Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Sunday 17 Sep 2017

1. Trump administration denies u-turn on climate accord

The White House has insisted it will leave the Paris climate accord, despite reports that it may be changing its stance. Officials who met a Trump administration representative yesterday said afterwards the US would either stay in the 2015 accord or change its approach, but the White House said "there has been no change" in Washington's position "unless we can re-enter on terms that are more favourable to our country".

2. Angry Tories say May should sack Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson should be fired, irate Tories have told Theresa May. The foreign secretary infuriated Conservative MPs when he outlined his own personal vision of a hard Brexit just days before the PM is expected to outline possible areas for compromise with Brussels in a speech in Florence. However, Boris Johnson has insisted he is "all behind" May.

3. Police make 'significant' arrest in Parsons Green probe

Police have arrested an 18-year-old man in connection with Friday's attack on a London Tube train. A spokesman described the arrest as "significant" after the teenager was seized in the port area of Dover at 7.50am. Meanwhile, armed police are continuing to search a house in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey. Home Secretary Amber Rudd says "the operation is on-going".

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4. Philip Hammond 'to cut tuition fees by £5,000'

The chancellor is considering cuts to tuition fees that would save students at least £5,000 over a three year course, reports The Sunday Times. Philip Hammond is examining ways to cap annual charges at £7,500 instead of the current level of £9,250, according to sources. It is believed the proposals will be revealed as part of the Autumn Budget.

5. Hamas says its ready to negotiate with rivals Fatah

Hamas has agreed to hold talks with its Palestinian rival Fatah movement and hold general elections to end their long-running feud, the group said in a statement. Since the two factions fought in 2007, attempts to reconcile them and form a power-sharing unity government in Gaza and the West Bank have failed. The Observer says Hamas "faces unprecedented challenges from all sides".

6. Women are outperforming men in hedge funds

Hedge funds run by women have produced returns two times higher than their male counterparts in 2017, reports the Financial Times. The sector, which has been described as "male, pale and stale", now faces renewed pressure to recruit more female portfolio managers. "We bring slightly different approaches to analysis and risk. Our diversity is complementary," said Helena Morrissey, spokeswoman for Legal & General Investment Management.

7. Four dead after M5 crash in Gloucestershire

Four people have died after a crash involving several vehicles and a lorry on the M5 in south Gloucestershire. A woman and two children are in hospital in a life-threatening condition, police added. The incident occurred when a lorry smashed through the central reservation and collided with oncoming traffic. Last month, eight people were killed on the M1 motorway in a collision involving a minibus and two lorries.

8. Two-thirds would pay more tax to support NHS

A new survey found that two in three people are prepared to pay more tax in order to maintain sufficient funding for the National Health Service. The King’s Fund thinktank found that two-thirds (66%) of the public are willing "to pay more taxes in order to maintain the level of spending needed" on the NHS. The figure is one of the highest ever recorded in polling on the question.

9. Ed Sheeran cancels Missouri gig amid security fears

A US concert from British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has been cancelled amid protests over the acquittal of a white former police officer charged over the killing of a black man. Although tickets for the gig in St Louis, Missouri, were sold out, police said they could not commit to a "sufficient" level of security in the wake of the demonstrations.

10. Mental-health sick leave among firefighters rockets

The rate of fire and rescue staff taking long-term sick leave due to mental illness has risen by nearly a third over the last six years. In London, the figure has doubled. In 2017, 103 London fire staff have taken mental health leave, some after working at Grenfell Tower. "Firefighters... see some traumatising things and it is important to give them the support they need,” said the London Fire Brigade.