Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Saturday 6 Jul 2019

1. May's aides accused of smear as Boris leads poll

Theresa May’s aides have been accused of “playing petty politics” with Britain's intelligence services in a bid to smear Boris Johnson by suggesting the former Foreign Secretary had been excluded from security briefings. However, The Times reports a YouGov poll suggesting that Johnson is backed by 74% of Tory members with Jeremy Hunt on 26%.

2. Trump and justice department try to force citizenship question

The US justice department is attempting to force the inclusion of a controversial citizenship question on the 2020 census after Donald Trump said he is “very seriously” considering an executive order to get the question included. A census is conducted once in a decade in the US, and a citizenship question has not been asked since the 1950 census.

3. British universities under fire after racism findings

UK universities are under fire for failing to tackle endemic racism against students and staff, reports The Guardian. Staff from minority backgrounds said the findings showed there was “absolute resistance” to dealing with the problem after freedom of information showed that students and staff made at least 996 formal complaints of racism over the past five years.

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4. Second earthquake strikes in Southern California

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake has struck a desert area of Southern California, in the biggest tremor to hit in two decades. The quake’s epicentre was near the city of Ridgecrest, about 240km north-east of Los Angeles. A 6.4 magnitude quake had hit the same region on Thursday at a depth of nearly 11km. There are no reports of casualties or of major damage.

5. Holocaust survivor dies during visit to Auschwitz

Eva Mozes Kor, a survivor of the Holocaust, has passed away in Poland during a trip to Auschwitz. “We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Eva Kor, Holocaust survivor, forgiveness advocate, and founder of CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center,” the museum said on its Twitter account. Kor, who was 85 when she passed away, had said that once she forgave the Nazis she felt “free”.

6. Iran threatens to seize British ship as tensions rise

An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander has threatened to seize a British ship in retaliation for the capture of an Iranian supertanker by Royal Marines in Gibraltar. Mohsen Rezai wrote on Twitter: “If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the authorities’ duty to seize a British oil tanker.” Meanwhile, Donald Trump told reporters at the White House: “Iran has to be very, very careful.”

7. Small print for ‘free bet’ offers at top bookmakers exposed

Gamblers offered “free bets” with some of Britain’s leading bookmakers are finding that they have to spend thousands of pounds before they can withdraw winnings. Although William Hill tells its online casino customers that they can “deposit £10, play with £70,” the lengthy small print states that to withdraw the £70 a customer has to bet £2,400 in 72 hours.

8. Babylon finally declared a Unesco World Heritage Site

The ancient Mesopotamian city of Babylon has been declared a Unesco World Heritage Site following a long campaign. Iraq had been lobbying since the 1980s for the 4,000-year-old site to be added to the UN list. Although the site has suffered from being used as a base for US troops, it was made famous for its Hanging Gardens, which were among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

9. Aspiring barrister jailed for 10 years over child sex acts

A man has been jailed for 10 years after recording more than 150 children carrying out sex acts he told them to perform. Owain Thomas, an aspiring barrister from south Wales, targeted children between the ages of nine and 16, paying some with online game currency to encourage them to perform indecent acts. When police arrested him he said: “I need help.”

10. Murderers who conceal victims' remains face parole refusal

Murderers who refuse to reveal the location of their victims' remains are to be denied parole under a new law. The law will be named after Helen McCourt, who was abducted and murdered in Merseyside in 1988. Although her killer, Ian Simms, was convicted of her murder on overwhelming DNA evidence, he has never admitted guilt or revealed where he left the 22-year-old's body.