While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, Jan 11, 2026
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The US launched air strikes in Syria against ISIS targets, in its latest response to the killing of three Americans on Dec 13.
SCREENSHOT: X/@CENTCOM
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US announces ‘large-scale’ Syria strikes against ISIS
US and allied forces carried out “large-scale” strikes against the Islamic State militant group in Syria on Jan 10, the US military said, in the latest response to an attack in December that left three Americans dead.
Washington said a lone gunman from the militant group carried out the Dec 13 attack in Palmyra - home to UNESCO-listed ancient ruins and once controlled by militant fighters - that killed two US soldiers and a US civilian interpreter.
“The strikes today targeted ISIS throughout Syria” and were part of Operation Hawkeye Strike, which was launched “in direct response to the deadly ISIS attack on US and Syrian forces in Palmyra,” US Central Command said in a statement on X, using an acronym for the group, which is known as Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
The US and Jordan carried out a previous round of strikes as part of the same operation in December, hitting dozens of ISIS targets.
Musk says X will make algorithm open source in 7 days
PHOTO: AFP
Social media platform X will open its new algorithm to the public in seven days, Elon Musk said on Jan 10, including the code used to decide what posts and advertisements are recommended to users.
“This will be repeated every 4 weeks, with comprehensive developer notes, to help you understand what changed,” Mr Musk, who owns X, said in a post on the platform.
The billionaire didn’t say why X was making its algorithm open source. He and the company have clashed several times with regulators over content being shown to users.
Minneapolis mayor urges activists to avoid Trump ‘bait’
PHOTO: X/@MAYORFREY
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Jan 10 urged demonstrators protesting the fatal shooting of a motorist by a US immigration agent to stay peaceful, saying that any unlawful actions would play into US President Donald Trump’s hands.
Mr Frey, a Democrat, cautioned them as civil liberties and migrant-rights groups prepared nationwide rallies to protest the killing of 37-year-old Renee Good by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer on Jan 7.
Minnesota and US officials have offered starkly different accounts of the shooting.
Protester puts pre-revolution Iran flag on embassy
A protester briefly replaced the flag of the Islamic Republic of Iran on its London embassy with a former flag, flown before 1979, during a demonstration on Jan 10, witnesses told AFP.
A video posted to social media showed a man on the balcony of the embassy, near Hyde Park, replacing the country’s current flag with one used during the rule of the ousted shah to cheers from hundreds of demonstrators below.
The flag - tri-coloured, with a lion and sun, surrounded by a wreath and crown - was a ceremonial one used in Iran before the Islamic revolution.
Holders Palace stunned in biggest ever FA Cup shock
Crystal Palace’s defence of the FA Cup came to an embarrassing end as they were beaten 2-1 by sixth-tier Macclesfield on Jan 10 in the biggest shock in the competition’s history.
The 117 places that separate Premier League outfit Palace from Macclesfield of the National League North in the English football pyramid is the most ever overcome by an underdog in FA Cup history.
Captain Paul Dawson and Isaac Buckley-Ricketts scored either side of half-time to secure a famous victory for a club that were forced to reform in 2020 after being wound up for unpaid debts.
