Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 17 Oct 2016

1. Battle to take Mosul from IS begins

The US-led coalition in Iraq has begun an attempt to retake the Iraqi city of Mosul from Islamic State and liberate its 600,000 residents. The Iraqi army and Kurdish Peshmerga forces are leading the ground assault, which is the biggest military operation in the country since 2011. Early reports said pro-government forces had made some gains.

UK 'risks repeating Libya mistakes in Mosul'

2. UK faces 'prolonged economic weakness', says EY

The UK faces a "prolonged period" of weaker growth after the decision to leave the EU, says the EY Item Club, which calls the apparent stability since the referendum "deceptive". The financial think-tank predicts 1.9% growth this year but says that will fizzle out as inflation rises, leading consumer spending to slow.

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UK 'faces prolonged period' of economic weakness

3. Trump tells supporters polls are 'rigged'

Donald Trump says US democracy is an "illusion" and "many polling places" will be "rigged" in the presidential election. The Republican told supporters to "watch" polling places, raising fears of violent unrest if they learn he has lost. A ninth woman has come forward to accuse the businessman of sexual misconduct.

Donald Trump sued by two states over business links

4. Treasury denies Hammond is stalling on Brexit

The Treasury has condemned as "rubbish" reports by the Daily Telegraph and other newspapers that the Chancellor is attempting to slow down progress towards leaving the EU. The papers said Philip Hammond's colleagues believe he is attempting to "undermine Brexit" by delaying decisions on how to control immigration.

Boris Johnson stands by Saudi Arabia remarks on Riyadh visit

5. Irish leaders to meet over Brexit 'disaster'

Ireland's Prime Minister Enda Kenny has arranged a cross-border summit of Irish and Northern Irish leaders to discuss the "disaster" of Brexit. Northern Ireland relies heavily on EU subsidies, while exporters on both sides of the border are being hit by the slump in the pound. Ireland says Brexit will have "incalculable consequences" for its economy.

6. Cliff Richard urged to drop anonymity campaign

Sir Cliff Richard has been urged to drop his campaign to give anonymity to people accused of sexual offences. Richard has teamed up with DJ Paul Gambaccini, MP Nigel Evans and Leon Brittan's widow to try and change the law, but the End Violence Against Women Coalition fears it could stop victims coming forward.

What is Cliff Richard doing now?

7. NatWest 'freezes Russian TV bank accounts'

The UK bank accounts of Russian state-run broadcaster RT, formerly Russia Today, have reportedly been frozen. The broadcaster claimed that NatWest, which held the company's UK accounts, has said it will no longer have the broadcaster among its clients. RT claims the entire Royal Bank of Scotland Group is refusing to deal with RT.

8. Ben Needham 'died in accident', say police

Toddler Ben Needham, who disappeared on the Greek island of Kos in 1991, "most likely" died in an accident near the farmhouse where he was last seen playing, say police, who have discovered one of his belongings nearby. The item was found over the weekend and police now believe a fatal accident was the reason for his disappearance.

9. Olympics parade to take place in Manchester

The UK's Olympics and Paralympics teams have been parading through the streets of Manchester today to celebrate record-breaking success at Rio. More than 150,000 people were expected to turn out to watch. A second celebration takes place in Trafalgar Square, in London tomorrow.

10. Briefing: What happens if Donald Trump loses?

"If we don't win this election, I don't know what I'm going to do,"

Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump told supporters at a

Florida rally this week. The businessman is down in the polls

following the release of a video in which he made lewd comments of

women and the claims this week that he sexually harassed several.

However, that doesn't mean the former reality TV star has no plans if

he loses on 8 November.

US election 2016: What happens if Donald Trump loses on 8 November?