1. General: David Cameron to blame for ISIS
The former head of Britain’s Armed Forces says David Cameron is to blame for the rise of Islamic State, reports the Mail On Sunday. General Sir David Richards, ex-chief of the defence staff, said Cameron lacked “the balls” to crush the terror group militarily when it first emerged. He said the PM is more interested in pursuing a “Notting Hill liberal agenda” than showing serious “statecraft”.
2. Frederick Forsyth: I was an MI6 agent
Frederick Forsyth was an agent conducting missions for MI6 for more than 20 years, he has revealed. The bestselling author helped MI6 on a number of occasions, the most dramatic of which took occurred in 1973, at the height of the Cold War. He writes that he is revealing the details now because “it is 55, 60 years later… so where’s the harm?”
3. Blair: Corbyn is ‘Alice in Wonderland’
Tony Blair has told Labour party members to reject the "Alice in Wonderland" politics of Jeremy Corbyn. Writing in The Observer, the former PM says Corbyn’s backers are living in a "parallel reality". Blair says the growing support for Corbyn is like a suicidal rush towards a cliff edge. Just weeks ago, Blair said Labour risked "annihilation" if Corbyn won the leadership race.
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4. Chrissie Hynde tells women to cover up
Rock star Chrissie Hynde the lead singer of the Pretenders says that women who dress provocatively can “entice a rapist”. Speaking to The Sunday Times, the Pretenders lead singer said: “If you don’t want to entice a rapist, don’t wear high heels so you can’t run from him. If you’re wearing something that says ‘Come and f*** me’, you’d better be good on your feet.”
5. Teacher shortage sparks schools chaos
A shortage of teachers is set to spark new schools crisis, claims The Observer. A government adviser has warned that pupils will be taught fewer subjects in larger classes by less qualified staff, with a 10% shortfall in trainee teachers. “Without drastic action, more headteachers will be forced to employ staff not qualified in their subjects or for the age group they are teaching,” he writes.
6. Chilcot errors will delay report – again
An error will delay Sir John Chilcot’s report until June 2016, says The Sunday Times. Chilcot has been forced to reopen his probe into the Iraq War after senior military figures complained the first draft of his report was full of significant errors. Commanders said Chilcot and his team had blamed them for decisions that were actually made by politicians.
7. Burnham: we should accept migrants quota
Andy Burnham says David Cameron should accept a “quota” of migrants from Calais to help with his attempts to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with Europe. The leadership hopeful said that Labour activists must stop “avoiding people’s eyes on the door step, shuffling uncomfortably and trying to get away” when the issue of immigration is raised.
8. Is Mo Farah set for a knighthood?
Mo Farah could be in line for a knighthood after he ran a pulsating last lap of 52.6 seconds to win a magnificent 5,000m gold and become the first ever man in history to pull off a distance 'triple-double'. The athlete made it three successive world 5,000m titles. "It's great to make history," Farah told BBC Sport after the victory.
9. A nap a day could save your life
Could a daily nap save your life? New research suggests a nap each day could reduce blood pressure and fend off heart attacks. The study’s findings showed blood pressure was lower both when awake and later, during their night-time sleep. The difference - of about 5% - was enough to have a significant impact on rates of heart attack, researchers claimed.
10. Mourinho blast after Chelsea lose
Chelsea’s title hopes would already be over if they played in another league, says boss Jose Mourinho. He was speaking after his side lost 2-1 to Crystal Palace, leaving the champions eight points behind leaders Manchester City. Arsenal are now fifth after beating Newcastle United 1-0 in a tetchy tie at St James Park. Fourth-placed Manchester United visit Swansea City today.
