Author: Lucas Bennett

Home Office data showing that several thousand non-Ukrainians have entered the UK through the emergency visa schemes created after Russia’s 2022 invasion has reignited a political row over the integrity of Britain’s humanitarian immigration routes. Figures obtained and analysed by The Telegraph indicate that 3,464 visas were issued to nationals of 112 other countries under the two programmes — Homes for Ukraine and the family visa route — out of a total of 279,223 granted since the schemes began. That works out at roughly one in every 80 visas going to someone who is not a Ukrainian citizen. What the…

What Vance said as the US delegation departedTwenty-one hours of historic negotiations between the United States and Iran have ended in Islamabad without an agreement, after Vice-President JD Vance told reporters that Tehran had refused to accept what he described as Washington’s “final and best offer”.Speaking for just three minutes shortly after 6am local time, following a marathon session that had stretched long into the night, Mr Vance did not attempt to soften the outcome. “The bad news is that we have not reached an agreement, and I think that’s bad news for Iran much more than it’s bad news…

What the bank has decided Lloyds Banking Group has chosen not to mount a legal challenge against the Financial Conduct Authority’s £9.1 billion compensation scheme for motorists who were allegedly mis-sold car finance, according to a report by the Financial Times. The decision, disclosed on Friday, represents a significant moment for the regulator’s flagship redress programme, given that Lloyds is among the lenders most heavily exposed to the scheme. In a statement issued by the bank, a spokesperson said: “We have carefully considered the FCA motor finance redress scheme. While we remain disappointed in and disagree with its conclusions, we…

What happened after Trennan walked out of HMP North Sea Camp The Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, David Lammy, is facing mounting pressure to explain how a convicted double rapist was allowed out of an open prison without supervision, only to travel across the country and carry out a knife attack on a 19-year-old student in her own home. Neil Trennan, 61, was already serving two life sentences for separate violent sexual assaults on women when he was granted unsupervised day release from HMP North Sea Camp, near Boston in Lincolnshire. Rather than returning, he made his way to…

What is emerging from inside the Red Zone American and Iranian negotiators have spent Saturday locked in face-to-face discussions in the Pakistani capital, in what amounts to the first direct talks between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Sources close to the mediation told Al Jazeera that the two delegations have exchanged written texts during the session, a tentative but symbolically significant step in an encounter initially expected to take place only through intermediaries. Al Jazeera correspondent Abid Hussain, reporting from Islamabad, said the meeting had begun as “proximate talks” but that, according to sources close to the…

What the Pentagon has confirmed Two United States warships have sailed through the Strait of Hormuz, the US military announced on Saturday, in what officials described as the opening move of a plan to begin removing mines from one of the world’s most strategically important shipping lanes. In a post on X, US Central Command said the transit had been intended to begin “setting conditions for clearing mines in the Strait of Hormuz”, the narrow waterway through which a substantial share of the global oil trade passes. The move comes as concerns continue to mount over disruption to traffic through…

What happened at Aintree I Am Maximus has become the first horse in half a century to win back-to-back Grand Nationals, storming home in the 2026 Randox Grand National to claim the famous steeplechase for a second time and pocket the £500,000 prize. The 10-year-old, sent off as the favourite, reclaimed the crown he narrowly surrendered last year when he was beaten into second place by Nick Rockett. His latest victory makes him the first horse to regain the title since the legendary Red Rum managed the feat in 1976. A field of 34 runners lined up for the contest,…

What unfolded on the taxiway A United States military aircraft has been damaged after a man broke into the secure area of Shannon Airport in Ireland and attacked it with a hatchet, in an incident that briefly forced the airport to suspend operations. The alarm was raised shortly before 9.45am on Friday, when a man was spotted in a restricted zone of the airport. According to reports, he made his way onto the wing of a US Air Force C-130 Hercules transport plane that had been parked on a remote taxiway, and is then said to have struck the fuselage…

What happened off the Pakistani coast The Pakistan Navy has evacuated 18 crew members from a merchant ship in the North Arabian Sea after responding to a distress call, the country’s military has confirmed. According to a statement from Pakistan’s armed forces, the crew were aboard the vessel GOLD AUTUMN when the alert was raised. The 18 seafarers — a multinational group including nationals of China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia — were taken to Karachi, where they were due to receive medical attention before being repatriated to their home countries. Pakistani authorities have not so far disclosed the nature…

What Beirut is reporting Lebanon’s President Joseph Aoun has said that 13 members of the country’s state security forces were killed on Friday in an Israeli strike on a government building in the southern city of Nabatieh. In a statement issued in the wake of the attack, Aoun condemned what he described as the continuation of Israeli military action against Lebanon, and said the targeting of state institutions would not weaken the country’s resolve to defend its sovereignty.