Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 1 Jul 2015

1. Tsipras hints at concessions after Greece misses IMF deadline

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has told his country's creditors that he had been prepared to accept most conditions that were on the table before talks collapsed at the weekend and he called a snap referendum. Yesterday Greece became the first developed nation to fail to repay a loan to the IMF. Talks on a new bailout are now on hold.

Greece finally reaches deal to release €12bn bailout funds

2. US and Cuba to open embassies in Washington and Havana

Barack Obama is to announce today that the US and Cuba will take a major step towards normalising relations by opening full embassies in each other’s capital cities for the first time since the early 1960s. The latest stage of a thaw in relations follows a historic handshake between Obama and Raoul Castro in April.

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3. Hottest July day ever as heatwave hits in England

The hottest-ever July temperature was recorded in England as the mercury touched 36.7C at Heathrow, beating the previous record, set in 2006. A level 3 "heatwave action" heat-health alert has been declared across England, but thunder and hailstorms are expected in Scotland. Slightly cooler weather is expected later this week.

UK heatwave: the best sunburn remedies

4. Indonesia: death toll from plane crash now over 140

The death toll after an Indonesian military transport plane crashed into a residential area in the city of Medan yesterday is now known to be more than 140. The country’s military says none of the122 people on board survived - though it keeps revising the passenger list - and at least 19 people on the ground died.

Plane crashes into Indonesian city killing dozens of people

5. Report calls for third runway at Heathrow

A report by the Airports Commission has backed the idea of a third runway at Heathrow, saying it could boost GDP by £147bn over 60 years and create 70,000 jobs by 2050. Sir Howard Davies's conclusion was "clear and unanimous" in favour of Heathrow. David Cameron, an opponent of the idea, was jeered by MPs when he refused to comment on the report.

'Third Heathrow runway is not enough,' say business leaders

6. Missing Luton family could have travelled to Syria

Police fear a family of 12 from Luton, who went missing after a visit to Bangladesh, could have travelled to Syria. Three generations of the family, including two grandparents, a one-year-old baby and two children under 11, have not been seen since 17 May. They had stopped in Turkey on the way back from Bangladesh.

7. Bodies of first Tunisia victims returned home

The bodies of British holidaymakers killed in a gun rampage in Tunisia have begun arriving back in the country. Eight coffins were flown in to RAF Brize Norton from Tunis, five days after a terrorist opened fire on a tourists in the resort town of Sousse, killing 38 people. A joint inquest will be heard once all 30 bodies have been returned.

Isis: what does the future hold for the terror group?

8. News of the World deputy cleared of hacking charges

Former News of the World deputy editor Neil Wallis has been cleared of conspiracy to hack voicemails. Wallis, who was deputy to Andy Coulson at the paper, is the last journalist from the paper to face charges over hacking. During his trial Wallis told the Old Bailey he was not told about the practice because he was a "stickler" for the rules.

9. England’s Lionesses ask for support ahead of Japan match

England women’s manager Mark Sampson has asked for the backing of the nation as the ‘Lionesses’ become the first England side ever to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup. The women will be the underdogs as they take on reigning champions Japan in Edmonton, Canada, at midnight UK time on Thursday.

England women prepare for World Cup date with destiny

10. Briefing: how will Greece vote in Sunday's referendum?

The stakes could not be higher ahead of the bailout referendum in Greece this weekend, which is likely to determine whether Greece is ejected from the euro. The big guns are out on both sides, with the EU and IMF urging Greeks to vote 'yes' to the deal. Nobel Prize winning economists Joseph Stiglitz and Paul Krugman meanwhile implore Greeks to reject an ultimatum which they say amounts to an attempt to oust the leftist Syriza government.

Greece finally reaches deal to release €12bn bailout funds