Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 18 Jan 2017

1. Obama commutes Chelsea Manning sentence

US President Barack Obama has commuted the 35-year sentence of Chelsea Manning, who leaked thousands of secret documents through the website WikiLeaks. Manning now leave prison on 17 May, after seven years in jail. Wikileaks founder Julian Assange has previously said he will give himself up for extradition to the US if Manning is freed.

Chelsea Manning to be released early by Barack Obama

2. Nigerian jet bombs refugee camp 'in error'

Medecins Sans Frontieres says a Nigerian jet has killed dozens of people in an air strike on a refugee camp in Borno, in north-eastern Nigeria. President Muhammadu Buhari said the incident was a regrettable "operational mistake". The jet appears to have mistaken victims of Islamist group Boko Haram for terrorists.

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3. Thousands of Britons told to leave Gambia

Travel agent Thomas Cook is to fly thousands of UK tourists home from The Gambia after the Foreign Office changed its official stance to advise against all but essential travel to the African nation. Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has declared a state of emergency, two days before he is supposed to cede power after losing elections.

Thousands of Britons to be flown out of The Gambia

4. EU Brexit negotiator warns UK 'no cherry-picking'

Guy Verhofstadt, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, has warned that the "days of UK cherry-picking and Europe a la carte are over" after Theresa May declared the government would leave the single market. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson says other countries are "queuing up" for trade deals with the UK.

The Business: UK betting income rockets as terminals grow

5. Obama transfers $500m to climate fund

Barack Obama has transferred $500m (£405m) to the Green Climate Fund in an effort to help secure the future of the historic Paris agreement on climate change. The US still owes $2bn (£1.6bn) to the fund, which helps developing countries, but incoming US president Donald Trump is expected to cease further payments.

6. Britons believe country is in decline

More than half of Brits think the country is in decline and are significantly pessimistic about the lives of future generations, according to a new poll. An Ipsos Mori survey reveals 57 per cent of people believe the UK is going downhill, while nearly one in five think the slump is "irreversible" and two-thirds feel the economy is rigged for the rich and powerful.

Majority of Brits think the country is 'in decline'

7. Snowden to stay in Russia 'another couple of years'

Edward Snowden has been given leave to stay in Russia for "another couple of years", Moscow has announced in a Facebook post. The former CIA employee has lived in the country since 2013, when he leaked thousands of classified documents revealing the vast extend of US surveillance on private information.

8. Disabled man wins wheelchair vs buggy court case

A disabled man has won a Supreme Court case after a woman refused to move her buggy to make room for his wheelchair on a bus in 2012. The judgement means bus drivers must now try to persuade other passengers to make room for wheelchair users. The case was bought by Doug Paulley after a mother refused to give up her space on a bus from Wetherby to Leeds.

Wheelchairs vs buggies: Disabled man wins Supreme Court case

9. British sprinters hurt in motorbike crash

British sprinters James Ellington and Nigel Levine are in hospital in Tenerife after a motorcycle crash. The pair are believed to have been hit by a car on Tuesday night. They were in Spain at a training camp. Ellington, a two-time Olympian, has undergone surgery and it is feared is injuries are career ending. Levine's injuries are not thought to be as serious.

10. Briefing: The most expensive towns outside London

London remains the most expensive city in Britain for house-buying, but a number of towns and villages outside the capital also boast extravagant property prices. Virginia Water in Surrey became the UK's first "Million Pound Town" outside London just a few years ago. Since then, a handful of other places have also seen average property prices exceed the million pound mark.

The most expensive towns outside London in the UK