World News Roundup: France's Macron and new PM Attal craft new government; Russia's Navalny jokes about 'naked party' in first video link from new prison and more

Navalny appeared by video link from the "Polar Wolf" colony to which he was transferred last month from a prison in Melekhovo, east of Moscow, in an arduous three-week journey by road and rail. China satellite launch causes pre-election political storm in Taiwan The launch of a Chinese satellite that flew over Taiwan, prompting an erroneous air raid alert, sparked a political storm on the island on Wednesday about China's motives only days out from presidential elections.

Following is a summary of current world news briefs.

Finnish, Chinese presidents discussed pipeline damage, Finland says

Finland's President Sauli Niinisto said on Wednesday he had held constructive talks with China's President Xi Jinping over the damage inflicted last year to the Balticconnector gas pipeline linking Finland and Estonia. Finnish police have named the Hong Kong-flagged NewNew Polar Bear container ship as the prime suspect in damaging the gas pipeline, saying last year it was too early to tell if this was an accident or a deliberate act.

France's Macron and new PM Attal craft new government

French President Emmanuel Macron and his new Prime Minister Gabriel Attal worked on Wednesday to pull together a cabinet, a day after Macron appointed the 34-year-old media-savvy loyalist to breathe new life into his second term. Attal has promised to be bold and fast to help the middle class weather the rising cost of living, signalling a desire by Macron to move beyond divisive reforms and improve his centrist party's chances in European Parliament elections in June.

Russia's Navalny jokes about 'naked party' in first video link from new prison

Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny cracked jokes on Wednesday in his first court appearance since being transferred to an Arctic penal colony, but a judge rejected his latest challenge against his treatment in prison. Navalny appeared by video link from the "Polar Wolf" colony to which he was transferred last month from a prison in Melekhovo, east of Moscow, in an arduous three-week journey by road and rail.

China satellite launch causes pre-election political storm in Taiwan

The launch of a Chinese satellite that flew over Taiwan, prompting an erroneous air raid alert, sparked a political storm on the island on Wednesday about China's motives only days out from presidential elections. Taiwan's presidential office said it did not consider the launch of a Chinese satellite whose rocket flew over southern Taiwan an attempt at interference ahead of the poll, but the main opposition party questioned why the alert was issued.

Morocco wins vote to lead UN human rights body after showdown with S.Africa

Morocco won a vote on Wednesday to lead the United Nations Human Rights Council after a heated showdown with South Africa, which said Rabat's human rights record made it unfit to preside over the body. The Moroccan candidate, Ambassador Omar Zniber, received 30 votes, and his South African opponent, Ambassador Mxolisi Nkosi, secured 17 in a secret ballot in Geneva.

Gunmen in Ecuador storm TV studio in wave of violence

Gunmen with explosives stormed a TV station on-air in Ecuador on Tuesday during a wave of violence around the nation that prompted President Daniel Noboa to name 22 gangs as terrorist organizations to be hunted by the military. Police eventually rescued the TV staff and arrested the 13 men who burst into TC's studio during a live broadcast with long-range guns, grenades and dynamites, according to witnesses in the coastal city of Guayaquil.

Exclusive-Iraq seeks quick exit of US forces but no deadline set, PM says

Iraq wants a quick and orderly negotiated exit of U.S-led military forces from its soil but has not set a deadline, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said, describing their presence as destabilising amid regional spillover from the Gaza war. Longstanding calls by mostly Shi'ite Muslim factions, many close to Iran, for the U.S-led coalition's departure have gained steam after a series of U.S. strikes on Iran-linked militant groups that are also part of Iraq's formal security forces.

Despair in Gaza as fighting intensifies despite promise to scale down war

Israeli strikes in southern and central Gaza intensified on Wednesday despite a pledge by Israel that it would pull out some troops and shift to a more targeted campaign, and pleading from its ally Washington to kill fewer civilians. Israel has said this week it is planning to begin drawing down troops, at least from the northern part of Gaza, after weeks of U.S. pressure to scale down its operations and shift to what Washington says should be a more targeted campaign.

Blinken meets Palestinian leader Abbas in occupied West Bank

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas in the Israeli-occupied West Bank on Wednesday, after pressing Israel's leaders to offer a pathway to a Palestinian state. Blinken crossed Israeli checkpoints to reach the de facto Palestinian capital Ramallah, according to pool reporters who travelled with the U.S. top diplomat.

Camera footage shows Israeli vehicles driving over Palestinian killed in army raid

Security camera footage recorded outside a house in the West Bank city of Tulkarm showed Israeli security forces vehicles repeatedly running over the body of a Palestinian man shot during a raid by Israeli forces. There was no immediate comment from Israel on the footage, which emerged after Israeli border police said on Monday its commandos had raided Tulkarm to arrest a wanted militant and had killed three Palestinian gunmen in a clash.

(With inputs from agencies.)