Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 4 Jul 2017

1. Hammond: 'We must hold nerve on austerity'

Chancellor Philip Hammond has said his policy on public sector pay has not changed and the government must "hold its nerve" on austerity, despite cabinet ministers suggesting the public sector pay increase cap could be lifted. A government report yesterday found that teachers' pay had fallen by £3 an hour in real terms in ten years.

2. May keeps terror funding report back

Theresa May is personally responsible for not publishing a government report on the funding of extremists in the UK commissioned by David Cameron, according to a written answer to Green party co-leader Caroline Lucas from the Prime Minister's office. Lucas says fear of offending Saudi Arabia may be the cause of the delay.

3. Call for NHS cancer gene tests

England's chief medical officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies, wants the NHS to routinely offer DNA tests to cancer patients in order to identify the best treatment. Davies wants 'whole genome screening' (WGS) to become as normal as blood tests or biopsies within five years so that treatments can be tailored to the individual.

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4. Nearly 50,000 children 'are in gangs'

A report from the Children's Commissioner's office warns that 46,000 children in England are in gangs. The Commissioner, Anne Longfield, said the figures were "just the tip of the iceberg". The report collates figures from several government departments and says that 580,000 children are vulnerable enough to need state help.

5. Trump taunts Kim Jong-un via Twitter

Donald Trump yesterday mocked North Korean leader Kim Jong-un after another missile test by the dictatorship. The US President wrote: "Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?" Critics pointed out that Trump himself was playing golf during American independence day events as he took to the micro-blogging site.

6. Subway to open 500 new branches

Sandwich chain Subway is to open 500 new stores in the UK and Ireland, bringing the total to 3,000 by 2020. The chain says it hopes the new branches, along with a new online ordering system, will create 5,000 new jobs. The world's largest fast food brand, Subway says around 150 of the new shops could open by the end of this year.

7. Grenfell Tower inquiry to broaden scope

Sir Martin Moore-Bick, the retired judge leading the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire, says he is prepared to broaden the scope of the inquiry and consider issues including building regulations at the time the block was erected and why warnings of fire risk from residents were ignored. He had previously suggested a narrower focus.

8. BBC to fight Netflix on children's viewing

The BBC is to invest an additional £34m in children's services over three years, with a significant part of the new money spent online. The broadcaster says it will reinvent itself "for a new generation" as it tries to beat off online competition from Amazon and Netflix. By 2020, the annual budget for children will be £124.4m.

9. British jihadi 'wants to come home'

The wife of a foreign Islamic State (IS) fighter who has escaped to a Syrian refugee camp has claimed that British jihadi Sally Jones now wants to "come home". Jones is a "former punk rocker who became the leading female recruitment officer for IS", says Sky News. Her terrorist husband was killed in an air strike in 2015.

10. Briefing: Five unusual charities worth your money

An increasing number of charities are going beyond traditional models of fundraising and distribution to come up with creative ways to improve the lives of those in need, both at home and abroad.

Facing cuts to their government grants, more social initiatives are going "back to the drawing board" to make up the shortfall, says Huffington Post - and the results are "cause for optimism".

If you've got some money to put towards a good cause, and you'd like to support truly innovative philanthropy at the same time, here are five charities that break the mould.

Five unusual charities worth your money