that's according to us media reports. it comes as the iran—backed houthi movement continues to disrupt global trade in the red sea. on tuesday, houthis took credit for a missile strike on a greek ship sailing from vietnam to israel. as with other recent houthi attacks, it caused only minor damage. it follows a fresh american missile strike on houthi infrastructure in yemen on tuesday.the us says it destroyed four anti—ship missiles that houthis the bbc�*s state department correspondent tom bateman gave me his analysis on tuesday's developments. what we're seeing is very much tit—for—tat. we are another us strike on yemeni soil. this was taking out four missiles that us officials said that primed and ready to fire at shipping. that had followed yesterday a

yemeni attack on a us—owned container ship that struck the ship. nobody hurt, the ship carried on, but there was a fire on board. and after the us strike today in yemen, a greek—owned vessel also hit, now you have to put this into context of what we saw last week. the big joint attack by us and the uk into yemen. had that deterred the houthis? not completely, because they are still firing at ships. but i think what us officials are trying to say is that this is not at the level that it was of the kind of attacks happening before. so i think that they would present this as a sort of tactical success so far. but the biggest strategic question remains, because that is about the houthis trying to link this to the ongoing israeli military operation in the gaza strip. they say that needs to end. an end to the siege of gaza, or they'll keep firing. they're trying to isolate the us, which is saying what they're doing, what the us is doing is nothing to do with gaza, israel and

hamas. it'sjust to do with gaza, israel and hamas. it's just about trying to protect international shipping. the us also announced that it seized a batch of advanced iranian weapons last week that were being transported to houthis in yemen. the us says it captured components for ballistic and cruise missiles, and parts for air defence equipment. the disruption of houthis�* weapons supply puts iran's role in regional conflicts into focus. on monday, amid heightened tensions in the region, iran launched missiles into northern iraq and syria. then on tuesday, iranian missiles and drones hit pakistan — targeting a militant group. pakistan said the strikes killed two children. all the while, iran's support for houthis continues to threaten the safety of ships and their crews passing through the red sea. a short while ago i spoke to karim sadjadpour he's an expert on the region with the carnegie endowment for international peace. thank you so much forjoining us today on bbc news. we have seen a further strike from the

houthis in the red sea. this time on a greek vessel there. also, the us continuing its air strikes. now, washington says that it strikes. now, washington says thatitis strikes. now, washington says that it is trying to de—escalate tensions in the middle east right now. in light of what we're seeing, do you see the prospect of that happening any time soon? i don't think that there will be a de—escalation any time soon. certainly not as long as the conflict in gaza remains ongoing. we also have to remember that the islamic republic of iran thrives in instability. it wields influence in the region are essentially five failing states. gaza and the palestinian territories. syria, lebanon, iraq and yemen. so iran actually, i would argue, that they thrive in instability. they thrive when there are power vacuums because they're more affected than other actors at fitting the power vacuums. and they know that the united states doesn't want more conflict in the

region. they know that the united states is intent on de—escalating. and in a sense, that emboldens iran, because they don't want a war, but they know that the us first instinct is always to try to calm the temperature rather than escalate it.— temperature rather than escalate it. ., ., , escalate it. you say that they don't want — escalate it. you say that they don't want a _ escalate it. you say that they don't want a war, _ escalate it. you say that they don't want a war, but - escalate it. you say that they don't want a war, but is - escalate it. you say that they| don't want a war, but is there the prospect that this strategy could actually become more risky for them if we just take a look, for example, when we know that iran has also launched missiles into irbil in northern iraq, syria as well. is there a greater prospect of a regional war in light of this? ., ~ ., ., ., this? you know, iran now has 45 ears of this? you know, iran now has 45 years of experience _ this? you know, iran now has 45 years of experience and - this? you know, iran now has 45 years of experience and being i years of experience and being in a cold war with the united states and israel. and certainly, there is risk of miscalculation. but one grand take away over the last four decades that it had is if you hit the united states in the united states — for example, if you go and attack the twin

towers in new york, america will come after you. but it's also been iran's experience that if you go after the us outposts in the middle east, what that often times tends to do is it sours public opinion in the united states. and americans will ask — why are our soldiers even out there in places like iraq and in syria — we should bring them back home. so certainly, there is a risk of miscalculation, if iran ends up of miscalculation, if iran ends up killing many dozens of us soldiers in the region. but again, their case study in the last four decades is, if you hit america in the region, it tends to actually sour public opinion about retaining a presence in the middle east. i just wonder about your assessment of the diplomatic efforts from the biden administration. we know that president biden has sent what was referred to as a private message to iran. we don't necessarily know about the content of that. but do you think that message is being heard? �* . . .,

heard? again, the challenge in deafinu heard? again, the challenge in dealing with — heard? again, the challenge in dealing with the _ heard? again, the challenge in dealing with the islamic - dealing with the islamic republic of iran and actors like vladimir putin in russia is that when you make clear to them you have no interest in conflict and you're just trying to de—escalate, they often times can mistake that as a concession and mistake that they can afford to be bolder and more aggressive. because america is not looking for a fight. and so, i think if you're constantly signalling to tehran that you know, we don't want conflict, we want to lower the temperature, that inadvertently can embolden them. i inadvertently can embolden them. , ., ., ., . inadvertently can embolden them. , ., ., ., them. i 'ust want to touch on them. i just want to touch on the role of — them. i just want to touch on the role of the _ them. i just want to touch on the role of the houthis - them. i just want to touch on the role of the houthis in - them. i just want to touch on the role of the houthis in all| the role of the houthis in all of this. they have said that this is all about what is happening in gaza right now. do they also have their own aims here, though? own goals on the world stage?—

world stage? what the houthis and the islamic _ world stage? what the houthis and the islamic republic - world stage? what the houthis and the islamic republic of - and the islamic republic of iran and virtually all of iran's regional allies and proxies have in common is a total disregard for the wellbeing and security and prosperity of their own people. the people of yemen are living under awful circumstances economically, but also politically and socially. and rather than focus on the people of yemen, the houthis, like the islamic republic of iran and iran's regional allies, evoked the palestinian cause. but the health is — their actions actually haven't done anything for the wellbeing of palestinians, nor did anything for their own people. and i think one thing that is important to understand here — there's a difference between being anti—israel and being pro—palestine. the islamic republic of iran, the houthis and the so—called axis of

resistance are viscerally anti—israel, but done little to improve the wellbeing of the palestinians. mil improve the wellbeing of the palestinians.— improve the wellbeing of the palestinians. all right, senior fellow at the _ palestinians. all right, senior fellow at the carnegie - fellow at the carnegie endowment for international peace. thank you for your analysis. concerns about the attacks in the red sea dominated discussions on the first day of the world economic forum — the annual business and political gathering in davos, switzerland. some freight companies say continued disruption could mean significantly higher prices for consumers, while the oil company shell has reportedly paused shipments through the crucial waterway. our economics editor, faisal islam, has more from davos. here's what business leaders and world leaders want to talk about at the world economic forum. a bright new future. for the clouds that they believed had had cleared over the world economy may be back again. another ship attacks by a houthi missile. shell diverting its oil tankers. localfreight

its oil tankers. local freight authorities its oil tankers. localfreight authorities saying there would be pain for consumers. local chief executives said that they had no choice but to cope. find had no choice but to cope. and our strategy — had no choice but to cope. and our strategy is _ had no choice but to cope. fific our strategy is about building resilient supply chains so that we're better prepared to handle some of the turbulence that we think is, at least, currently consistently seeing year after year. just when we think that things are calming down, it's not entirely calm. can things are calming down, it's not entirely calm.— not entirely calm. can the world economy _ not entirely calm. can the world economy lift - not entirely calm. can the world economy lift itself l world economy lift itself beyond the shadow of the geopolitical crises that don't seem to be going away. it’s geopolitical crises that don't seem to be going away. it's sad to say but _ seem to be going away. it's sad to say but i _ seem to be going away. it's sad to say but i think _ seem to be going away. it's sad to say but i think that _ seem to be going away. it's sad to say but i think that the - to say but i think that the world _ to say but i think that the world is_ to say but i think that the world is getting used to crisis and we've had a number of body blows _ and we've had a number of body blows and — and we've had a number of body blows and the economy has persevered through all of this. these — persevered through all of this. these things are extending the cost of— these things are extending the cost of living challenge that we've — cost of living challenge that we've got. cost of living challenge that we've got-— we've got. there may be discreet _ we've got. there may be discreet diplomacy - we've got. there may be discreet diplomacy going we've got. there may be i discreet diplomacy going on here. the us secretary of state meeting the united nations. but arab leaders, such as the qatari prime minister, said the best way to stop the red sea crisis was a ceasefire in gaza. we are highly concerned about further escalation. of course, now, we see that there are some

retaliations from us and uk on the houthis. trying to refrain them from disrupting the international trade. but yet, this is also, it will create a higher risk of further escalation.— higher risk of further escalation. , , escalation. the belief here is that there — escalation. the belief here is that there hasn't _ escalation. the belief here is that there hasn't yet - escalation. the belief here is that there hasn't yet been i escalation. the belief here is that there hasn't yet been a l that there hasn't yet been a leap in oil or gas prices, but everyone here can see a path to that outcome. the foreign ministers of the us, the uk and iran will be here tomorrow. ukraine's president zelensky met globalfinanciers ukraine's president zelensky met global financiers here today. multiple shadows over the world economy are yet to be resolved. the houthi movement says its attacks are aimed at halting western support for israel's war in gaza. as the humanitarian crisis on the ground grows and critical supplies run short, the qatari foreign minister has now confirmed that a consignment of aid will leave doha on wednesday bound for gaza. it's all part of a deal agreed by

the two sides and the medicine will be given to hostages being held by hamas, and in return, israel will allow more deliveries of urgently needed humanitarian aid. meanwhile, the us says that it is hopeful that further talks could lead to the release of more hostages. israeli officials believe more than 130 hostages are still in captivity in gaza. around the world and across the uk. this is bbc news. let's look at some other stories making news. the british prime minister is facing an increasing rebellion from lawmakers within his own party over his controversial proposal to send some asylum seekers to rwanda. two senior members of the conservative party and a ministerial aide have resigned after defying the government over proposed changes to the immigration bill. theyjoined a group of rebel mps in voting for amendments in the commons. venice is lauching its day passes for tourists today via online booking. officials are hoping to limit excessive visitor numbers to the famed italian city on peak days. there are 29 days from late

april to mid—july where the day pass costing 5 euros is required for entrance. venice draws millions of visitors each year. the world health organisation says the global use of tobacco is declining but warns that it will take another thirty years to feel the impact. meanwhile, it says, eight million people a year will die from their habit. about 150 countries are successfully reducing tobacco use. who reports the number of smokers fell from a third you're live with bbc news. here in the us, the next stop in the republican race for president is new hampshire. on monday, former president donald trump defeated his rivals in the iowa caucuses by a historic margin. our north america editor sarah smith reports from des moines on the latest victory for the former president — and the challenges that still lay ahead in the 2024 presidential campaign. the motorcade is rolling once more,

as the trump show never stops. moving from triumph in iowa to a trial in new york. where a court will decide how much donald trump must pay in damages for defamation to a writer, ejean carroll, who he sexually assaulted decades ago. # god bless the usa...# last night he looked like the cat that got the cream or maybe the king regaining his crown. donald trump was practically inhaling the adoration. # proud to be an american, where at least i know i'm free. ..# knowing he'd won support beyond his usual base, including women, college graduates and younger voters. # god bless the usa!# he's already talking about being back in the white house. so we are going to come together. we're going to drill, baby, drill, right away. drill, baby, drill. we're going to seal up the border. you can tell donald trump

is impatient to get this nomination wrapped up so he can take the fight tojoe biden. he's not the republican presidential candidate yet, but he might be soon. and he's behaving as though he has already won his party's nomination. i think people want peace and prosperity and strength back, and that's what we had under donald trump. we had strength, and we no longer strength underjoe biden, who is arguably the most incompetent president in the history of our nation. gop candidates are turning to new hampshire... ..where trump's rivals hope they have a very slightly better chance of beating him. we came out with a strong showing. that's what we wanted in iowa. now we're in new hampshire. you can look at the polls in new hampshire. we are a stone's throw away from donald trump. ron desantis came a second behind trump in iowa. that is a bad look after sinking time, money and most of his hopes into this state. he says he will fight on, for now.

we have a lot of work to do, but i can tell you this. as the next president of the united states, i am going to get thejob done for this country. the scale of his victory left donald trump feeling unusually magnanimous toward his rivals. i want to thank you very much, congratulate ron and nikki for having a good time together, we are all having a good time together. i think they both actually did very well, i really do. we don't even know what the outcome of second place is. but do remember, he is not the outright victor yet. this mood will definitely not last. joining us live from des moines is our north america correspondent gary o'donoghue. garry, good to see you there still kindly braving the cold for us. so, of

still kindly braving the cold for us. so, of course, still kindly braving the cold for us. so, of course, it still kindly braving the cold for us. so, of course, it is now the day after or the evening after the night before when we saw that decisive victory for donald trump, but iowa is iowa, it's not always the best pro dictor on who goes on to be the nominee but what does all of this tell us about that race for the presidential nomination?— that race for the presidential nomination? . ., , nomination? that magna nimty ou saw nomination? that magna nimty you saw talking _ nomination? that magna nimty you saw talking about - nomination? that magna nimty you saw talking about in - nomination? that magna nimty| you saw talking about in donald trump's speech last night didn't last very long. at the same time his campaign was sending out emails elvis rating the other —— elvis rating the other two candidates, calling nikki haley who somebody who loves china, attack social security, so peace lasted for about zero minutes. new hampshire is going to be a different case all together. nikki haley believes she has great hopes there. she's still 14 great hopes there. she's still 1a points behind on average than donald trump new hampshire

but a lot of independent voter there is who get the chance to take part in their primary and they tend to be more mod rapt and tend to go for her. so she thinks it's a two—horse race now. hence, why she's dropped out effectively of the presidential debate because she says if the other person i'm running against donald trump isn't there then i'm in the going to be there either. the debates are off. the going to be there either. the debates are off.— debates are off. the debates are off for — debates are off. the debates are off for the _ debates are off. the debates are off for the candidates i debates are off. the debates i are off for the candidates when they get there, those three out in front, what is the game plan on the ground there, you know, with just a week to go to new hampshire. with just a week to go to new hampshire-— hampshire. well, look, new hampshire _ hampshire. well, look, new hampshire is— hampshire. well, look, new hampshire is different, i hampshire. well, look, new hampshire is different, but l hampshire. well, look, newl hampshire is different, but in some way it is politics the way you do the politics is the same, it's retail, shaking hands, knocking on doors, small meetings, chris—crossing the state, doing as much local media as you can, meeting as many people. it's the same kind of idea, very different electorate, sure. but this is another place where, of course, you're getting into the

primaries rather than caucuses. new hampshire sees itself, you know, as the place that corrects what happens in iowa going forward. but, you know, at the moment, nikki haley still got a big mountain to climb. of course the real problem on the horizon, a month down the line, is south carolina, her own state, her home state, two—term governor there, populartwo—term there, popular two—term governor, still 30 there, populartwo—term governor, still 30 points on average adrift of donald trump there. shill average adrift of donald trump there. �* , ., there. all right. our very own gary o'donohue _ there. all right. our very own gary o'donohue there. i there. all right. our very own gary o'donohue there. gary, | gary o'donohue there. gary, thank you so much and get inside. get warm. thank you. the collapse of the islamic state group in syria left thousands of women and children from several countries stranded in detention camps across the north of the country. many want to return to their home countries but some governments, including the us and the uk, are reluctant. kyrgyzstan is one of the exceptions. in the last year, the mountainous central asian country has repatriated at least 110 mothers and 229 children.

the united nations says many of the women were often tricked or lured into going to syria. the bbc�*s daniel wittenberg travelled to a reception centre to hear from some of the women who made it home and claim they never wanted to go in the first place. in the mountains of northern kyrgyzstan, a haven for wives and children of suspected is recruits. it could not look more different than the dry, dusty and overcrowded camps in northern syria where they spent the best part of laugh a day—by—day bound by foreign borders and foreign values. before they're borders and foreign values. before they�* re allowed borders and foreign values. before they're allowed back home, compulsory lessons in how to live again in kyrgyzstan from three logans practice religious tolerance, groups of around 60 women and their young families are held at this rehabilitation centre for six weeks, here they eat, sleep and study and receive support for

their psychological scars. fatma, the eldest of the arrivals at 57, followed her husband to turkey in 2013 and says the roar of fighterjets overhead was the first she heard of their final destination heard of theirfinal destination her husband and two aduu destination her husband and two adult sons died not long after they arrived in is territory, but she'll soon be reunited with the rest of her family who have already been brought back. translation: while i'm already a pensioner, but i'm glad my grandchildren can have an education. i want them to study science, to understand the world better. they have seen so little. ., world better. they have seen so little. . . , little. life at the centre is tightly-controlled. - little. life at the centre is tightly-controlled. it i little. life at the centre is tightly-controlled. it lies| tightly—controlled. it lies within two rings of military security and mobile phones are banned. we, like the residents, are under the watchful eye of kyrgyzstan security services. if rehabilitation is hard, for some families reintegration is even tougher. almira says she

was tricked to travel to syria four days after her 18th birthday by a man she met online. now 27 and a mother she faces a new difficulty — feeling accepted in the community. translation: it isn't pleasant. a lot of us don't understand why they're afraid of us. we are afraid of them. people think we have come back here with machine—guns and suicide belts. it's not like that. we are people just like they are. we also have families and we also want to live peaceful and happy lives. also want to live peaceful and happy lives-— also want to live peaceful and happy lives. kyrgyzstan is now a world leader _ happy lives. kyrgyzstan is now a world leader in _ happy lives. kyrgyzstan is now a world leader in terms i happy lives. kyrgyzstan is now a world leader in terms of is l a world leader in terms of is repatriations. the government hopes this policy will show it is a tolerant country which looks after its most vulnerable citizens. ~' ., , ., , citizens. our kind of islam is not radical. _ citizens. our kind of islam is not radical. we _ citizens. our kind of islam is not radical. we are - citizens. our kind of islam is not radical. we are a - citizens. our kind of islam is not radical. we are a small. not radical. we are a small nation that needs to take care of each other even of those who commit mistakes.— commit mistakes. back in the land they _

commit mistakes. back in the land they longed _ commit mistakes. back in the land they longed for, - commit mistakes. back in the land they longed for, the i land they longed for, the returning women and they were children are shouldering the burden of their misjudgements, but unlike nearly 50,000 people from around the world still trapped in syrian camps, they have a second chance in life. erosion is carving dramatic features into the world's biggest iceberg in what's likely to be the final months of its existence. the iceberg is being ground down by the warmer air and water it's encountering as it drifts slowly away from the antarctic. but it's not seen as a consequence of climate change — and as it melts, it will have benefits, as jonathan amos reports. after three decades confined to the freezer in antarctica, a23a is on the move, travelling north into warmer waters. the berg is now melting — and fast. an expedition this week saw waves gouging huge caves and arches in its walls. only a23a's enormous scale is keeping it in existence. satellite images

show the frozen block to have a width of 65 kilometres, or a0 miles. that's like the distance from manchester to sheffield. a23a has an area of 3900 square kilometres — that's more than twice the size of greater london. and its average thickness is about 280 metres, nearly as tall as the eiffel tower. and it weighs close to a trillion tonnes. but these dimensions are shrinking all the time. now that it's moved off from its relatively cooler position in the southern area of the weddell sea, it's being exposed to much warmer water temperatures, much stronger currents and much warmer air temperatures as well. so all of these forces will combine to attack the integrity of that iceberg, and it will eventually begin to carve off, and break up into smaller pieces. the production and melting of these big icebergs is part of a natural cycle, not an obvious consequence of climate change. and, as this one melts,

there are upsides. it'll be dropping mineral dust in the ocean. this is a fertiliser, stimulating the growth of the very smallest organisms, like plankton, all the way up to the biggest creatures on the planet, the blue whales. a23a may eventually wither to nothing, but its legacy will be long felt. jonathan amos, bbc news. before we go, i'm afraid to say the world's oldest dog has been temporarily stripped of his recognition after doubts emerged about his lifespan. bobby lived to be more than 31 years' old, the equivalent of 200 human years. there has been scrutiny, though, over the colour of bobby's paws which look white in the late 1990s, brown in later years. bobby's owner i think might be in the doghouse depending on how this investigation turns out. i think no matter what happens, though, bobby still very much a good boy. you're watching bbc

news. thanks for your company. i'll see you soon. hello there. tuesday brought some fresh snowfall to parts of northern ireland and northern england, although here the snow did tend to turn back to rain through the day, but nevertheless it left a thick covering here in grasmere in cumbria. further northwards, though, in scotland it was here that the snow stayed as snow, particularly across the northern half of the country. a snowy pitlochry here. we have had some very large accumulations of snow, then building in. really the result of a few days worth of snowfall. lerwick — 18 centimetres of thick snow there on the ground and there is morejust around the corner because these shower clouds you can see here. very heavy snow showers heading into northern scotland. this cloud further southwards, well that's storm irene. its be named by the french forecasters at meteo—france. it will be bringing some disruptive snowfall here,

some freezing rain mixed in as well. and in parts of belgium, germany, we could see 20 or 30 centimetres of snow. now, the precipitation from that just about stays offshore. you'll get very close and there will be a veil of cloud working into southern most counties of england over the next few hours. at the same time, there will be some showers around working southwards across england and wales, mostly rain, maybe one or two flurries. but that will leave a legacy of icy conditions pretty much nationwide as we start the day on wednesday. now, wednesday, there will be further snow showers in northern ireland, so a few more centimeters here, but the heaviest snow will once again be affecting northern scotland. another 5 to 10 centimetres expected on top of what's already fallen. so, yes, there will be some further disruption here. more heavy snow to come as well for northern scotland through thursday. a few more centimeters possible for northern ireland. thursday, a lot of dry and sunny weather elsewhere. but again, there could be some wintry showers working down the north sea coast affect parts of eastern england and late in the day, as the winds start to turn to a north—westerly direction, you might see some wintry showers turn up across north wales,

cheshire, merseyside and the north—west midlands. by friday, although for the majority of the uk it continues to be cold and sunny, the showers that will be affecting scotland could be really prolonged, but the air is turning very slightly less cold and so the snow should tend to become confined to the hills. that process of the weather rurning milder, then continues into the weekend, with south—westerly winds blowing much milder weather conditions across the country. however, there will be some very strong winds, maybe even disruptive winds around on sunday into the early part of next week. and spells of heavy rain, well, that could see areas of flooding return.

china's economy grew by 5.2% in 2023 according to the premier, beating its target rate. reports of high youth unemployment and a shrinking population. and more and more workers are searching for new career paths. we take a look at the trends across the asia—pacific. hello, and welcome to asia business report. we begin in china where officials are expected

new economic data. the world's second largest economy grew by around 5.2% in 2023. signs of recovery after those strict covid lockdowns. the apac chief economist says that that is above initial and says china's leaders have been quick to point out that they haven't needed massive stimulus to achieve this growth. li stimulus to achieve this urowth. ., stimulus to achieve this urowth. . ., , growth. li keqiang made it very clear that 5.2% _ growth. li keqiang made it very clear that 5.2% growth - growth. li keqiang made it very clear that 5.2% growth was i clear that 5.2% growth was basically not by stimulus. so it was, as he said, china's good immune system. it is very clear that to reach anything similar which the government is going to announce in march, they will need some stimulus. and we're already seeing additional bond issuance for local governments and expectations of a cut in the reserve requirement ratio. some

stimulus will come, but it will be limited.