Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 4 Jul 2015

1. Greece short of food and medication

Greece’s economy is on the brink of collapse as the capital controls imposed ahead of tomorrow’s referendum left the country with shortages of food and the health service lacking vital drugs, says The Guardian. Banks have barely enough money to survive the weekend, while the tourist industry is facing a wave of cancellations.

2. Osborne ‘to cut inheritance tax’

The government will cut inheritance tax in next week’s budget, says Sky News. The Conservatives’ electoral pledge to remove homes worth up to £1m from inheritance tax is expected to be one of the big announcements in Osborne’s presentation. The chancellor is expected to raise the current threshold, which is currently £325,000 per person.

3. ISIS claims rocket attack on Israel

ISIS claims it has successfully launched a rocket attack on Israel. A group affiliated with the group says it fired three rockets into Israel from Egypt's Sinai peninsula. It said it had acted in retaliation for what it says is Israeli support for the Egyptian army. The Israeli government says two rockets landed in the south of the country, with no casualties.

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4. Schools: exam focus ‘damages mental health’

Excessive focus on exams is damaging pupils' mental health and self-esteem in England's schools, according to the National Union of Teachers. A report says pupils are developing stress-related conditions linked to testing. Based on a survey of 8,000 teachers and a review of research, the report says preparing for tests has narrowed what children are learning.

5. CBI: UK growth slowed in second quarter

The CBI says UK economic growth slowed in second quarter. Surveys for the business lobby group suggest that manufacturing, retail and services growth slowed in the second quarter of the year, due to a fast pace of growth in business and professional services in the first quarter not being sustained. The CBI expects solid growth for the rest of the year.

6. Heather Watson gives Williams a scare

British number one Heather Watson got to the brink of beating top seed Serena Williams before losing a third-round match at Wimbledon. By the end of the thrilling tie, Williams won 6-2 4-6 7-5 in two hours and 15 minutes. Williams said the partisan Wimbledon crowd surprised her. “I never saw a crowd like this either,” she said. “I think they were really into it.”

7. Tehran: nuclear deal ‘never been closer’

Iran's foreign minister says a comprehensive agreement over its nuclear programme has never been closer. Speaking in a YouTube video, Javad Zarif said that the deal would open new ways to tackle shared challenges such as extremism across the Middle East. Washington agreed that they were "making progress" but said lots of work was still to be done.

8. Charity head ‘forced out over allegations’

The head of a children’s charity claims that she is being pushed to resign after approaching the government with a list of establishment figures involved in an historical child sex abuse case. Kids Company founder Camila Batmanghelidjh, says she “will not be bullied” into quitting despite alleged threats to withdraw vital state funding.

9. Migrants cause further chaos at Calais

Traffic along the Channel Tunnel has been disrupted overnight after migrants tried to enter restricted areas in Calais, according to the AFP news agency. "From 10.30pm (local time), around 150 migrants attempted to enter the platforms," said an official for the Pas-de-Calais prefecture. Lorry drivers have faced days of misery as they were held in miles of queues.

10. Luton family defend ISIS decision

A family of 12 from Luton who have arrived in Syria have defended their decision to take children into the war zone in a statement released through ISIS militants. “We release this statement to confirm that indeed we are in the Islamic State,” they said. “A land that is free from the corruption and oppression of man-made law and is governed by the shariah, the perfect and just laws of Allah.