Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 27 Dec 2018

1. Indonesia volcano: all flights rerouted

All flights around Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano have been rerouted, including some international jets travelling between the Middle East, Australia and Singapore. The alert level for the volcano has been raised to the second-highest possible after a series of eruptions, and the danger zone around the volcano has been widened from 2km to 5km.

2. Trump defends Syria pull-out during Iraq visit

US President Donald Trump yesterday used a surprise visit to US troops in Iraq to defend his controversial decision to pull out of Syria while Islamic State fighters retain control in several areas there. He said he had “no plans at all” to withdraw troops from Iraq and added: “We could use this as the base if we wanted to do something in Syria.”

3. Plastic bag charge to double to 10p

The government wants to double the 5p charge for a plastic bag in England, and extend it to all shops instead of just larger supermarkets. Environment Secretary Michael Gove hopes to bring in the new charge by January 2020. He is also asking schools to find ways to eliminate the amount of unnecessary plastic they use.

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4. UK cruise entertainer missing overboard

A British cruise ship entertainer, Arron Hough, is missing overboard from the Harmony of the Seas, a Royal Caribbean vessel, 267 miles off the coast of Puerto Rico. The 20-year-old has been missing since Christmas Day. The firm said Hough was last seen on CCTV entering a deck area and did not turn up for work the following day.

5. Frenchman crossing Atlantic in ‘barrel’

A 71-year-old French former paratrooper has set off from the Canary Islands inside a barrel-shaped capsule he can neither steer nor power, hoping to drift across the Atlantic. Jean-Jacques Savin believes ocean currents will take him to the Caribbean in three months or longer. His six-metre craft is stocked with a block of foie gras.

6. Father-daughter depression link found

Daughters of fathers who experienced post-natal depression are more likely to develop mental health problems in later life, research led by Cambridge academics has found. They have studied more than 3,000 families near Bristol since 1991. Sons were not found to be affected.

7. US markets rally after Christmas slump

Stock markets in the US have recovered from a pre-Christmas slump. After its worst-ever Christmas Eve performance on Monday, the Dow Jones index rose by its biggest-ever points gain on Wednesday, adding 1,080 points or 4.9%. But analysts warned that underlying concerns about the US government shutdown remain.

8. US man wins race across Antarctica

American athlete Colin O’Brady has become the first person to make an unassisted solo crossing of Antarctica, beating British Army Captain Louis Rudd. The two men met in a bar in Chile shortly before setting out on the same day, 3 November, and agreed to a formal competition. O’Brady completed his mission in 53 days.

9. Miley Cyrus marries Liam Hemsworth

US singer Miley Cyrus has married her long-term partner, the Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, in a ceremony on her property in Franklin, Tennessee. The couple, who lost their main home in the California wildfires in November, met a decade ago on the set of the film The Last Song. They were separated between 2013 and 2015.

10. Briefing: ten best films to watch in 2019

Next year is already shaping up to be an exciting one for film, with new projects from cinematic heavyweights such as Quentin Tarantino and Martin Scorsese.

It is also a big year for Disney, with not one but three new live-action adaptations and - for the first time in forever (well a long time) - Walt Disney Animation Studios is releasing a sequel for cinema rather than DVD.

Best films coming in 2019 from The Irishman to Frozen II