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This is the BBC News with Fiona McDonald.
The U.S. Department of Justice has released hundreds of thousands of files on the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The first trove includes photos, audio recordings, transcripts and videos. Some appear to show well-known personalities, though this does not signify wrongdoing. The Democrat Ro Khanna co-sponsored the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which forced the release. "It is disappointing that they haven't been able to release these documents on time in compliance with the law. While it's clear they're trying to meet the deadline, they should have been able to do more and if they couldn't do it they should have met with the survivors' lawyers or with the Oversight Committee to explain why not. What we need is a clear timeline of when the rest of the documents will be released." Marina Lacerda is an Epstein survivor who's decided to waive her anonymity. She was just 14 when she was first groomed and abused by Epstein in New York. "I think all the victims want to see these men brought to justice and it is time, we fear, to be in public and to name some of these very important individuals that we all know have been a part of this, you know, Jeffrey Epstein scheme. So we hope that it is transparent and we hope that everyone is brought to justice." The U.S. has carried out a series of strikes against the Islamic State group in Syria in retaliation for the killing of two American soldiers there last week. President Trump said he had promised to strike very strongly against ISIS strongholds. James Reid has this report. The U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the strikes on Islamic State targets in Syria were "not the beginning of a war but a declaration of vengeance." He said lots of America's enemies had been hunted down and killed. President Trump said the action was fully supported by the government of Syria, adding that the country had a bright future if ISIS could be eliminated. American forces have been in Syria for over a decade but troop numbers had been reduced to about a thousand following the fall of the Assad regime last year. The U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has denied Washington is trying to force Ukraine to accept a peace deal with Russia. He said there would be no deal unless Ukraine agreed to it. "Our job is not to force anything on anyone. It is to try to figure out if we can nudge both sides to a common place and, guys, you know, in a conflict like, in a and a war like this, that's not easy." A manual recount of around half a million ballots is underway in Honduras following November's disputed presidential election. Partial results gave victory to Nasry Asfura backed by U.S. President Donald Trump by a thin margin of around 43,000 votes. Both second-place Salvador Nasralla and the outgoing President Xiomara Castro alleged fraud. World news from the BBC. Civil defense officials in Gaza say five people have been killed in an Israeli strike on a shelter in the Tuffah neighborhood despite the current ceasefire. Reports say several others were injured including children. Israel's army said it was shooting at what it called suspects in the border area. The U.S. Treasury has announced new sanctions against five more family members of the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. Two people linked to a sanctioned Panamanian businessman with financial links to Mr. Maduro have also been targeted. Earlier President Trump refused to rule out the prospect of war with Venezuela and wouldn't see whether overthrowing President Maduro was his ultimate goal. It's emerged that a man posting anonymously on social media was key to U.S. police identifying the suspect in the killing of two students at Brown University on Saturday. As the investigation appeared to stagnate the tipster posted on Reddit that he had encountered the man in the latest police images on campus before the attack. Identifying the suspect's car was the crucial link. Claudio Nevesh of Valente was found dead on Thursday. One of Rome's baroque masterpieces the Trevi Fountain will introduce a two-euro fee from the start of February for tourists wishing to gain close access. The mayor of the Italian capital said so far this year more than nine million tourists had visited the area in front of the fountain. This report from Sarah Rainsford. The Trevi Fountain is one of Rome's must-see sights but actually seeing it has become harder in recent years as huge crowds cram into the tiny square to take their photos, throw a coin and make a wish. You need sharp elbows to get through. So now the mayor's announced that tourists would have to pay two euros to get close enough for that photograph. The money that's expected to be over six million euros a year will be used to restore other monuments in Rome. BBC News. |