Ten Things You Need to Know Today: Thursday 9 Apr 2015

1. US TO IRAN: DON’T SUPPORT YEMEN REBELS

US secretary of state John Kerry has warned Iran he will not “stand by” if it destabilises the middle east by lending support to the Houthi rebels who have overrun Yemen, forcing president Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi to flee to Saudi Arabia. Kerry said the US would support any state which felt threatened by Iran.

2. TORIES: MILIBAND WOULD ‘BARTER TRIDENT’

The Conservatives have insisted that Ed Miliband would be willing to end Trident, the UK’s nuclear defence, if the SNP demanded it as a condition of supporting a minority Labour government. Speaking on TV last night SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon said she wants new powers over tax and spending.

3. GENETIC LINK FOUND TO SEXUAL OFFENDING

The first study of its kind suggests a man’s genetic inheritance can make him more likely to commit a sexual offence. Swedish and UK scientists found men were four times more likely to carry out a sex crime if their father had committed a similar offence - and only 50-60% of that risk was due to social factors.

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Genetic link to sex crime found: but will it help prevent abuse?

4. JEWELLERY HEIST: TOP FOOTBALLERS HIT

More than one Premier League footballer is likely to be among the victims of the Hatton Garden safety deposit box heist, Sky News claims. Up to 70 boxes were broken into in the highly organised raid over the weekend which one former senior policeman said was carried out by a “professional team”.

5. EX-IMAM SHOOTING: TERROR POLICE PROBE

Counter-terrorism police are investigating the murder on Tuesday of a Syrian-born ex-Imam who was found shot in the chest in his car in Wembley, London. Abdul Hadi Arwani, 48, had been a vocal critic of Syria’s autocratic president, Bashar al-Assad. The Met police says it is "open minded" about motive.

6. OBAMA: END GAY ‘CONVERSION THERAPY’

Barack Obama has lent his support to a campaign to stop gay, lesbian or transgender young people undergoing so-called ‘conversion therapy’, designed to ‘cure’ them of their sexual orientation or gender identification. A White House statement said counselling and prayer ‘cures’ were “potentially devastating”.

7. BOSTON BOMBER AWAITS SENTENCING

Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the surviving brother of two responsible for the Boston Marathon bombings, is now waiting to hear if he will spend the rest of his life in jail - or face the death penalty. It took the jury 11 hours yesterday to find the 21-year-old was guilty on all 30 counts. Next week they decide his sentence.

Boston bomber appeal likely to be 'slow, torturous process'

8. CHINA ‘MAY TUNNEL UNDER MOUNT EVEREST’

Chinese media have reported that China may build a rail link between the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, and India - tunnelling under Mount Everest, known locally as Qomolangma. If the plan goes ahead, the tunnel will be completed by 2020. Because of challenging terrain, trains would have a top speed of 120kmph.

9. BATH IS BEST UK UNIVERSITY ‘EXPERIENCE’

Bath offers students the best university “experience” in the UK, according to an annual survey carried out by The Times newspaper. Sheffield, last year’s winner in the poll - which considers academic aspects as well as campus facilities, the cost of amenities, and industry connections - was relegated to third place.

10. BRIEFING: LABOUR'S NON-DOM TAX PLANS

Yesterday's campaigning was dominated by Labour's announcement that it plans to abolish Britain's 200-year-old non-domicile rule, which allows some of the country's wealthiest residents to limit their tax payments. Ed Miliband said that the "non-dom" status has become a symbol of tax avoidance and "makes Britain an offshore tax haven", but the Conservatives claimed that Labour's plans would cost the UK money.

Labour to abolish non-dom tax status: how would it work?