Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Monday 10 Jun 2013

1. SOURCE OF NSA LEAK REVEALS HIMSELF

A 29-year-old former CIA technical worker has revealed himself as the source of leaks showing US security services receive data about calls made from mobile phone providers. Edward Snowden said he had outed himself after fleeing to Hong Kong and had made the leaks because he believes the practice to be immoral.

Whistleblower Snowden in a fix: but so is this ruthless President

2. TRIBUTES PAID TO AUTHOR IAIN BANKS

The novelist Iain Banks died “peacefully” at the age of 59 yesterday morning, according to a statement by his wife Adele, who married him at Easter after he was diagnosed with cancer of the gall bladder. Fellow writer Neil Gaiman tweeted: “I’m crying in an empty house. A good man and a friend for almost 30 years.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Tributes flood in to Scottish 'literary great' Iain Banks

3. DAM BURSTS ON RIVER ELBE

Thousands of people in the German city of Magdeburg have been forced to leave their homes after a dam burst on the River Elbe as flooding continued. The breach took place near the village of Fischbeck and has affected rail links to Berlin. Water levels along the Elbe reached a record high of 7.5 metres on Sunday. The normal reading would be just over two meters.

4. MEN WHO PLANNED EDL ATTACK JAILED

Six Islamic extremists who plotted a bloody attack on an English Defence League rally have been jailed for terms ranging from 18 years and 9 months to 19-and-a-half years. The men, who are all from the West Midlands, had admitted in April planning the attack on the EDL rally held in Yorkshire last year.

Judge concerned by 'extremist material' as EDL plotters jailed

5. PRAYERS AS MANDELA STAYS IN HOSPITAL

Prayers are being said across South Africa as former president Nelson Mandela remains in a “serious but stable” condition in hospital with a lung infection. Family members who visited the 94-year-old were said to be in good spirits as they left on Sunday but there has been no official update on his health since Saturday.

Why the world weeps for Nelson Mandela

6. EXPLOSION AT OFFICE OF MP NICK BOLES

A man has been arrested following an explosion at the constituency office of Conservative planning minister Nick Boles. Police and fire crews were called to his office in Bourne, Lincolnshire, in the early hours of Monday. It is believed a home-made explosive device was thrown through a window. Nobody was injured in the attack.

7. PM: UK SPY AGENCIES 'OPERATE WITHIN LAW'

Britain’s intelligence agencies "operate with the law" under "proper scrutiny by Parliament, David Cameron insisted today. He was reacting to allegations that the GCHQ eaves-dropping operation has circumvented the law by gaining data on UK citizens gathered in the US. The PM said UK agencies did "a fantastic job to keep us safe".

8. ERIN BROCKOVICH 'DRUNK SAILING' ARREST

The environmental activist Erin Brockovich, made famous by Julia Roberts in an eponymous film, has been arrested near Las Vegas on suspicion of being drunk in charge of a boat. The 52-year-old was docking her boat alone at a harbour on Lake Mead when her behaviour aroused the suspicion of a nearby game warden.

9. BGT EGG THROWER REVEALS HER MOTIVES

Natalie Holt, a 30-year-old violinist who appeared on the Britain’s Got Talent stage during a performance by singers Richard and Adam Johnson and threw eggs, hitting Simon Cowell, says the attack was “a stand against people miming on television and against Simon and his dreadful influence on the music industry”.

Who is Natalie Holt, the woman who 'egged' BGT's Simon Cowell?

10. HOT TICKET: SUMMER EXHIBITION AT THE RA

The Royal Academy’s annual Summer Exhibition opens to the public today. The largest open submission exhibition in the world displays more than 1,000 works in all media by emerging and well-known artists, including Anthony Caro, Grayson Perry and Zaha Hadid. “Impressive,” says the Daily Telegraph. Until 18 August.

Royal Academy's Summer Exhibition a 'lucky dip'