Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 3 Dec 2016

1. Donald Trump risks China rift with Taiwan phone call

Donald Trump has spoken directly with the president of Taiwan - breaking with US policy set in 1979 when formal relations were cut. The US president-elect’s transition team said he and Tsai Ing-wen discussed "close economic, political, and security ties" between the two countries in a phone call. The move has angered China, which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province.

2. Network Rail power will be handed to private operators

The biggest shake-up of the railways for decades will see Network Rail stripped of its control over Britain’s train tracks and power handed to operators, the government is to announce. Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary, will say he wants the state-owned Network Rail to share responsibility for running the tracks with private train operators. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has previously considered renationalising the railways.

3. Veterans join North Dakota protests as deadline nears

Hundreds of US military veterans have joined campaginers in North Dakota protesting against the installation of a multi-billion dollar oil pipeline. The activists, who are demonstrating in sub-zero temperatures, have been ordered to leave the area by Monday. The Sioux and other Native Americans say it will run over sacred burial sites and contaminate Standing Rock's water source.

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4. Theresa May to dare MPs to defy referendum result

Theresa May will challenge Parliament to defy the referendum result by voting down Article 50 if the government loses an appeal in the Supreme Court, according to senior sources quoted in the Daily Telegraph. Ministers say the “expectation” amongst Cabinet ministers is that the government will not succeed in its bid to overturn a High Court ruling that PM must consult parliament before triggering Article 50.

5. England football captains produce safety video

The captains of three England football sides have taken part in a film about how to keep children safe in the sport, as West Midlands Police became the 18th force to investigate historical football abuse claims. The video for the NSPCC and the FA explains how parents and children can report concerns they may have about adults working in football.

6. No Labour seat is safe says Chuka Umunna

Senior allies of Jeremy Corbyn say Labour faces being crushed between Ukip and a resurgent Liberal Democrat Party in the aftermath of the EU referendum. The party was humiliated in the Richmond Park by-election, losing its deposit in a London by-election for the first time since 1909. Chuka Umunna, the former leadership hopeful, warned that there were now "no safe Labour seats".

7. Constable says Edward Heath abuse probe is "no witch hunt"

The chief constable of the police force investigating claims that Sir Edward Heath sexually abused a number of children says he will not buckle under "unacceptable" media pressure. Wiltshire police chief, Mike Veale, insists the investigation into the late prime minister is not a "fishing trip" or a "witch-hunt". He says a "significant number of individuals have disclosed allegations of abuse".

8. Are British women powering 42% surge in boozing?

Brits are drinking 42% more than they were 30 years ago - and experts say women are driving the increase. The report, published in the Lancet medical journal, said the rise has been powered by "increased consumption among women", a "shift to higher strength products", and the increasing affordability of alcohol, "particularly throughout the 1980s and 1990s".

9. Cambridge cafe bans £5 note after beef fat row

A vegetarian cafe is refusing to accept the new £5 note after it emerged the currency contains beef products. Sharon Meijland, owner of the Rainbow Cafe in Cambridge, has put up signs warning customers of the new policy. There was an outcry from vegans and religious groups when it was revealed the polymer used for the notes contains tallow - a type of animal fat.

10. British 'kidults' behave like teens into their thirties

British people do not think they are proper grown ups until they hit 33, a study has found. A generation of Peter Pans still behave as if they are teenagers, with more than three quarters of the over 30s saying they act around 12 years younger. The Daily Mirror says signs of a "kidult" are listening to Radio 1, voting for an X Factor act and wearing ripped jeans.