|
Unlock full access to The Telegraph, including all the articles in this newsletter, before our lowest annual offer expires.
|
 |
Rozina Sabur National Security Editor |
Russia is deploying civilian fishing boats to spy on Britain’s critical undersea cables, The Telegraph can disclose following an extensive investigation.
Our analysis shows more than 500 incidents of Russian trawlers loitering above vital communications cables linking Britain with Europe and the US, or following their routes for miles.
It suggests the vessels are mapping the precise locations of fibre-optic cables related to billions of pounds of economic activity every day, potentially allowing them to be attacked in a future conflict with Nato.
The findings, which were confirmed by Nato officials, are significant because of the almost unique vulnerabilities Britain faces. As an island nation, this critical infrastructure keeps us powered and connected to the world.
I spoke to Ian Murray MP, the telecoms minister, ahead of a white paper the Government will publish today laying out plans for cable saboteurs to face lengthy jail terms and unlimited fines as part of a security crackdown.
Murray outlined the urgent need for action, describing how Russia was “using more and more commercial proxies” to do its bidding.
The Royal Navy observed a Russian Akula-class attack submarine close to British waters in April |
“It’s why deterrence is really important,” he said of the Government’s proposals to update 140-year-old legislation to give it stronger tools to protect critical cables. “If we’re putting in place a host of pretty significant penalties to commercial actors here, what we can try to do is deter as much as we possibly can.”
While Murray conceded the proposals would not necessarily discourage Russian submarines, he added: “Most of these proxies are commercial proxies, which would be covered obviously directly by this legislation.”
This report is available only to subscribers.
Continue reading ➤
Royal Navy subs cannot repel Russia’s Arctic fleet, MPs warn ➤
Tom Sharpe: There is only one reason for Russia to chart cables ➤ |
|
Con Coughlin The Kremlin doesn’t need to rely on its old friend winter to win the war against Ukraine Continue reading ➤
Robert Tombs No, the mob isn’t coming for Britain next Continue reading ➤
Allison Pearson The horror of Aberfan will never die, but neither will the humanity Continue reading ➤ |
To make sure you don’t miss our newsletters when they land in your inbox, click here. |
Wendy Dayana Mero Bailan’s father vanished after his boat was struck at sea |
Donald Trump’s other war against small boats allegedly carrying drugs in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific gets less attention than his showdown with Iran. From Ecuador’s “cocaine coast”, Adrian Blomfield, our Senior Foreign Correspondent, reports on a campaign backed by a broader coalition of allies but dogged by allegations of extrajudicial killings. Is Trump winning, and at what cost?
Continue reading ➤
Steve Witkoff salutes ‘humanitarian’ Vladimir Putin ➤ |
|
My 17-year marriage collapsed with a casual conversation in the kitchen as I rinsed strawberries, writes Aine Rock. My husband, barely looking up from his laptop, asked: “Are we ever going to have sex again?” I heard myself say: “I don’t want to do this any more.” He’d only meant sex, but I meant the whole marriage. Suddenly, I knew we were done, and I’ve never looked back... Continue reading ➤ |
|
There is no prouder cricketing venue than Lord’s, writes Will Macpherson, our Deputy Cricket Correspondent, but in recent years, it has a central problem: pitches. I recently headed to NW8 to learn how they are fixing a crisis that came to a head with a dreadful surface for June’s Test against New Zealand. With diggers and huge trays, the penny has certainly dropped. Continue reading ➤ |
|
I used to earn £48,000 working in PR, writes Rob Loveday, but now I’m surviving on less than £100 a week. At 50 years old, I can’t even get a position as a cleaner. Decades of experience are getting me nowhere, and I am being relentlessly rejected at the interview stage. Continue reading ➤ |
|
|
As we age, everyday movements such as reaching for the seatbelt can leave us feeling stiff or with a twinge in our lower back. Left unaddressed, these occasional aches can easily turn into persistent pain. The good news? Adding a few functional movements to your routine can help keep midlife back pain at bay. Here, Tanya Wyatt guides us through her simple but effective workout. For subscribers only ➤ Here is another article that I hope you’ll find helpful this morning:
- What would you do if Nato was on the brink of war with Russia? Take your place in The War Room – a live, interactive experience from The Telegraph, hosted by Dominic Nicholls, Associate Editor, Defence, and plot Britain’s response to an escalating geopolitical scenario. Secure your place here.
|
‘You secretly admire the Sussexes’In this column, one of our writers takes an unfashionable position, either defending a subject that’s been unfairly maligned or criticising something that most people love.
 |
Victoria Ward Deputy Royal Editor |
There is a classic moment in The Breakfast Club when John Bender says to Claire Standish: “Sweets, you couldn’t ignore me if you tried.”
For all the hate and bile hurled at the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, it seems to me that they could very easily say the same.
They could shout it from the rooftops, in fact.
Because if you really didn’t care about Harry and Meghan, you wouldn’t be reading about them, or following their exploits (albeit with an arched eyebrow), or taking the time to criticise them online.
Everyone has an opinion about this couple, and everyone wants to know what they are really like – and I mean everyone. Whether it’s my 75-year-old aunty, my mortgage adviser or my 17-year-old neighbour.
Our coverage of the Harry and Meghan drama is always up there among the best-performing stories of the day. You, dear readers, are lapping it up. Is it akin to those endless tailbacks when drivers slow down to gawp at an accident?
People simply can’t avert their eyes from this psychodrama, every twist and turn of which is unfolding under our noses.
The reality, however, might be more simple. You don’t hate them at all. In fact, you secretly rather admire these two young upstarts who have turned royal convention on its head.
Yes, the Prince and Princess of Wales are dutifully plodding along, insisting they are doing things differently, winning plaudits for ring-fencing family life and refusing to spend their precious time traversing the country shaking hands and unveiling plaques.
Harry and Meghan, meanwhile, are the true innovators who refused to be beaten into submission by the men in grey suits, refused to follow the path set out for them. They moved thousands of miles away in search of freedom and cold hard cash. Now, like the prodigal son, they are back.
The sniping and private revelations that dominated the intervening years were ill-advised, but did they deserve to be cast as the dark to their fellow royals’ saintly light?
Harry has had more than his fair share of trauma and remains deeply affected by both the death of his mother and his relatively lowly position in the royal hierarchy.
The couple has been cast as scapegoats by a world that loves to hate. It has become fashionable to detest them, they are easy bait and have been held up as symbols of broader ideological conflict such as race, culture wars, and even political identity.
In the real world – not social media or the readers’ comment section on our own esteemed website – Harry and Meghan are received with hugs and warm affection. They are still feted as that young progressive couple we were introduced to back in 2017.
Playing devil’s advocate, of course, the ongoing obsession with these two, regardless of sentiment, does suggest you rather do care, after all.
Do you agree with Victoria? Send your replies here. Please confirm in your response that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name. |
See it, say it, silence...Every weekday, Orlando Bird, our loyal Reader Correspondent, shares an off-piste topic that has brought out the best of your opinions and stories. Orlando writes...
Having already used his everyman antennae to establish that people enjoy eating bar snacks, Andy Burnham has conjured up another crowd-pleaser. The Prime Minister proposes to introduce fines of up to £1,000 for train passengers who take it upon themselves to DJ uninvited for the rest of the carriage.
Telegraph readers, it’s fair to say, are not noted for their adulation of Burnham, but some of you think he’s got the right idea here.
Chris Pearce wrote: “An excellent initiative. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve moved seats over the last year or two because of noise. Ultimately this is just about common courtesy, but it is clearly something we have trouble with in Britain.”
Neil Martin thought the plan could go further: “How about including those who have no idea how to use a phone? Instead of simply putting it to their ear, they hold it out in front of them and have a full volume chat so we can hear both sides of the conversation.”
Others, such as Patsie Goulding, had doubts: “Given the reluctance of guards to move through the train and ensure that passengers who do not have first-class tickets are not making use of first-class seats, I am sceptical as to whether these rules will be enforced.”
Kevin Duffy, meanwhile, wondered if passengers were the real menace: “There are too many on-board train announcements, and these cause more disruption to a peaceful journey than the occasional moron playing music without headphones.
“Passengers have to suffer an endless loop of pointless announcements welcoming them aboard and reminding them where the service is from, where it is going and where it is stopping along the way. They are also told to report anything suspicious, to remember their luggage, to mind the gap while alighting and more besides.” What’s worse: a stranger’s Spotify playlist or “See it. Say it. Sorted”? Send your responses here, and the best of the bunch will feature in a future edition of this newsletter.
Please confirm in your reply that you are happy to be featured and that we have your permission to use your name. |
|
1879 | Thomas Edison perfects the carbonised cotton filament light bulb
1966 | MI6 officer George Blake, who worked as a double agent for the Soviets, escapes from Wormwood Scrubs
2019 | Parliament approves Brexit deal to leave the EU but rejects legislation to fast-track it to meet Oct 31 deadline (see our front page coverage from the following day below)
Birthdays: Jeff Goldblum (74), Arsène Wenger (77), Christopher Lloyd (88)
Also in the news this week, the fuselage of a Spitfire kept in an enthusiast’s garage for more than two decades has sold at auction. What was the winning bid?
1. £8,000
2. £10,000
3. £18,000
4. £81,000
Click one of the options to reveal the answer... |
|
Find as many words as you can in today’s Panagram, including the nine-letter solution. Visit Telegraph Puzzles to play a range of head-scratching games, including The 1% Club, Cogs, and Quick, Mini or Cryptic Crosswords.
Yesterday’s Panagram was EXHIBITOR. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle. |
Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow. Chris Evans, Editor
I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk. |
|
Unlock full access to The Telegraph, including all the articles in this newsletter, before our lowest annual offer expires.
|
|
.jpg)
.jpg )
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
%20(1).jpg )
%20(1).jpg)
.png)
.png){kind=icon}
.jpg)
.png){kind=icon}
.png )
