Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Friday 16 Dec 2016

1. Aleppo evacuation 'could take days'

Evacuating all 50,000 people trapped in eastern Aleppo could take days, the Red Cross has warned, after 3,000 left the Syrian city yesterday. Russia's defence ministry, however, says 6,400 were bussed out yesterday to its "Reconciliation Centre". The US has accused Syria, backed by Russia, of the slaughter of civilians.

Syria 'planning a new chemical attack', US claims

2. EU leaders devote 20 minutes to Brexit

Theresa May left an EU summit early yesterday to allow her fellow leaders to discuss Brexit in her absence. However, the discussion was cut short as talks on the refugee crisis and Ukraine overran, with the EU chiefs spending 20 minutes talking about the UK's departure from the bloc.

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What will happen to EU citizens after the December Brexit deadline?

3. Obama will 'retaliate' over Russian election hacks

Barack Obama has warned Russia the US will retaliate "at a time and place of our own choosing" for cyber-attacks during the presidential election. The CIA says Russian hacks were intended to make Donald Trump president. The FBI is still investigating but agrees there were hacks. Trump denies the attacks were Russian.

US and Russia spar over vetoed Syria sanctions

4. Corbyn to be 'relaunched' as left-wing populist

Senior figures in the Labour Party are planning to "relaunch" leader Jeremy Corbyn as a left-wing populist, The Guardian says, in the hope he can "ride the anti-politics mood". The newspaper predicts there will be more TV appearances and "flagship policies that would underline his willingness to lead a revolt against vested interests".

Jeremy Corbyn is a 'disaster', says Stephen Hawking

5. 101-year-old man convicted of child abuse

A 101-year-old man has been convicted of historical child sex offences. Ralph Clarke is believed to be the oldest defendent in British legal history. Accused of abusing two girls and a boy in the 1970s and 80s he was found guilty by a jury at Birmingham Crown Court. Judge Richard Bond said he needed to "ponder with care" the sentence.

6. White supremacist guilty of church killings

A white supremacist who said he wanted to start a race war has been found guilty of killing nine black parisioners at a church in South Carolina in 2015. Dylann Roof will find out next month is he is to face the death penalty. The shooting reignited the debate about race relations in the US.

7. British Gas owner funds climate change deniers

British Gas's parent company Centrica has given tens of thousands of dollars to a US think-tank that denies the scientific consensus on man-made climate change. The donation to the Texas Public Policy Foundation was made through Direct Energy, a US energy company wholly owned by Centrica, in 2010, according to tax filings.

8. Transport Secretary knocked cyclist off his bike

Footage of Transport Secretary Chris Grayling knocking a cyclist off his bike outside Parliament has emerged. Cyclist Jaiqi Liu fell off when Grayling opened the door of his ministerial car. Another cyclist who caught the incident on camera in October released the clip after Grayling was quoted as saying cycle lanes were "too much of a problem for road users" in London.

9. London gets world's first contactless beer pump

A London pub has installed the world's first tap-and-go beer pump. Intended to cut queues, the pump lets customers pull their own pints and pay by tapping a contactless credit or debit card, or a smartphone. The technology is being trialled at Henry's Cafe Bar in Piccadilly and is to be rolled out nationally next year.

10. Briefing: Will the Sky takeover bid be blocked by Ofcom?

MPs from both sides of the House of Commons are urging the government to refer 21st Century Fox's proposed £18.5bn takeover of Sky to broadcasting regulator Ofcom. Fox, the TV and film conglomerate owned by Rupert Murdoch, already controls a 39 per cent stake in the broadcaster. It is run by his son James, who has been chairman of Sky since January.

Murdoch's Sky deal faces hurdles but share price rises