Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 20 Jul 2015

1. Greek banks reopen after three weeks

Banks in Greece are open again today after three weeks of closure, after an agreement was reached on a new bailout with the EU. Serious restrictions remain in place, however: money cannot be transferred abroad and there is a weekly limit of €420 (£291) on withdrawals. VAT on many goods and services is rising today.

Greece finally reaches deal to release €12bn bailout funds

2. Afghan soldiers killed by US ‘friendly fire’

As many as eight Afghan soldiers are thought to have been killed by a US air strike in a ‘friendly fire’ incident south of Kabul, with several others injured. Afghan officials say two US helicopters attacked an army checkpoint which was flying an Afghan flag in broad daylight this morning. The US says it is investigating the incident.

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Eight Afghan soldiers 'killed by US air strikes' in Logar

3. Cameron lays out five-year anti-extremism plans

David Cameron has outlined his plans to tackle what he calls the "poison" of Islamist extremism, identifying it as the "struggle of our generation" and warning that there are "people born and raised in this country who don't really identify with Britain". There will be a review into how to boost opportunity and integration in the most deprived communities.

Parents may cancel children's passports in war on IS

4. Fifa president Blatter showered with bank notes

Fifa president Sepp Blatter was showered with bank notes by English comedian Simon Brodkin, aka Lee Nelson, as he appeared at a press conference in Zurich. The 79-year-old Swiss was pictured with dollar bills fluttering around his head after the stunt, which came as scandal-hit Fifa announced that Blatter's successor will be chosen in February next year.

5. Man charged with ‘road rage’ murder of pensioner

A 34-year-old man, Matthew Daley, was yesterday charged with the murder of pensioner Donald Lock, who was stabbed to death in what police called a “frenzied” road-rage attack. The 79-year-old great-grandfather, a keen cyclist and traveller, had recently recovered from cancer, he was killed after a shunt on the A24 in Sussex.

6. Mitsubishi makes historic war crimes apology

A senior executive with Japanese firm Mitsubishi has said sorry to US prisoners of war it used as forced labour in mines during WWII, in what is believed to be the first such apology by a Japanese company. James Murphy, 94, one of the last prisoners who worked the mines, was present to hear the apology at a ceremony in LA.

7. Turkish border town explosion kills dozens

At least 27 people have been killed and 100 injured after an explosion in the Turkish border town of Suruc. The blast took place at a cultural centre where hundreds of youth workers were staying. Suruc is near the Syrian town of Kobane, a key battleground in the fight against Islamic State and it is feared a suicide bomber is to blame.

8. Stephen Hawking backs hunt for extra-terrestrials

Prof Stephen Hawking has launched the biggest hunt for extra-terrestrial intelligence. The ten-year project will listen for broadcast signals from the million planets closest to Earth and will involve two of the world's most powerful telescopes. The £64m ($100m) initiative was launched by the Breakthrough Initiatives group at the Royal Society in London.

9. Scotland: council bans deep-fried mars bar banner

A local council in Scotland has told a chip shop to take down a banner which labels it as the “birthplace” of the deep-fried Mars bar. Staff at the Carron Fish Bar in Stonehaven claim to have dreamt up the calorie-heavy snack in the mid-1990s. Now the council say the banner, popular with tourists, spoils the look of the town.

10. Briefing: could – and should – the NHS be privatised?

The future of the NHS is one of the most hotly debated topics and one of the most divisive aspects is the privatisation of health services. The NHS in England has a "substantial financial problem", particularly in the hospital sector, according to its former chief executive Sir David Nicholson. He said the scale of the problem could become worse than the £1bn deficit he faced when he first took over the NHS in 2006. It is clear that the health service is under huge financial pressure – so could a form of privatisation help fix the "financial hole"?

Pros and cons of privatising the NHS