US Edition
Good evening. Joe Biden pledged to “move heaven and earth” to rebuild the Francis Scott Key Bridge as he said the federal government would foot the bill for repairing it.
Elsewhere, the Clapham chemical attacker was granted asylum despite the Home Office warning that he had failed a Christianity test and was “using religion for his own ends”.
Biden vows to ‘move heaven and earth’ to rebuild Baltimore bridge
A Singapore-flagged cargo ship destroyed the bridge in the early hours of Tuesday morning after suffering a power failure, in what the US President said was a “terrible accident”. Mr Biden said the “top priority” was to rescue any survivors, saying that eight people were unaccounted for. Click here for the latest updates.
Clapham chemical attacker granted asylum despite failing Christianity test
Newly released documents show an immigration judge accepted Abdul Ezedi’s conversion as genuine even though he could not answer basic Home Office questions about Christianity and was found to have repeatedly lied about his background.
Robert Halfon quits as minister and MP quoting Lord of the Rings
Rishi Sunak has suffered a fresh blow after Robert Halfon, the Skills Minister, quit his post and announced he will stand down as an MP at the next election. In a letter to his local Tory association, Mr Halfon explained his decision to stand down as an MP by quoting from The Lord of the Rings.
Evening Briefing: Today’s essential headlines
BBC | The director-general is open to making the wealthy pay more for the licence fee, acknowledging that the current system “needs reform”.
- Politics | Lords approve law that would block UAE Telegraph takeover
- Ukraine | Zelensky replaces national security adviser in surprise shake-up
- US | ‘My son got over the Baltimore bridge three minutes before it collapsed’
- Labour | Keir Starmer accused of snubbing special needs schools through VAT raid
- Watch | Stephen Colbert expresses regret for Princess of Wales jokes - but stops short of apology
Pictured: North Korea blurs out Alan Titchmarsh’s jeans
The gardener is a celebrity in the pariah state, but his blue jeans are viewed with suspicion and blurred out.
Comment and analysis
- Celia Walden | No teacher should have to face extremism like this
- George Allison | Even without the USA, Nato would still win in a fight
- Stephen Davies | Population decline will destroy the West as we know it
- Tom Harris | Even nationalists are waking up to the disaster of Scottish independence
- Zoe Strimpel | The UN’s anti-Israel resolution is just the latest iteration of its age-old enmity
Feature of the day
Take it from a real explorer: there are places on Earth that still remain to be discovered
We might think we’ve charted the planet, but the British adventurer is still discovering new worlds – including a remote part of West Papua.
Business news: France denies plotting tax raid to plug €154bn black hole
Emmanuel Macron and his ministers have been accused of losing their grip on France’s finances after the budget deficit surged well above forecasts.
Editor’s choice
- Travel | Can frequent flying ruin your health? I got tested to find out
- Farmer protests | Why Brexit, net zero and red tape has this couple up in arms
- Money | How to beat energy surge pricing – even if you already have a smart meter
Sport briefing: Today’s essential headlines
- Cricket | The 10 most picturesque grounds in Britain
- Euro 2024 | Six big issues Gareth Southgate must resolve
- ‘The sky is the limit’ | Mainoo in line for first England start
- FA | Tragedy of dementia in football will not be erased by shirt gesture
- Football | Winning tonight would help change narrative about Southgate’s flat-track bullies