1. UK MILITARY IS ‘FEEBLE’ SAY EX-CHIEFS
Britain's military presence has been rendered “feeble” against world threats, say leading defence chiefs in the Sunday Telegraph. Four former leaders of the armed forces have issued the warning about the decline of British influence, saying they are deeply concerned by the UK’s failure to act as crises grow in Iraq, Syria and Russia.
2. ROLF HARRIS SLAMS ACCUSERS IN SONG
Rolf Harris has written a song in prison, in which he denounces his victims as money-grabbing “wenches” intent on claiming compensation. He says his accusers are “woodworms” who have “climbed up out of the woodwork from 40 years ago”. Harris was jailed for nearly six years for indecent assaults against four girls - including one aged just seven or eight.
3. MI6 PULLS SPIES AFTER SNOWDEN REVELATION
MI6 has moved some of its intelligence agents after Russia and China accessed secret files stolen by Edward Snowden, reports Sky News. According to senior UK Government and intelligence sources, UK security chiefs are warning that Snowden’s actions compromised anti-terror activity, with former GCHQ director Sir David Omand describing it as a "huge strategic setback" for the West.
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4. QUEEN ‘MOCKED MAGGIE THATCHER’
The Queen mocked Margaret Thatcher’s accent and tried to undermine her with “petty class put-downs”, according to a new book. During Thatcher’s reign, she was referred to by the monarch as “that woman”, it is claimed. In The Queen And Mrs Thatcher: An Inconvenient Relationship, the author claims the two female figureheads “met and disliked each other on sight”.
5. CAMPAIGNER: ZIONISTS STOLE MY SHOE
A founding member of the Muslim Public Affairs Committee UK claims “Zionists” have snuck into his home and stolen a single shoe in order to intimidate him. Writing on Facebook, Asghar Bukhari said someone had tried to silence him by taking his footwear as he slept. He has been teased online with the hash-tags #MossadStoleMyShoe and #ShoeishConspiracy trending on Twitter.
6. BYRNE: BLUE-COLLAR EXODUS COST LABOUR
A blue-collar exodus lost the election for Labour, says Liam Byrne. In the latest instalment of the party’s epic ‘where we went wrong’ saga, the shadow minister says Ed Miliband has “almost nothing to say” to older people, and that Labour has haemorrhaged support traditional “blue-collar” voters. The “35% strategy” to win power by wooing former Liberal Democrat voters is also questioned.
7. PM ORDERS FGM SUMMER CRACKDOWN
The prime minister has ordered a crackdown on female genital mutilation cases. New laws aimed at preventing young girls being taken abroad to undergo FGM will be fast-tracked within weeks, amid fears that the number of cases could soar during the summer holidays, says The Observer. David Cameron has ordered ministers to rush through measures before schools break up next month.
8. STEPHEN FRY ‘FACES HONEYMOON HOMOPHOBIA’
Stephen Fry’s honeymoon was ruined by homophobia, reports the Sunday Telegraph. Fry and his new husband Elliott Spencer were forced to abandon their destination over alleged homophobia. Spencer said: "We had a problem when we visited Honduras on holiday. It was homophobia. I don’t want to go into detail, but we had to leave."
9. CHILCOT REPORT IS DELAYED - AGAIN
The Chilcot report is “unlikely to be published for another year at least”, according to sources close to the inquiry. The probe into the Iraq war, which has taken six years and cost £10m, is still asking the Cabinet Office to declassify documents, suggesting that the report is still being written. David Cameron is now under pressure to scrap the inquiry.
10. ENGLAND WOMEN BEAT MEXICO
England are in a strong position to qualify for the last 16 after beating Mexico in their second match at the Women's World Cup. Fran Kirby found the poise England had been missing in front of goal and slotted home the opener midway through the second half in her first start at a major tournament. England doubled the lead through Karen Carney's late header.
