Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 8 Jul 2017

1. Grenfell firefighter crews were hampered by equipment

Firefighters at Grenfell Tower were "hampered by equipment", says the BBC. Crews pointed to low water pressure, radio problems and equipment that was either missing or did not arrive quickly enough. Meanwhile, Jeremy Corbyn will say in a speech today that the disaster is an example of "the terrible consequence of austerity".

2. Trump raises electoral meddling claims with Putin

Russia’s foreign minister says Donald Trump accepted Vladimir Putin’s assurances that Russia did not meddle in the US presidential election. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the two leaders "had a very lengthy and robust conversation" on the topic yesterday. Claims that Moscow intervened to tip the election in Trump’s favour have surrounded the US President for several months.

3. Scrap 'Frankenstein' tuition fees, says architect

Tuition fees should be scrapped after becoming a "Frankenstein’s monster", according to their architect. Writing in The Guardian, Andrew Adonis, the former adviser to Tony Blair who also served as an education minister, said: "In my view, fees have now become so politically diseased, they should be abolished entirely." Tuition fees are set to rise to £9,250 next year.

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4. Row as RSCPA asks for police power to seize pets

The RSPCA wants "police powers" to allow hundreds of its inspectors to enter private property and "seize pets", reports the Daily Telegraph. The controversial charity, which a cross-party group of MPs has accused of "targeting vulnerable, ill and elderly" people and removing their pets, wants to be able to gain access to gardens, sheds and outhouses without a police officer.

5. Theresa May has 'no regrets' over the early election

Theresa May claims she has no regrets about calling the snap election despite its outcome. Speaking after an unnamed minister said that she was a "lame horse" prime minister, May admitted the election "didn’t come out as I hoped it would". But she added: "There’s two ways the government can react to that. We can be very timid and sit back or we can be bold and that’s what we are going to be."

6. Thousands of migrants removed from Paris streets

Police removed 2,771 migrants from a camp in Paris yesterday. The migrants, predominantly from Sudan, Eritrea and Afghanistan, were bussed to gyms and sports centres requisitioned across the region. The majority of the migrants were sleeping "on pavements, on building sites and under flyovers" says The Times, adding that they "needed little persuasion to board the coaches".

7. Calls for clampdown amid 'scary' acid attack surge

A surge in acid attacks in England has led to calls to restrict sales. Such attacks have doubled in London in three years, with experts linking the increase to a crackdown on knives and guns. Dr Simon Harding, a senior lecturer in criminology at Middlesex University, said the figures are "genuinely scary". Campaigners say it is too easy to buy acid over the counter.

8. Soldiers killed in militant attack in Sinai peninsula

At least 23 soldiers were killed in a car explosion and gun attack on an Egyptian military checkpoint in the north-eastern Sinai peninsula, officials have said. In the deadliest on the country’s military so far this year, several officers were killed, including a high-ranking special forces colonel, Ahmed el-Mansi. After the attack, the militants looted the checkpoint, taking away weapons and ammunition.

9. Mark Carney passes £1m housing allowance milestone

Mark Carney’s latest annual financial package shows that the Bank of England governor has hit £1m in housing allowance since taking the reins in 2013. The Canadian is entitled to £250,000 a year to help with rent - almost £5,000 a week. The 52-year-old, sometimes referred to as the George Clooney of finance, has been praised for taking the Tube to work.

10. High inflation and low rates eat away at UK nest eggs

UK savers will lose £1.5billion this year as rocketing inflation eats away at the value of their nest eggs. According to BlackRock, families are hiding away more than £60bn in cash for long-term savings and investments, but with interest rates at record lows and inflation at a four-year high of 2.9%, the value of these funds is being steadily eroded.