the situation in Israel and Gaza could disrupt output from the Middle East. West Texas Intermediate (WTI), the benchmark for US oil, rose to more than $86 (£70) a barrel. The price of Brent crude also surged in early Asian trading. The Israel and Palestinian territories are not oil producers. But the Middle Eastern region accounts for almost a third of global supply. A wave of attacks launched by the Hamas militant group on Saturday was the biggest escalation between the two sides for decades. Western nations condemned the attacks but a spokesperson for Hamas told the BBC that the group had direct backing for the attack from Iran. read more

Israeli forces fight to drive out Hamas militants as death toll passes 600 Israeli security forces are carrying out operations to rescue hostages taken by Palestinian militants from Gaza and clear areas they seized on Saturday. The military said troops had secured 22 locations by Sunday morning but were still sweeping through another eight. The surprise attack by hundreds of gunmen from Hamas, under the cover of intense rocket fire, has reportedly killed at least 600 people in Israel. More than 370 people in Gaza have been killed in retaliatory Israeli strikes. read more

What is Hamas, what is happening in Israel, and other questions The Palestinian militant group Hamas has launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, with its fighters entering communities near the Gaza Strip, killing residents and taking hostages. Hamas is a Palestinian Islamist militant group which rules the Gaza Strip. Hamas is sworn to Israel's destruction and has fought several wars with Israel since it took power in Gaza in 2007. In between those wars, it has fired or allowed other groups to fire thousands of rockets at Israel, and carried out other deadly attacks. Israel has also repeatedly attacked Hamas with air strikes, and, together with Egypt, has blockaded the Gaza Strip since 2007 in what it says is for its security. read more

Israel faces 'long, difficult war' after Hamas attack from Gaza Israel's military has warned that Hamas militants from Gaza are still fighting inside Israel after they infiltrated southern communities and left a reported 250 people dead. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has told Israelis they are going into a "long and difficult war". Hundreds of gunmen burst into southern Israel, killing soldiers and civilians, and taking into Gaza what the army said was a "significant number" of hostages. Israel has responded with air strikes. read more

World breaches key 1.5C warming mark for record number of days The world is breaching a key warming threshold at a rate that has scientists concerned, a BBC analysis has found. On about a third of days in 2023, the average global temperature was at least 1.5C higher than pre-industrial levels. Staying below that marker long-term is widely considered crucial to avoid the most damaging impacts of climate change. But 2023 is "on track" to be the hottest year on record, and 2024 could be hotter. read more

Biden faces bipartisan attacks over new border wall President Joe Biden is coming under fire from both sides of the political spectrum after his administration announced new border wall construction in Texas. Mr Biden has claimed he "can't stop" construction because funding for it was appropriated in 2019. The Department of Homeland Security, however, has said there is an "acute" need for the barriers. Over 2.2 million migrants have been detained this fiscal year alone. The growing number of migrants in US cities such as New York have increasingly become a challenge for Mr Biden, who has faced intense criticism over his handling of the border. read more

Biden approves new section of border wall as Mexico crossings rise US President Joe Biden's administration is to build a section of border wall in southern Texas in an effort to stop rising levels of immigration. Around 20 miles (32km) will be built in Starr County along its border with Mexico, where officials report high numbers of crossings. Building a border wall was a signature policy of Donald Trump as president and fiercely opposed by Democrats. In 2020, Mr Biden promised he would not build another foot of wall if elected. read more

Ukraine war: US gives 1.1 million rounds of ammunition seized from Iran to Kyiv The US has sent roughly 1.1 million bullets seized from Iran last year to Ukraine, its military has said. The US Central Command (Centcom), which oversees operations in the Middle East, says the rounds were confiscated from a ship bound for Yemen in December. Ukraine's Western allies recently warned that their production lines were struggling to keep up with the rate at which Ukraine was using ammunition. Centcom says the Iranian rounds were transferred to Ukraine on Monday. read more

Venice bus crash: Victims still unidentified almost 24 hours on Italian authorities are still trying to identify all of the 21 victims of Tuesday's deadly bus crash in Venice. The electric bus crashed through a bridge barrier, and plunged almost 15m (50ft) in the mainland borough of Mestre, before bursting into flames. DNA samples are being used to confirm the identities of those who were not carrying personal documents, prosecutor Bruno Cherchi said. Three children including a baby were among the dead, according to officials. read more

Speaker Kevin McCarthy: US House of Representatives votes to oust Republican leader Kevin McCarthy has been toppled in a right-wing revolt - the first time ever that a US House of Representatives Speaker has lost a no-confidence vote. The final tally was 216-210 to remove the California congressman as leader of the Republican majority in the lower chamber of Congress. Ultra-conservatives mutinied after he struck a deal on Saturday with Senate Democrats to fund government agencies. There is no obvious successor to oversee the House Republican majority. read more

Republican Matt Gaetz files historic bid to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy US House of Representatives Speaker Kevin McCarthy is fighting for his political life after a right-wing rebel filed a rarely used motion to oust him. Responding to Matt Gaetz's move, Mr McCarthy posted on social media: "Bring it on." Mr Gaetz retorted: "Just did." Tensions between the two Republicans boiled over at the weekend after the Speaker passed a bill with the help of Democrats to fund government agencies. read more

Nobel Prize goes to scientists behind mRNA Covid vaccines The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to a pair of scientists who developed the technology that led to the mRNA Covid vaccines. Professors Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman will share the prize. The technology was experimental before the pandemic, but has now been given to millions of people around the world to protect them against serious Covid-19. The same mRNA technology is now being researched for other diseases, including cancer. read more