News 11/01/26

Iran has warned it will retaliate if attacked by the United States, as BBC sources and activists report hundreds of protesters have been killed during an escalating government crackdown.

One source in Tehran told the BBC conditions were extremely severe, describing live ammunition being used, streets covered in blood, and bodies removed by trucks. The BBC counted around one hundred and eighty body bags in footage near Tehran. The Human Rights Activist News Agency says it has verified four hundred and ninety five protester deaths and forty eight security personnel nationwide. It also reports more than ten thousand six hundred people have been detained during two weeks of unrest.

A cabinet minister says anyone associated with Jeffrey Epstein should apologise to his victims, after Lord Mandelson declined to do so.

The former US ambassador refused to apologise for his personal relationship with Epstein during a BBC interview. Asked whether an apology should have been made, Business Secretary Peter Kyle said he had seen some of the interview and repeated that those associated should say sorry to the victims.

A British skier has died after being caught in an avalanche in the French Alps.

The man, believed to be in his fifties, had been skiing off piste in La Plagne. The resort said rescue teams were alerted at one fifty seven on Sunday afternoon and attended the scene in south eastern France. Around fifty two people were involved in the response, including medics, ski instructors and a piste dog deployed by helicopter.

Actor Derek Martin, best known for playing Charlie Slater in EastEnders, has died aged ninety two.

He first appeared on the BBC soap in two thousand as the widowed father of four daughters. A regular cast member until twenty eleven, he featured in major storylines and later returned for guest appearances until his character died in twenty sixteen. His family said he supported them through highs and lows and would be missed terribly.

Tens of thousands of homes across south east England remain without water, with some supplies not expected back until Tuesday.

In Sussex, around sixteen thousand five hundred homes in East Grinstead have no or low pressure water, with similar problems in Eastbourne and Upper Dicker. In Kent, about four thousand five hundred homes are without water, while others face reduced pressure. South East Water has apologised and is delivering supplies to priority customers.

Three teenagers are believed to be among four people who died in a crash between a taxi and a car in Greater Manchester, in Bolton.

A red Seat Leon collided with a Citroen C4 Picasso on Wigan Road in Bolton during the early hours of Sunday, police said. The Seat driver and two passengers, thought to be men aged eighteen to nineteen, and the Citroen driver, believed to be in his fifties, died after the collision at around twelve forty five am. All were declared dead at the scene.

Four people have died and five others were injured after a crash involving two vehicles in Greater Manchester. Police say a red Seat Leon collided with a Citroen C4 Picasso on Wigan Road in Bolton during the early hours of Sunday.

The Seat driver and two passengers, along with the Citroen driver, were killed in the collision at about twelve forty five am. All four were pronounced dead at the scene.

Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has addressed nationwide protests for the first time at length during an interview on the economic situation with state linked national media.

He said terrorists linked to foreign powers were killing people, burning mosques and attacking public property. He accused Iran’s enemies of seeking chaos by ordering riots, but said the establishment was ready to listen to its people.

Former footballer Shay Given has apologised after describing sacked Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy’s time at the club as an Holocaust.

He made the remark on the BBC Final Score on Saturday while discussing Nancy’s spell, which lasted thirty three days following six defeats in eight games. Given said he apologised unreservedly.

The Conservatives say they would ban under sixteen from using social media platforms if in power, following Australia, the first country to introduce such a policy.

Party leader Kemi Badenoch said smartphones would also be banned in schools. Australia’s ban on under sixteens came into force a month ago. The Conservatives say the move would protect children and stop harmful online content.

Protesters in Iran defied a deadly government crackdown on Saturday night, returning to the streets despite reports that hundreds have been killed or wounded by security forces.

Verified videos and eyewitness accounts appeared to show authorities intensifying their response during an internet blackout. Attorney general Mohammad Movahedi Azad said anyone protesting would be considered an enemy of God, an offence carrying the death penalty.

Drivers in England can now see how local councils are tackling potholes after the Department for Transport introduced a new traffic rating system.

The scheme ranks 154 highway authorities as red, amber or green based on road conditions and how efficiently government road maintenance funding is spent. Cumberland in Cumbria, Bolton in Greater Manchester, Leicestershire, Suffolk, and Kensington and Chelsea in west London all scored red. The DfT said councils listed in red will receive dedicated support through a £300,000 programme to help them meet best practice standards.

Six people, including a child, have died following a mass shooting in Cedarbluff, Mississippi, near the Alabama border.

The incident took place on Friday night, west of the county seat of West Point. Authorities confirmed that twenty-four-year-old Daricka M Moore has been charged with first-degree murder. Officials added that the charge could be upgraded to capital murder and additional murder charges may follow.