Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 16 Jan 2017

1. Trump: UK 'smart' to vote for Brexit

Former Leave campaigner Michael Gove has become the first senior Conservative to meet Donald Trump since he won the US presidential election last year. In an interview for The Times, the president-elect said the UK was "smart" to vote for Brexit and promised to draw up a trade deal between the two countries "quickly".

Brexit: Theresa May says ‘trust me’ to deliver

2. Pound slips ahead of May's Brexit speech

Sterling has fallen to its lowest level against the dollar since October on rumours Theresa May is to announce she is pushing for a hard Brexit. The pound slipped below $1.20 in Asian trading this morning and to a two-month low against the euro. Sterling has been around 20% down on the dollar since the referendum.

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The Business: UK betting income rockets as terminals grow

3. Elections triggered in Northern Ireland

Sinn Fein has has triggered elections in Northern Ireland by refusing to nominate a new deputy first minister following the resignation of Martin McGuinness last week. He stepped down over a botched energy scheme. Theresa May had hoped to save the Stormont government, stressing that it had a role to play in Brexit negotiations.

4. Plane crash kills 37 in Kyrgyzstan village

A Boeing 747 cargo plane has crashed into a village near Manas airport in Kyrgyzstan, killing at least 37 people, a number of them children. Flight TK6491 was en route from Hong Kong to Istanbul and was attempting to land in dense fog at the airport. Around 15 buildings were destroyed.

5. Eight people 'as rich as half world's poor'

The world's eight richest people have the combined wealth of the 3.6 billion people who make up the poorest half of the world's population, Oxfam says, citing improved data. However, centre-right think-tanks say the figures are misleading and the charity should focus on poverty, rather than targeting people with extreme wealth.

World's eight richest men own as much as 50% of poor

6. Scientists urge May to pressure Trump on climate change

A hundred scientists have called on the Prime Minister to put pressure on US president-elect Donald Trump to acknowledge the threat posed by climate change. In an open letter, the researchers said the UK faced "potential threats" from Trump, who does not accept the scientific consensus that warming is being caused by man.

7. Piccadilly Circus lights are switched off

The giant billboard lights at London's Piccadilly Circus have been switched off for renovation. The six screens, which form one of the capital's most recognisable landmarks, are to be replaced by a single, large screen, but it will not be ready until the autumn. There have been illuminated lights at Piccadilly since 1908 and the shutdown is the longest since WWII

8. Jeremy Hunt makes millions from company sale

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has earned more than £14m after a business he helped set up in 1996 was sold to an Australian company. His company, Hotcourses, a listings website for students, has been bought for £30m by IDP Education. Hunt stepped down as a director in 2009 but retained his 48% shareholding.

9. Tunisia terror attack inquest underway

An inquest into the 2015 Tunisia beach shooting, in which 30 British holidaymakers were killed, has opened in London. The hearing, expected to last at least six weeks, began with a minute's silence and the names of all the victims being read out. The inquest was told that Tunisian police officers “deliberately" slowed down on their way to the incident.

Tunisia beach attack inquest: 30 Britons 'unlawfully killed'

10. Briefing: Graham Taylor, from triumph to turnip

Tributes have been flooding in for former England manager Graham Taylor, who has died of a suspected heart attack at the age of 72. He was in charge of England between 1990 and 1993 and despite coming in for savage criticism as the team flopped at Euro 92 and then failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the US, was a popular figure within the game.