Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 22 Dec 2015

1. UK and US send military to Helmand

With much of the town of Sangin in Afghanistan reportedly overrun by the Taliban, the UK and US have deployed special forces to Helmand province. The MoD has insisted UK personnel will only be playing an "advisory" role, working with Afghan troops as part of a larger Nato force, and will not take an active part in combat.

Reinforcements arrive to relieve Taliban siege of Sangin

2. Millionth migrant of 2015 enters Europe

The number of migrants and refugees to enter Europe this year has passed 1 million, says the International Organization for Migration. Most crossed by sea, with more than 800,000 travelling from Turkey to Greece. Most are refugees from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. The 1 million mark was passed on Monday, it said, and represents a 400% per cent increase on last year.

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3. Iraq reclaims city of Ramadi from IS

Iraqi government forces have stormed the city of Ramadi, which is controlled by Islamic State, officials say. Regular troops and militiamen, backed with air support, were today said to be advancing on the centre of the city. Retaking Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province just 60 miles from Baghdad, would be a major coup in the battle against IS. It fell to the militants in May.

4. A&E admissions for alcohol rocket

Emergency hospital admissions related to alcohol are up 50 per cent in the past nine years, statistics for NHS England show. There are now one quarter of a million cases every year. The Nuffield Trust says there are more admissions in the North and in deprived areas. Young females are suffering the most from binge drinking.

Alcohol-related A&E admissions 'up 50%' in less than a decade

5. Schools to monitor pupils' internet use

Education secretary Nicky Morgan says schools in England will now have to monitor and filter pupils' web use to protect them from radicalisation. Morgan says some pupils have been able to access information about Islamic State (IS) at school. The reforms have been published for consultation amid fears about extremism.

New plans for schools to monitor pupils internet usage


6. Seb Coe faces IAAF crisis over leaked email

Lord Coe, the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) president, is facing a fresh crisis after an email sent by his right-hand man was leaked, revealing that Nick Davies knew about a number of Russian doping cases as early as 2013. The mail also suggests that Coe might use his PR firm to stop media "attacks".

London 2012 'corrupted on unprecedented scale' by doping

7. SpaceX lands rocket upright for first time

Private space travel firm SpaceX has successfully landed an un-manned rocket upright after a mission, the first time the feat has been achieved. The Falcon-9 rocket booster launched 11 communications satellites before touching down upright at Cape Canaveral. The achievement is said to be a milestone towards re-using rockets.

'Moon tourists' sign up for SpaceX flight

8. Rain brings more floods to Cumbria

Heavy rain has brought more flooding misery to Cumbria, where 14 flood alerts remain in place and the River Kent in Kendal is threatening to burst its banks. More than 5,000 properties have been damaged by flooding since Storm Desmond struck earlier this month. The Glendridding Hotel, near Ullswater, has reported being flooded for the third time this month.

9. Thousand of pagans celebrate Winter solstice

People are celebrating the shortest day of the year today, with hundreds of pagans travelling to Stonehenge in Wiltshire to watch the sun rise at 8.04am this morning. Sky News says that the number of pagans in England and Wales grew by more than 90% between 2001 and 2011. Sects include Wicca, Shamanism and Druidism.

What is the winter solstice?

10. Briefing: What is Britain's role in Yemen?

As the civil war in Yemen continues, Britain's role in the conflict is a source of growing concern. According to The Independent "British-supplied planes and British-made missiles have been part of near-daily air raids in Yemen carried out by a nine-country, Saudi Arabian-led coalition." The UK was the number one supplier of major weapons to the Saudi kingdom last year and scores of British-made fighter jets are currently being flown by the Saudi royal air force, making the UK’s involvement "irrefutable", the paper says.

What is Britain's role in Yemen?