BBC News Briefing

21 January, 2026

Alex has short blonde hair and blue eyes. She is smiling and wearing a black turtleneck

Alex Binley

Hello. US President Donald Trump's plans for Greenland have dominated the debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, today. We'll bring you the latest. In Spain, the loved ones of victims of Sunday's deadly train crash have spoken to the BBC of their disbelief and the search for answers. And finally, take a look at what's thought to be the world's oldest cave painting.

TOP OF THE AGENDA

Questions remain after Trump's tariffs walk-back

Trump wears a navy blue suit, white shirt and red tie. He is standing behind a white lectern and speaking into a black microphone. The background behind him is blue and says 'world economic focum' in capital letters at intervals.

Trump said the framework deal gives the US everything it wanted. Credit: Reuters

President Trump has said he is dropping plans to impose additional 10% tariffs on goods from eight European countries over their opposition to his push to acquire Greenland. In a post on social media, Trump also said he had "formed the framework of a future deal with respect to Greenland" after talks with Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte, but gave no further details. While the "bombshell" announcement is "music to Europe's ears", writes Europe correspondent Nick Beake, uncertainty remains over the detail of the "magic solution to a problem that was threatening to strain - if not tear apart - the transatlantic alliance" only a short time earlier.

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GET UP TO SPEED

Detainees of the al-Hol camp in Syria are behind blue metal bars. Men, women in full black niqbs and children stand up close to the bars. A soldier stands with a gun in front of the fence.

US to transfer Islamic State prisoners from Syria to Iraq

The US aims to move up to 7,000 IS fighters, as Syrian government forces take over areas controlled by Kurdish-led forces.

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Three young boys with short dark hair stand next to each other on a football pitch, wearing red football outfits.

Palestinian children's pitch demolition postponed

Israel said the football pitch was built without the right permits and the demolition was necessary for security reasons.

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A split image shows a woman on the left with long blonde hair. She is wearing large silver earrings, a grey leather jacket and a necklace which says 'baby' on it. On the right is a man with toussled black hair who is wearing a white shirt with a blue floral pattern on it.

Blake Lively called Justin Baldoni 'a clown' in texts

Newly unsealed court documents also show Lively criticising her It Ends With Us co-star as a "doofus director".

More on messages >

NEWS FROM THE UK

From court: A woman has been found guilty of keeping another woman with learning difficulties captive for 25 years and using her as a slave.

GBBO: Dame Prue Leith is to leave The Great British Bake Off after almost 10 years as a judge on the show, saying "there's so much" she wants to do.

'Are we not good enough?': A girls' football team is celebrating two wins after calling out tournament organisers over a smaller trophy than the boys'.

AT THE SCENE

Córdoba, Andalusia, Spain

Victims' loved ones reeling after high-speed train crash in southern Spain

A photo shows a close up of a woman's face from the side. She is outside and has short dark hair and a flower in her hair. She is wearing sunglasses and smiling.

Abril's friend described her as a 'lovely, generous, affectionate person who loved flowers'.

Days on from the high-speed train crash which left 43 people dead and dozens more injured at Adamuz in Andalusia, amidst the grief, many are asking what could have caused such a failure on one of Europe's most admired rail systems.

James Waterhouse has very short, balding, dark hair and stubble. He appears to be outside and is smiling

James Waterhouse, correspondent

Throughout Saturday afternoon and into the night, Jose Manuel Muñoz and his friends were holding a surprise 50th birthday party for Mari Carmen Abril Vega, a teacher. The party was barely over when Abril, as she's known, made her way back to Madrid. She thanked her hosts on their WhatsApp group, and they later frantically replied to see if she was OK.

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Abril was sitting in one of the carriages that came off the tracks into an oncoming train. Her death was confirmed the next day. "It's very difficult to explain the contrast of emotions," says Jose. "We spent one day celebrating life with our friend... then we get the confirmation that she's dead."

Keep reading

What we know: Here's everything we know about Spain's worst rail disaster in more than a decade, including what happened.

Nationwide mourning: Three days of mourning are underway in Spain, following the Adamuz crash.