Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Tuesday 18 Jun 2019

1. US deploys 1,000 troops following Iranian ‘aggression’

US Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan says he is sending an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East in response to “hostile behaviour by Iranian forces and their proxy groups”. The move comes days after the US blamed Iran for attacks on two internationally owned oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. As tensions grow, Iran is threatening to breach the terms of its nuclear pact with world powers.

2. Conservative leadership hopefuls face next vote

The six remaining candidates to replace Theresa May as Tory leader face a second round of voting by Conservative MPs today, with a result expected after 6pm. The Times says Michael Gove is trying to “halt the momentum gathering behind Rory Stewart” by telling MPs to avoid aggravating Tory divisions by ensuring both final candidates in the race are Brexiteers.

3. Former Egypt leader Mohammed Morsi dies in court

Former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi collapsed and died in a court in Cairo yesterday. The 67-year-old, the nation’s first democratically elected leader, was on trial for allegedly spying for Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Morsi was deposed by then-defence minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi in 2013 after just a year in power, and his Muslim Brotherhood party banned.

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4. Manchester United fans top table for racism arrests

Fans of Manchester United topped the table for football-related arrests that involved racism between 2014 and 2018, new figures show. Data released after a freedom of information request shows that 27 people recorded as fans of the Old Trafford club were arrested during the football seasons in that period. Leeds United and Millwall FC came second, with 15 arrests each.

5. Dogs’ eye muscles ‘evolve to appeal to humans’

The muscles around dogs’ eyes have evolved to appeal to human beings by making the animals look like infants, evoking a response to protect them, according to a new study. A UK-US team of anatomists and psychologists found that over time, humans have had an “unconscious preference” to breed dogs selectively to encourage the muscle to evolve.

6. ITV ditches all-male comedy writing teams

ITV will no longer commission comedy shows written by all-male teams, the broadcaster’s head of comedy has announced. Saskia Schuster said that after realising there had been “a significant lack of shows written by women or with women on the writing teams”, she has changed ITV’s contracts and hired more female writers.

7. Jeremy Irons defends activists after fascist attack

Actor Jeremy Irons made an impassioned speech in Rome yesterday in which he called for action against the rise of political extremism in Europe, after four activists were beaten up by skinheads in the Italian city. Irons was speaking at an open-air cinema club that has won praise for campaigning against fascist gangs in working-class areas.

8. Heathrow publishes masterplan for third runway

An architect’s vision for the expansion of Heathrow Airport published today shows how a third runway could be constructed with new terminals. The “masterplan” proposes diverting rivers, moving roads and re-routing the M25 in order to make a third runway by 2026, with the full expansion of the airport due to be completed by 2050.

9. Three queens gather in London for garter ceremony

The annual Garter Day ceremony at Windsor Castle yesterday was blessed by the presence of a trio of queens. In addition to Queen Elizabeth II, Queen Letizia of Spain and Queen Maxima of the Netherlands both attended in order to see their husbands, King Felipe and King Willem-Alexander, made companions of the ancient Order of the Garter.

10. Briefing: why Trump Heights is controversial

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a new settlement in the disputed Golan Heights region named after his nation’s “great friend” Donald Trump.

Building work has yet to begin on the settlement, but already the move has sparked debate online, with reactions ranging from praise to ridicule. Here’s why.

Where is Trump Heights and why is it controversial?