Barron Trump reportedly saved woman’s life after witnessing violent assault on FaceTime call
A woman who said she was violently attacked by her ex-boyfriend last year told a London court that her friend Barron Trump unexpectedly saved her life after she managed to call him during the assault, United Kingdom media outlet Metro reported Wednesday.
After answering the FaceTime call and witnessing the alleged assault, the 19-year-old son of President Donald Trump reportedly contacted emergency operators, prompting UK police to respond to the scene on Jan. 18, 2025, shortly after 2 a.m. local time.
The woman, who cannot be named, reportedly claimed that her former Russian partner, 22-year-old Matvei Rumianstev, of east London, was jealous of her friendship with Trump.
She added that she was raped on the day she called Trump and alleged that her ex-boyfriend, who first became violent six months into their relationship, had a history of assaulting her, including stranglings, Metro said, citing hearings at Snaresbrook Crown Court.
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According to bodycam footage from the day of the alleged attack, Trump was heard over the phone telling officials, “I just saw a ceiling and could hear screaming. I could see a guy’s head on the phone, and then the camera turns to her crying and getting hit.”
Trump, who reportedly attempted to call his friend for a casual conversation before finally receiving a callback, said the call lasted only 10 to 15 seconds, after which he contacted the authorities.
According to the 999 emergency call played in court, Trump reportedly said, “I just got a call from a girl I know. She’s getting beaten up.”
After giving them her address, he emphasized that, “It’s really an emergency, please. I got a call from her with a guy beating her up.”
When police arrived, the woman identified their anonymous caller as Trump, explaining, “I am friends with Barron Trump, Donald Trump’s son.”
An officer was later heard on bodycam footage telling a colleague, “So apparently, this informant from America is likely to be Donald Trump’s son,” he said. “This female is friends with Donald Trump’s son. She was on a Facetime with him when this assault happened, and he’s called us.”
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To confirm to the police, the woman called Trump again, asking, “Hello, Barron, did you call the police or anything?”
“I had someone call the police,” Trump said. “I called you guys, that was the best thing I could do. I wasn’t going to call back and threaten things to him because that would just make the situation worse.”
During her testimony, the woman said Trump “helped save my life. That call was like a sign from God at that moment.”
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The trial between Trump’s friend and Rumianstev remains ongoing.
While Rumianstev has denied the allegations, the woman said she has been repeatedly attacked and sexually abused, including being raped in November 2024 and on January 18. She also alleged that Rumianstev has been pressuring her to withdraw her complaints.
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The Russian defendant, of New Providence Wharf, east London, has denied assault, actual bodily harm, two counts of rape, intentional strangulation and perverting the course of justice.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for more information.
62 Nigerian hostages rescued, 2 militants killed, army says
Nigeria’s military announced Wednesday that 62 hostages were rescued, and two militants were killed in a pair of operations against armed groups, a report said.
The development comes after more than 160 worshippers were kidnapped from two churches in Nigeria Sunday by gangs. It’s unclear if any of the worshippers were among the hostages rescued.
Lt. Col. Olaniyi Osoba, an Army spokesperson, told Reuters that Nigerian forces raided a location in the northwestern Zamfara state after receiving tips that captives were being held there.
The 62 rescued hostages are now in safe custody and are in the process of being reunited with their families, Reuters reported, citing the army.
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In a separate operation, Nigerian soldiers ambushed militants in the border area between the Kebbi and Sokoto states, Osoba added.
Sunday’s church kidnapping incident, which the BBC said targeted both Christians and Muslims, marks the latest mass kidnapping in Nigeria’s long-running streak of religiously fueled attacks.
Nigeria has experienced a dramatic surge in mass attacks by armed gangs, particularly Islamist militants, who often operate from forest enclaves and target villages, schools and places of worship.
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Muslim Fulani militants frequently carry out violence in northern and central parts of Nigeria to bankrupt Christian communities while receiving ransom payments.
Kaduna state police said gunmen armed with “sophisticated weapons” attacked two churches in the village of Kurmin Wali in Afogo ward at about 11:25 a.m. on Sunday, Reuters reported.
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While Kaduna state police on Monday reportedly cited conservative figures, saying dozens were being held captive as the investigation remains in its early stages, a senior church leader noted that more than 160 worshippers were abducted by gunmen over the weekend.
Iranian soldier sentenced to death for refusing to fire on protesters during nationwide unrest
A young soldier who refused to obey orders to shoot protesters during one of Iran’s most intense waves of nationwide unrest has been sentenced to death, a human rights group reported Tuesday.
The Iran Human Rights Society (IHRS) identified the soldier as Javid Khales, who was arrested during the nationwide protests of 1404, a major wave of anti-regime demonstrations from late 2025 to early 2026 calling for an end to the country’s current dictatorship.
“According to informed sources, when faced with the command to shoot at protesting people, he refused to execute the order, leading to his immediate arrest and the opening of a case against him,” IHRS said.
Witnesses claimed Khales, now in Isfahan prison, did not commit a crime but refused to shoot in an act of humanity, the group said.
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While the unrest has already led to thousands of arrests and deaths among protesters, Khales’ planned execution further raises concerns over unfair, state-sanctioned killings and rushed trials that deny defendants proper legal protections.
“Amid the continuation of protests and the intensification of deadly repression against the people, the news of Javid Khales — a young soldier who refused to shoot at protesters — being sentenced to death has heightened concerns about a new wave of judicial massacre,” the human rights group said.
“This sentence comes at a time when judiciary officials have openly spoken of summary trials and the swift execution of death sentences against those arrested in the protests.”
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A judiciary spokesperson and the Tehran prosecutor, in separate statements, emphasized that cases involving dissidents must be resolved as quickly as possible, IHRS reported, raising concerns that executions could take place outside proper legal procedures. Human rights sources say many detainees have remained in custody without access to a lawyer or a fair trial.
The organization added that Khales’ death sentence is seen as part of a broader effort to instill fear, “enforce absolute obedience and intensify protest repression.”
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Over the past several days, the government shut down and restricted the internet nationwide to prevent protesters from organizing. Human rights activists say the blackout was also a strategic move to conceal the realities on the ground and suppress public reaction.
Precise details were unavailable regarding Khales’ case, his current status or the judicial process.
American flags torched, riot police clash with protesters ahead of Trump Davos arrival
Violent protests erupted in several Swiss cities as American flags were burned and riot police clashed with demonstrators ahead of President Trump’s arrival in Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum.
Trump is scheduled to arrive Wednesday and is expected to deliver a speech at the annual gathering of global political leaders and corporate executives.
His visit comes amid heightened tensions with European leaders after Trump doubled down on his push to acquire Greenland for U.S. national security reasons and declined to rule out military options.
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The Davos forum, held in eastern Switzerland, is one of the world’s most high-profile economic summits, bringing together heads of state, CEOs, bankers and policymakers to discuss global trade, security and geopolitics.
Around 300 protesters marched through Davos Jan. 19 to oppose both the forum and Trump’s planned appearance.
Chanting slogans and holding banners reading “Trump not welcome,” demonstrators accused Swiss authorities of legitimizing what they described as authoritarian and plutocratic politics by hosting the U.S. president.
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Images from the protests showed masked demonstrators setting fire to American flags, while local media reported smashed windows and other property damage.
Swiss outlet Swissinfo reported clashes broke out after police moved to disperse the crowd.
Officers in full riot gear deployed water cannons, chemical irritants and rubber bullets and said they were targeted with fireworks.
The outlet also reported a police statement said “paint bags were thrown at the facades and shop windows were smashed on the corner of Bahnhofstrasse and Uraniastrasse”, with the amount of property damage unknown.
Two police officers were also reportedly hit by stones but remained unharmed.
Similar demonstrations were held elsewhere, including in Bern, where a protest was broken up as police sealed off the city center.
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In Zurich, thousands marched Sunday night, with one placard reading, “Put the Trumpster in the dumpster.”
Activists from the Swiss NGO Campax also projected a cartoon image of Trump onto a ski slope near Davos, branding him the “Spirit of plutocracy.”
Trade tensions are expected to dominate discussions at the summit, alongside talks on the war in Ukraine and broader global security concerns.
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Trump addressed the Greenland issue in a social media post early Tuesday.
“As I expressed to everyone, very plainly, Greenland is imperative for National and World Security,” Trump wrote. “There can be no going back — on that, everyone agrees. The United States of America is the most powerful country anywhere on the globe, by far.”
Quarter of US colleges could close in the coming years; university president warns of major transformation
A university president is warning that up to a quarter of colleges and universities in the United States could close in the coming years.
Arthur Levine, president of Brandeis University in Massachusetts, said during a recent conversation at the American Enterprise Institute he expects between 20–25% of American colleges and universities to close their doors.
“Basically, what’s happening is that higher education is undergoing a transformation,” Levine said.
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“Our whole society is undergoing a transformation,” he added. “We’re watching what was a national analog industrial economy become a global digital knowledge economy. And the consequence of that, in terms of higher education, is that we’re seeing demographic change, economic change, technological change, global change, now political change. And what’s going to happen is that 20-25%, as you know, of all colleges are going to close.”
Levine said he expects many community colleges and regional universities to shift heavily to online instruction, while wealthier institutions may be able to delay major changes.
“Traditional higher education as we know it — research universities, residential colleges — are where the transformation is going to occur,” Levine said. “It’s only occurred once before, during the Industrial Revolution, when tiny, little church-related colleges became universities and technical schools and land grant colleges and community colleges and research institutes and graduate schools and all the rest. And, this time, what I essentially said to our faculty was, ‘We’re going to see the same pattern of change we’ve always seen.’”
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Some of the factors Levine said contributed to colleges facing problems include higher education being too expensive, its reluctance to change and changing too slowly.
“If something is very, very expensive, it ought to be worth your paying for it,” Levine said. “There ought to be outcomes that are worth the price that you pay. In 1842, the president of Brown said, ‘I can’t even give this stuff away.’
“It’s the nature of the beast. It’s not the first time. When the world changes, every social institution gets left behind, including higher education, and they scramble to catch up. Some spend a very long time trying to catch up. Some never catch up.”
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