News 21/01/26

US troops have moved 150 Islamic State prisoners from Syria to Iraq, part of plans that could see up to seven thousand detainees transferred across the border.

The Syrian government under President Ahmed al Sharaa has been seeking to reassert control over the country, clashing with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces who previously held the northeast. The withdrawal of SDF troops has raised concerns over the security of around a dozen prisons and detention camps, many holding IS prisoners.

A teenage girl with learning difficulties spent more than twenty five years as a “house slave” for a woman and her ten children, a court has heard.

From 1995 to 2021, she was confined in the home of fifty six year old Amanda Wixon in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire, enduring repeated beatings, including being struck with a broom handle that knocked out her teeth. She also had washing up liquid forced down her throat, bleach splashed on her face, and her head repeatedly shaved against her will.

Donald Trump says the United States will not impose tariffs linked to Greenland following what he called a very productive meeting with NATO secretary general Mark Rutte.

Writing on his Truth Social platform, the president said a framework had been formed for a future deal covering Greenland and the wider Arctic region. He added the proposed solution would be positive.

Peers have backed proposals to ban under sixteen year olds from using social media.

The amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill was proposed by Conservative Lord Nash with cross party support including Baroness Berger, Baroness Benjamin and Baroness Cass. It would require highly effective age checks within twelve months and guidance for parents on social media use children.

The body of a swimmer missing since Christmas Day has been found.

The man, believed to be forty seven, disappeared after going for a Christmas swim at Budleigh Salterton Beach in Exmouth. Police were called after the body was spotted on the shore on Tuesday morning. A second man from East Devon, in his sixties, remains missing for several weeks.

Donald Trump says the United States will not use force to take Greenland, despite claiming the American military would be unstoppable.

The US president said his country had never asked for anything or received anything. He added the United States would probably get nothing unless he chose excessive strength and force, but stressed he would not do that. He said this again.

Toby Carvery faces eviction from its north London site after the partial felling of an oak tree believed to be up to five hundred years old.

The remains were found last April in Whitewebbs Park in Enfield. Council workers discovered the remains. Residents said they were devastated, while the council is treating it as criminal damage and has begun eviction action against owners Mitchells and Butlers for serious lease breaches.

The BBC has announced a landmark deal with YouTube to create content designed for the video platform.

Previously it mainly used YouTube to promote clips and trailers. Under the agreement, new programmes will target a younger digital native audience and may also appear on iPlayer and Sounds, with advertising outside the UK generating extra income.

Dame Prue Leith is leaving The Great British Bake Off after almost ten years as a judge.

The eighty six year old joined in twenty seventeen alongside Paul Hollywood, replacing Dame Mary Berry. She said now felt the right time to step back and that there was much more she wanted to do. On the show. Channel Four has not yet named her replacement.

Inflation in the UK rose to 3.4% in December, up from 3.2% in November, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

The increase was slightly higher than economists expected, with many predicting a rise to 3.3%. Analysts say the rise reflects higher tobacco taxes and increased travel costs over the Christmas period. The figure moves further away from the government’s 2% target, adding pressure on policymakers.

Donald Trump will address European leaders in Switzerland today after again refusing to rule out using military force to take Greenland.

He replied, you’ll find out when asked how far he would go during a long White House news conference on Tuesday. The surprise briefing marking a year since he took office comes amid unprecedented tension between the United States and Europe driven by his desire to annex Greenland.

Attempts to cheat on driving tests in Britain have risen sharply sparking road safety concerns.

An investigation found two thousand eight hundred and forty four cases in the year to September twenty twenty five up from one thousand nine hundred and forty the previous year. Methods included wireless earphones linked to hidden phones and the use of impersonators.

Aviation safety campaigners in the United States say they have evidence a plane that crashed in India last year had suffered earlier technical failures including a fire.

The Boeing seven eight seven Dreamliner went down on twelfth June after taking off from Ahmedabad for London killing two hundred and sixty people. An interim report has fuelled controversy while the investigation continues.

A train driver has been killed and at least thirty seven people injured five seriously after a commuter train derailed near Barcelona.

Local officials say the Rodalies service hit a retaining wall which fell onto the track between Gelida and Sant Sadurni on Tuesday evening. Fire services confirmed all passengers were removed from the train.

Plans to reduce Slough council tax support for low income residents could mean the borough is no longer an outlier a meeting heard.

The support scheme helps residents pay council tax. Slough once covered full bills for unemployed households but since April last year discounts were reduced to eighty percent for unemployed residents and fifty percent for working residents.