Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Wednesday 23 Nov 2016

1. Autumn Statement boosts affordable housing

Chancellor Philip Hammond has announced a £23bn Productivity Investment Fund to boost domestic output in his first Autumn Statement. He has also pledged £2.3bn to free up land for an extra 100,000 affordable homes a year, announced a programme of road and rail schemes and unveiled £1bn to boost super-fast broadband and 5G mobile connectivity.

Autumn Statement 2016: Real wages will not grow for a decade, says IFS

2. Trump disavows 'alt-right' groups

US president-elect Donald Trump told the New York Times he "disavows" the so-called "alt-right" groups of far-right thinkers and white supremacists who supported his candidacy. But he defended his newly appointed chief strategist Steve Bannon, of Breitbart News, saying he was not "racist or alt-right" but merely "conservative".

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

What is Hillary Clinton doing now?

3. Obama honours 'brave' Ellen DeGeneres

US President Barack Obama yesterday awarded chat show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honour, praising her bravery in coming out as gay in 1997 and saying she carried an "incredible burden" in doing so. Tom Hanks and Diana Ross were also honoured.

4. Heinz baked bean can song advert banned

A Heinz advert encouraging people to beat a rhythm on baked bean cans has been banned by the Advertising Standards Authority, which said it "prejudiced health and safety". Three people complained the ad could encourage unsafe practice, while six people were worried it might be dangerous for children.

5. Former Nato chief Petraeus would serve under Trump

General David Petraeus, the former commander of US and Nato forces in Afghanistan and head of the CIA, says he would be willing to serve under Donald Trump. Petraeus, who resigned in 2012 after sharing classified material with a biographer with whom he was having an affair, said his answer would be: "Yes, Mr President" if asked.

US and Russia spar over vetoed Syria sanctions

6. Thomas Mair guilty of murdering Jo Cox

White supremacist Thomas Mair has been jailed for life after being found guilty of the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox. It took a jury just one hour to convict the 53-year-old, who declined to give evidence during the trial and was refused permission to address the court after the verdict. Mair shot and stabbed Cox to death in June in a politically motivated attack.

Jo Cox report urges UK to help world's troubled regions

7. Government rebuked for NHS £10bn claim

The watchdog that oversees how ministers present statistics to the public has rebuked the government over Theresa May's claim she was giving NHS funding a £10bn boost. The UK Statistics Authority asked the Treasury to look into how NHS data is presented in order to avoid the risk of further confusion for the public.

8. South Korea's presidential office admits Viagra purchase

South Korean president Park Geun-hye's office has admitted using public money to buy 360 Viagra or generic copy pills, saying they were intended to help staff fight altitude sickness during visits to Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya. Park is facing impeachment over claims she let an associate meddle in government.

9. Galloway recovers after being attacked with glitter

Former MP George Galloway is said to be "feeling better" after reportedly having glitter thrown at him while he was giving a speech at Aberdeen University. The politician tweeted he had "an unknown substance in my eyes and lungs" but managed to continue his speech.

10. Briefing: Why ATMs are doling out free money

Cash machines across the world have handed out millions of pounds to criminals in "jackpotting" operations, according to the FBI. A cyber gang broke into bank computing systems in Taiwan and Thailand over the summer, with police in Taipei called out on 10 July to reports of ATMs spitting out banknotes. By the following day, criminals had collected more than $2m without using bank cards.

Cash machines dole out money after cyber attacks