|
One year of free-thinking journalism, puzzles and more – all for just £19.
|
 |
Charles Hymas Home Affairs Editor |
Shabana Mahmood is set to announce legal changes on Monday enabling Britain to deport the Pakistan-born ringleader of the Rochdale grooming gang.
The Home Secretary is expected to say how the Government will amend provisions in the 1971 Immigration Act that currently prevent Britain from deporting Shabir Ahmed, 73, who was freed from prison last week.
Shabir Ahmed was convicted of 30 child rape charges after leading the Rochdale grooming gang |
He was released after serving 14 years of a 22-year sentence for 30 child rape offences but cannot be returned to Pakistan despite having been stripped of his British citizenship.
As first revealed in The Telegraph, Ahmed has avoided deportation because the act exempts Commonwealth citizens who came to Britain before 1973 and have lived here for at least five years.
Mahmood is expected to announce that officials have found a way to close the loophole without jeopardising the right to remain in Britain of other Commonwealth citizens, including the Windrush generation of migrants from the Caribbean.
The announcement will coincide with the second reading of Mahmood’s Immigration and Asylum Bill on Monday, but it is not known whether the changes will be fast-tracked as separate legislation or incorporated as a Government amendment.
It is understood that Mahmood insisted that officials got the changes right and avoided unintended consequences, rather than rushing things.
However, the Government will still face difficulties, as Pakistan has so far refused to take Ahmed back amid a row over whether or not he renounced his Pakistani citizenship.
A senior Pakistani government official told The Telegraph: “These demands [to take back Ahmed] are being made about somebody who is now around 75 and who has spent more than 60 years in your country. How is he our national when he is actually not our national? This is arrogance and a colonial mindset. It is unacceptable to us.”
Read the full story here ➤ |
Donald Trump speaks at the Nato leaders’ summit, as Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth stand behind him |
 |
Henry Bodkin Jerusalem Correspondent |
On previous occasions when the fragile US-Iran ceasefire has wobbled, Donald Trump has sought to make light of it, so desperate was he for peace.
His response this week could not have been in sharper contrast.
After Iran attacked three commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, and America responded by striking around 80 Iranian targets, the US president stunned the Nato summit by declaring the memorandum of understanding “over” and the Iranian regime “scum”. Iran hit US military bases in Bahrain and Kuwait last night in response to a wave of US strikes on targets near the strait.
A fire is seen at a port in Kuhestak near the Strait of Hormuz after a US strike |
Certainly the Islamic Republic is pushing its luck: the memorandum demands freedom of navigation in the Gulf, but the IRGC wants to control it.
Could the bitterness of Trump’s language be explained not just by Iran’s technical violations, but something more personal?
Since the sprawling, multi-day funeral of Ali Khamenei, the late supreme leader, began at the weekend, the president – an obsessive television watcher – will have seen repeated calls for his own death.
People hold up a banner calling for revenge against Donald Trump at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral |
From hanging effigies to large banners pledging millions for his murder, Trump has become the focal point for all the feelings of revenge and defiance currently at large in Tehran.
This is in spite of the two nations supposedly being in negotiations to end the fighting permanently.
“Crazy people,” he said yesterday. “There’s no point talking to them.”
If, as now seems more likely than ever, the agreement does fall apart, Trump’s critics will say it was no good in the first place, a desperate sticking plaster to bring a halt to an unpopular war.
If that turns out to be the case, he will be faced with an unpalatable choice: grant further concessions to Iran to restore freedom of navigation, accept that Iran controls the strait indefinitely, or return to all-out war.
This analysis is available only to subscribers.
Continue reading ➤
Latest updates: Iran hits US military bases in retaliatory strikes ➤
Trump ‘forced to use old Air Force One over security fears’ ➤
Sign up to Cables to receive our unparalleled foreign affairs journalism in your inbox every weekday ➤ |
|
Allister Heath Reform seems to have given up trying to appeal to the non-populist conservatives it needs to win a majority Continue reading ➤
Jake Wallis Simons Trump’s Iran errors are catching up with him Continue reading ➤
William Sitwell It’s impossible for me to drive at 20mph Continue reading ➤ |
To make sure you don’t miss our newsletters when they land in your inbox, click here. |
Arthur Fery in Wimbledon wonderland as he put on a display that blew away Flavio Cobolli Credit: James Veysey/Shutterstock |
 |
Simon Briggs Tennis Correspondent at Wimbledon |
Arthur Fery continued his journey into the Wimbledon history books by defeating ninth seed Flavio Cobolli in sensational style: 7-5, 7-6, 6-0.
This was another stunning performance from the uncannily unflappable 23-year-old, who came into the tournament as the world No 114, but will leave it as the British No 1 and a top-40 player.
After a short chat with the Queen in the Wimbledon clubhouse, Fery strode on to the court and placed his name in the mix alongside tennis royalty: fellow semi-finalists Alexander Zverev, Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner.
Continue reading ➤
Jim White: Wimbledon crowd love Arthur Fery as one of their own – despite what the French say ➤
 |
Ben Rumsby Sports Investigations Reporter |
Argentina’s World Cup win over Egypt has sent conspiracy theorists into overdrive with accusations the tournament has been “fixed” in favour of Lionel Messi’s side.
Messi appears to catch Aissa Mandi on the calf during Argentina’s opening match, but escapes a red card |
After Donald Trump claimed to have had a suspension for US striker Folarin Balogun overturned, Argentina’s 3-2 win prompted incendiary allegations of rigging from Egyptian star Mostafa Zico.
The lack of supporting evidence has done little to stop theories about Messi’s defending champions that have been mounting ever since the tournament began.
Continue reading ➤
Talking of conspiracy theories, scroll down for a special Inexplicable. |
George, a former Conservative turned Reform voter in Clacton |
In Clacton-on-Sea, Nigel Farage has launched the ultimate populist gamble and triggered a snap by-election to clear his name after allegations of dodgy donations. On a visit to the Essex seaside town, Annabel Denham, our Senior Political Commentator, finds his constituents starkly divided. Loyalists still back the Reform leader, but patience is limited for the “grifter” who has brought a “circus” to the town.
For subscribers only ➤
Meanwhile, Count Binface is set to be the only major challenger to Farage in the Clacton by-election. Nick Gutteridge, our Chief Political Correspondent, lifts the lid on the novelty candidate.
Continue reading ➤ |
|
 |
Josh Kerr testing his running spikes and kit, designed by Brooks |
It is the biggest innovation leap I have seen in recent times, writes Josh Kerr, and it is what I will be wearing for my world record one-mile attempt in London next week. Yes, after months of testing with world-leading experts, I am proud to unveil the spikes and speed suit that have been custom-designed to my running style and body. They are incredible. They feel amazing. Here’s the story behind the fastest middle-distance running kit ever made. Continue reading ➤ |
|
|
Series one of The Office was one of the worst-rated shows on the 2001 audience appreciation index |
The Office may now be considered one of our greatest sitcoms, but 25 years ago it was another story. Viewed by some at the BBC as a “weird documentary”, it had dire ratings and tested well below a ladies’ bowls tournament. Did it work? Just a bit, writes Tom Fordy.
Continue reading ➤
David Brent is Back… Sort Of
★★★★☆
Hosted by Ricky Gervais, who is notably not part of the BBC’s effort to mark 25 years of The Office, this retrospective is, according to Anita Singh, our Arts and Entertainment Editor, “beautifully simple”. She adds: “He sits in a studio and introduces his 25 favourite David Brent clips, explaining why he likes them. One of the joys ... is that Gervais hoots with laughter too as he recalls each scene.”
(available on YouTube)
Mackenzie Crook & Martin Freeman Remember… The Office
★★☆☆☆
The BBC’s own tribute to The Office is an oddly sombre affair, with an earnest Crook and Freeman sat opposite each other in what Anita describes as “Frost/Nixon style”. She continues: “While Crook gave us a brilliant comedy character in Gareth Keenan, in real life he’s extremely earnest.”
(available on BBC iPlayer) Read Anita’s full review ➤ |
|
|
Ravi Mathu and Stephen Higgins run Elton Village Store near Peterborough |
When Stephen and Ravi swapped Canary Wharf hair salons for a local shop in the village of Elton, they didn’t expect the villagers to “become family”. Now, Elton Village Store has been awarded Village Shop of the Year at the Countryside Alliance Awards, otherwise known as the “rural Oscars”, sponsored by The Telegraph. Yet beneath the idyllic thatched roofs, shopkeepers are working 15-hour days without making a profit. Jack Rear explores the bruising reality of Britain’s rural shops, and how they are fighting back.
Continue reading ➤
Which is your favourite village shop? Let us know here ➤ |
|
|
Sunglasses are a summer essential, yet few know what to look for when wandering into a store, writes Tamara Abraham, our Senior Fashion Editor. Instead, we meander across displays trying things at random. Of course you want a pair that best suits your face and personality, but how to go about finding that? We asked a panel of eyewear experts, then put their advice to the test on a cast of willing colleagues. Continue reading ➤ Here is another helpful article to read this morning:
|
‘There’s all these adult pigeons, but where are all the babies? They come out of the factory as adults’ said Peter McIndoe, the movement’s founder |
As our resident myth-buster, Sarah Knapton has seen a thing or two. Now, she’s taking on some of the world’s best-known conspiracy theories to see if they hold water. This week, she weighs up the idea that birds might actually not be real...
 |
Sarah Knapton Science Editor |
Have you ever seen a baby pigeon? It is a question that began circulating on social media around a decade ago and was linked to one of this era’s oddest conspiracy theories.
In 2017, the movement Birds Aren’t Real surfaced, its key tenet being that between 1969 and 2001, the US government killed 12 billion birds in the United States by dropping poison from aircraft.
The motive for this avian atrocity was to replace each bird with a surveillance drone replica in disguise, so that the government could spy on the American people.
These drone birds recharged their batteries by perching on power lines, and the group argued that nobody ever saw a baby pigeon because the robots were only manufactured to resemble adults.
The theory suggests that the US government secretly replaced birds with robots for nearly two decades |
“It’s weird,” said Peter McIndoe, the Birds Aren’t Real founder, a self-confessed “bird truther”.
“There’s all these adult pigeons, but where are all the babies? They come out of the factory as adults.”
The group held rallies in several US cities, put up billboards and handed out leaflets and merchandise carrying the phrases “if it flies, it spies” and “birdwatching goes both ways”.
Proponents claimed that Allen Dulles, the CIA director, had concocted the bird-swapping plan with Dwight Eisenhower, the US president, in 1956, to combat the growing threat of communism.
However, the most fascinating thing about this particular conspiracy theory is that it was never real, but a Gen Z satirical project...
Continue reading ➤ |
British classicsEvery 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...
Three cheers for Mrs Beeton! Although Britain’s food culture isn’t as widely and vigorously derided as it used to be, it’s fair to say that our homegrown dishes remain relatively unsung. That, according to Tomé Morrissy-Swan, is a shame, and he should know, because he has been busy making them. Amid the tripe and onions, there are indeed delicacies to be found. Rumbledethumps, anyone?
Dave Price, meanwhile, extolled “Lancashire hot pot, followed by bread and butter pudding or in-season rhubarb pie”.
Tomé declared himself unimpressed by parsley sauce, but Vicky Daniels urged him to reconsider: “Made properly with fresh parsley from the garden, it’s a delight. Serve with halibut and mashed potatoes. Cook the halibut in milk and use the milk for the sauce. Delicious.”
Matt Podmore, meanwhile, observed: “It is interesting to see how calorific our traditional foods were. Then you remember that they are from a colder period (no central heating) and one of manual labour.
“I remember parsley sauce with a lot of fondness, and its mild flavour with mash and cod was great for kids. British food has to be prepared with a lot of skill and good timing: too much or too little time can ruin a pudding, for instance. Done well, though, it’s fantastic.”
Simon Newman lamented that one surefire source of calories was becoming ever harder to find: “In the past 12 months, lard has disappeared from supermarkets. I do miss it for making shortcrust pastry, half-and-half with butter.” What’s your favourite British dish? 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. |
|
1776 | US Declaration of Independence is read to George Washington’s troops in New York
1877 | First Wimbledon tennis championship begins, featuring men’s singles only
1947 | Engagement of Princess Elizabeth, the future Queen, and Philip Mountbatten (see our front page from the following day)
2001 | The Office premieres on BBC Two
Birthdays: Douglas Booth (33), Courtney Love (61), Tom Hanks (69)
Plus, in the news today, a British Airways flight was cancelled because its crew reportedly became too drunk on a night out. Where were they partying?
Flight BA254 was cancelled on Sunday after crew members were allegedly unfit to fly |
1. Ibiza
2. Barbados
3. Mallorca
4. Zakynthos
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 BIZARRELY. 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
P.S. I’d love to hear what you think of this newsletter. You can email me your feedback at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk. |
|
One year of free-thinking journalism, puzzles and more – all for just £19.
|
|
.png)
.jpg )
.jpg)
.png){kind=icon}
.jpg)
.jpg )
.jpg )
%20(1).png)
.jpg )
%20(2).jpg )
%20(1).jpg)
.jpg )
.jpg )
.jpg)
.jpg )
.png)
.jpg )
