10 things you need to know right now

Smoke rises over destroyed Islamic State positions following a U.S.-led coalition airstrike, as Iraqi Security forces enter the heavy damaged downtown Ramadi. Photo / AP

1. Iraqi forces have retaken the former government compound in Ramadi over Isis (Islamic State) resistance - defeating the group in the city. A spokesman said the complex was "under complete control" and there was no sign of the militants, the BBC reported.

2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens has picked up another box office record - becoming the fastest film to take US$1 billion globally. It achieved the feat in 12 days beating Jurassic World (13 days). Unlike the dinosaur film, The Force Awakens has yet to open in China.

3. The death toll from days of storms in the US has increased to 29 after tornadoes in Texas killed 11. The worst-hit area was Garland, near Dallas, where at least eight people died - five when their cars were blown off a motorway. West Texas and New Mexico are expected to suffer major blizzards.

4. Briton John Beeden, 53, has completed the first non-stop solo row across the Pacific from North America to Australia. He left San Francisco on June 1 and has reached Cairns after rowing an average of 15 hours a day.

5. About 4000 homes in York have been evacuated as the northern English city's misery continues from floods. The Environment Agency was forced to open flood gates that protect York, sending water through the streets, the Daily Telegraph reports. In Leeds the River Aire is at its highest level ever recorded and the city centre has been inundated. The Government says it will send 200 more troops to help the affected areas.

6. North Korea's homegrown computer system mirrors its political one, say two German researchers who have studied it. The Red Star OS involves a high degree of paranoia and snooping on users, Florian Grunow and Niklaus Schiess of ERNW GmbH told Reuters. They say North Korea wants to avoid any code that might be compromised by intelligence agencies.

7. Saudi Arabian authorities say they have seized more than five million amphetamine tablets. Nine Saudis and two Sudanese have been arrested in Riyadh. AFP reports that drug smuggling is on the rise in the kingdom. The Interior Ministry said in November that it had seized 22.4 million amphetamine tablets, 28.8 tonnes of cannabis and 26.2 kg of heroin in the last Islamic year which ended in mid-October.

8. A real-life family drama looms over Castle Howard in north Yorkshire - made famous by the TV adaptation of Evelyn Waugh's book Brideshead Revisited. Simon Howard, 59, who has run the estate which attracts 250,000 visitors a year for 30 years, has received an eviction notice from his brother Nicholas, 63.

9. Borat actor Sacha Baron Cohen and his wife Isla Fisher are donating US$1 million to help Syrian refugees. The money is going to Save the Children to pay for measles vaccinations for children in northern Syria and to the International Rescue Committee to help refugees in Syria and neighbouring countries, AFP reports.

10. Beijing has been suffering through smog, now air pollution is twice the acceptable level in Tehran. Iran had to postpone two premier league football matches. Severe air pollution last week led authorities to close schools for three days in the capital.