Aleppo evacuation suspended

A deal to evacuate tens of thousands of civilians from the besieged districts of east Aleppo in Syria has been suspended and is at risk of unravelling after Islamist rebels in Idlib province refused to allow a simultaneous evacuation of the wounded in two pro-government villages. The Islamist rebels’ obstruction of the deal risks reigniting large-scale fighting that threatens the lives of civilians who have yet to leave. The evacuation deal was suspended after the al-Qaida affiliate Jabhat Fateh al-Sham refused to allow the evacuation of the wounded from Fua and Kefraya, two Shia villages in Idlib province that have been besieged by rebels for years. About 8,000 people had been evacuated from east Aleppo between Thursday and Friday morning.

Aleppo evacuation suspended as al-Qaida-linked rebels obstruct deal

Obama promises response to Russia

Barack Obama has warned that the US will retaliate for Russian cyberattacks during the presidential election, he said in an interview with National Public Radio. Obama said he was waiting for a final report he has ordered into a range of Russian hacking attacks, but promised there would be a response. The CIA and FBI agree that there was Russian hacking, though only the CIA, according to reports, has judged that it was intended to influence the election in favor of Donald Trump, and senators have called for a congressional enquiry. Obama said he would reserve judgment on Moscow’s intentions pending a final report but he said the impact of the intervention was clear: it had boosted Trump.

Barack Obama promises retaliation against Russia over hacking during US election



China live-fires aircraft carrier group

China’s Liaoning aircraft carrier battle group has conducted its first exercises with live ammunition, the country’s navy said, in a show of strength as tensions with the US and Taiwan escalate. The drills come as a heated war of words intensifies between Beijing and Trump, who broke convention by speaking with the president of Taiwan and questioning the decades-old “One China” policy.

China live-fires aircraft carrier group amid Taiwan tensions with US

Dylann Roof guilty in church shooting

A South Carolina jury has found Dylann Roof, the self-avowed white supremacist who killed nine black parishioners in a Charleston church in June 2015, guilty of all 33 federal charges he faced, including murder, attempted murder, hate crimes and obstruction of religion, on Thursday. Barring appeal, the conviction means that Roof could either spend the rest of his life in prison or be subject to the death penalty. Sentencing has been scheduled for January, and Roof, 22, has been cleared by Judge Richard Gergel to represent himself in those proceedings.

Dylann Roof found guilty in Charleston church shooting

Sexual abuse reported in US Gymnastics

At least 368 gymnasts in the United States have alleged some form of sexual abuse over the past 20 years, a joint investigation by the Indianapolis Star and USA Today has revealed. The nine-month investigation into police files and court documents found hundreds of cases of alleged sexual abuse by a total of 115 coaches and other adults they worked with, and systematic failures which enabled accused coaches to relocate to other gyms. Nearly all of the victims were girls. One coach was found to have made 469 videos of 49 gymnasts he coached, all girls from eight to 16 years old, using secret cameras he placed in changing rooms.

Report details widespread sexual abuse at USA Gymnastics facilities

How Google’s search algorithm spreads fake news

Google’s search algorithm appears to be systematically promoting information that is either false or slanted with an extreme rightwing bias. Following a recent investigation by the Observer, which found that Google’s search engine prominently suggests neo-Nazi websites and antisemitic writing, the Guardian has uncovered a dozen additional examples of biased search results. Google’s search algorithm and its autocomplete function prioritize websites that, for example, declare that climate change is a hoax, being gay is a sin, and the Sandy Hook mass shooting never happened. The increased scrutiny of Google comes at a time of tense debate surrounding the role of fake news in building support for conservative political leaders, particularly Trump.

How Google’s search algorithm spreads false information with a rightwing bias



Uber’s self-driving cars v California

Uber has launched an aggressive battle with California over its controversial self-driving cars, with regulators and consumer advocates accusing the corporation of flagrantly violating the law, endangering public safety and mistreating drivers. The ride-sharing company launched semi-autonomous vehicles in San Francisco without permits this week and was ordered by the California department of motor vehicles to immediately remove the cars from the road or face legal action. This came on the same day that numerous cars were caught running red lights, which Uber said was due to “human error”. According to critics, this fight with the state of California has exposed the unethical and illegal tactics that the company has repeatedly used to grow its business. It also raises questions about the dangers of prematurely rolling out self-driving vehicles.

Self-driving cars: Uber’s open defiance of California shines light on brazen tactics

Time is running out to help the Guardian in 2016

As 2016 comes to a close, we’d like to ask for your support. More people are reading the Guardian than ever but far fewer are paying for it. And advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. The Guardian’s independent, investigative journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too. Support the Guardian by becoming a member or making a contribution.

And finally ... our No 1 film of the year is ...

Moonlight. “Telling the story of a gay black man coming to terms with his sexuality in three devastating chapters, it prioritised raw authenticity over minority-based cliches, and the result was like nothing we’ve ever seen,” Benjamin Lee writes.

The 50 best films of 2016 in the US: No 1 Moonlight