Traveling

Friday, July 31, 2026

Morocco ‘facilitated migrant crossings’ into Spain

The end of the Diamond King... for now | Inside the plot to bring down Gianni Infantino
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Britain’s most popular daily newsletter, read by more than 850,000

Saturday, 1 August 2026

Issue No. 524

Good morning.

Morocco facilitated the sudden influx of 60,000 migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Western intelligence sources suspect. Sources told The Telegraph that the surge could have served as a punishment amid diplomatic frustrations with Spain, as Rozina Sabur, our National Security Editor, reports.

Elsewhere, in breaking news overnight, Gianni Infantino has scrapped his plot to sell a stake in the World Cup, admitting that it “created divisions”. Plus, Henry Bodkin unpacks the Hamas disarmament deal in full, and Mick Brown brings the story of The Diamond King to a close... for now.

Chris Evans, Editor

P.S. Try a whole year of The Telegraph for £19 while our Summer Sale lasts. If you’re already a subscriber make sure you’re logged in to read today’s stories.


 

In today’s edition

Burnham’s chance to lead a new world order

The plot to bring down Infantino

Plus, why eating too much protein could shorten your life

Sale ends soon: One year for just £19

Think outside your inbox. Unlock full access to our free-thinking journalism, plus thousands of fun puzzles.

 

Morocco ‘facilitated migrant crossings’ into Spain

A migrant after arriving on the beach in Ceuta

A migrant after arriving on the beach in Ceuta

Rozina Sabur

Rozina Sabur

National Security Editor

 

What prompts an estimated 60,000 people to storm a Spanish territory all of a sudden? That is the question border security officials are asking after the Spanish city of Ceuta, which borders Morocco, was overrun in just 24 hours.

Western intelligence sources said they had detected a large amount of social media activity, but it was unclear whether there had been a state threat or an organised crime element to the online activity.

Russia has previously been accused of deliberately funnelling migrants into Europe to sow political discord and social unrest, but seasoned Kremlin-watchers have pointed out that past efforts have been on a smaller scale. Sources also questioned the role of the Moroccan border force and intelligence services, saying it strained credibility that they had no forewarning given the size of the crowds making their way to Ceuta.

Some suspect that the Moroccan authorities facilitated the sudden surge of people, speculating it could have been intended as a demonstration by Rabat of the levers it had available amid diplomatic frustrations with Madrid.

Several of those who crossed into Ceuta overnight claimed they had been actively encouraged to make the journey by police officers along the way.

Spanish officials played down the accusations, with Pedro Sánchez, the Spanish prime minister, thanking Morocco for its “cooperation” in tackling illegal migration.

This report is available only to subscribers.
Continue reading

Guy Dampier: The crisis in Ceuta threatens the very fabric of the EU

 

The end of the Diamond King... for now

Mick Brown

Mick Brown

 

When I first wrote about the Indian diamond billionaire Nirav Modi in 2018, I could never have dreamed that eight years later he would be in a British prison having spent seven years as the subject of one of the longest-running extradition trials in history.

In less than a decade, Modi had built up a chain of luxury diamond stores on three continents, as he attempted to make his name as celebrated as Cartier and Tiffany.

In 2018, he was on the run – India’s most wanted man, sought by Interpol – after being accused of defrauding an Indian bank of £1.3bn. He was rumoured to have been seen in New York, Hong Kong and Antwerp.

My colleague Robert Mendick, The Telegraph’s Chief Reporter, and I found him in London, hiding in plain sight, living in a luxury apartment block and, incredibly, running a diamond business.

Our discovery led to Modi’s arrest and a request from India to extradite him to face trial.

That should have been the end of it.

A succession of appeals against extradition has meant that Modi has spent the past seven years in prison in Britain, effectively doing time, without, as yet, being convicted of any crime.

This extraordinary story is told in full in The Diamond King, a new podcast, reported by me and Rob. The fourth and final part is now available to listen to.

Even as we were putting the finishing touches to the episode, word came that Modi had failed in his last attempt to avoid extradition, losing an appeal to the European Court of Human Rights for the order to be overturned.

The saga of Nirav Modi could finally be coming to a close. After seven years, though, I wouldn’t bank on it.
Listen to the full series

 

Opinion

Rakib Ehsan Headshot

Rakib Ehsan

The British Right can learn a lot from Muslim community values

The devastating consequences of the 1960s social-liberal revolution and 1980s materialism are felt far less in Islamic family life

Continue reading

 
<span style="color:#DE0000;">Ben Marlow</span> Headshot

Ben Marlow

The great corporate AI con has been unleashed on customers

Continue reading

 
<span style="color:#DE0000;">Charles Moore</span> Headshot

Charles Moore

See Winston Churchill’s paintings and understand the man

Continue reading

 
Matt Cartoon
 

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In other news

Andy Burnham is considering plans to bar rapists – but not killers – from Labour’s early release scheme.

A puberty blocker trial can begin recruiting children as young as 11 after a failed attempt in the High Court to prevent the experiment.

John Healey has announced he will hold his first Budget days before Hallowe’en. The Chancellor said yesterday that he would embrace “fiscal discipline”.

BP’s plan to exit the North Sea has raised fears that the oil giant could quit Britain for good. The company put its offshore oil and gas business up for sale yesterday after more than 60 years of operation.

Hamas has agreed to give up its weapons, in a deal facilitated by Donald Trump. Henry Bodkin, our Jerusalem Correspondent, unpacks the terms in full and explains why Israel might not like them.

Donald Trump said the Board of Peace had reached an agreement for the disarmament of all armed groups in Gaza

 

weekend reads

Burnham’s chance to lead a new world order

Decades after losing its empire, Britain could finally find the role that has long eluded it, and assert itself as the guiding force behind a middle-power alliance seeking to restore an international order. Can Andy Burnham seize the opportunity to resurrect Britain’s standing as an international leader? That will depend on the choices he makes in Downing Street.

Continue reading

 

‘Climate change catastrophism is a Leftist weapon to destroy capitalism’

In a magisterial essay, Jordan Peterson argues that it may well be true that rising CO2 levels have contributed to global warming. However, the insistence that this constitutes an apocalyptic, existential crisis is not borne out by events: and yet this narrative has been successfully weaponised by the Left in its drive to control every aspect of people’s lives.

Continue reading

 

Gianni Infantino is under fire from all corners

Infantino has scrapped his World Cup plan. Now to finish him off

Gianni Infantino has dropped his £15bn plan to sell a stake in the World Cup following widespread opposition and a revolt within Fifa’s ranks. The backlash against his scheme was unprecedented, but the Fifa president is still standing. The challenge now is how to finish him off. His critics have a key weapon: a blueprint Infantino wrote himself over a decade ago. He was working for Uefa at the time, but his memo on how European football’s governing body could leave Fifa is just as relevant today – and could well be used against him.
For subscribers only

Infantino drops World Cup sale plan after football revolts

If you have any questions about this complex saga, send them in by emailing us
here.

 

25 war movie battles, ranked by historical accuracy

How can cinema ever recreate the horrors of war? It’s a tough question, but one that Tom Fordy attempts as he examines 25 films and gives his verdict. From the outrageous inaccuracies of Braveheart to the surprisingly fine details of Zulu Dawn, Tom unearths facts you never knew you needed to know.

Continue reading

 

Your Saturday

Why eating too much protein could shorten your life

Protein is en vogue. From building muscle to keeping you feeling full for longer, experts extol the virtues of a high-protein diet in midlife and beyond. But new research suggests you can have too much of a good thing, and that eating this way could actually be ageing you faster and making you fatter, writes David Cox.

Continue reading

Here is another article that I hope you’ll find helpful this morning:

  • Planning where to retire is both an emotional and financial decision. If you’re struggling, read our guide on the best countries to retire to if you’re living only on the state pension.
 

Food for thought

Do you know what you’re going to eat this weekend? We’ve got you covered. Every week, Diana Henry, The Telegraph’s award-winning cookery writer, brings you three recipes for a perfect weekend meal.

Linguine with pesto pazzo

Diana Henry

Diana Henry

 

My herbs are looking a bit worse for wear and need attention. As there’s a hosepipe ban where I live, I’m using water from washing up – only of glassware – to resuscitate them. Some can take a real battering – rosemary and lavender are looking as perky as ever; they just bask in this heat – but the parsley is getting paler. In fact, cutting it back is the best thing I could do with it right now.

Using up the herbs from the fridge is something I do every weekend. There’s a good mixture of flavours for whatever I cook.

We are happy to use the word “pesto” for anything these days so I make my own combinations. This one, which translates as “crazy pasta”, is good for when you have a mixture of soft herbs. You can use almonds or pine nuts for this and in autumn I use hazelnuts or walnuts. You can also add ricotta to it.

Artichoke hearts with mozzarella, currants and mint pesto

Here, mint is used for a “pesto” that is treated as a dressing. Any dish that has a little sweetness from dried fruit – currants or raisins – is great with mint as you get both sweet and fresh flavours coming together. This is quite feisty but also has the mildness of mozzarella and artichoke hearts.

Griddled chicken with parsley, radish and anchovy salad

In the Middle East they use herbs in the same way they use salad leaves. They use big handfuls of them to make salads that can take on nearly everything. Parsley is used in a much more gentle way in British cooking – I absolutely associate it with the smell of chicken stock bubbling away on the hob, so a parsley, anchovy and radish salad is a surprise – fresh, vegetal and vigorous. It’s especially good with steak or griddled chicken. If you don’t like anchovies, leave them out, it will still be a good salad.

Find me here every Saturday and in my Recipes newsletter, which you can sign up to here.

 

Your say

School trips of old

Every 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...
School trips, it seems fair to say, are not what they used to be. I’ve enjoyed your responses to Wednesday’s newsletter, recalling the days before the risk assessments took longer than the excursions themselves.

Michael Thompson writes: “In 1962, a party of boys from Nottingham High School were privileged to have the use of a brand new Shipstones Brewery lorry for a six-week ‘running in’ adventure.

“After the Channel ferry crossing, a tent was put up on the first night, but after that everyone slept either on or under the lorry (or the stars). Each boy had a personal trunk, which also provided seating, though this caused difficulties in Germany, where ‘fixed seats’ were required.

“We travelled through the Austrian Alps to Yugoslavia, where a letter of greeting from the Lord Mayor of Nottingham was presented to the Mayor of Ljubljana, our twin city. Then on to Greece, where the lorry struggled on a steep hill and had to be lightened by unloading belongings.

“The journey did not do the lorry any harm, since it has been preserved and was recently listed for sale. The present owners may be unaware of its early history.”


 

Dominic Weston Smith offers a tale of derring-do closer to home: “In the 1970s, my housemaster took a group of boys camping in Dorset. A few miles from the site, the minibus got a flat tyre. He told the boys to unstrap the canoes and paddle there while he had the tyre repaired.

“When he joined them a couple of hours later and asked how their trip had been, one cheerfully volunteered: ‘It was great fun, sir, although it turns out we weren’t allowed to canoe on that part of the river, and we were shot at a couple of times’.”

Thanks to everyone who wrote in. That’s all from me for this week, folks. I’ll be back on Monday to bring you the best Telegraph talking points. In the meantime, you can contact me here.

 

Puzzler’s corner

Welcome to Andrew Baker’s Saturday quiz. Test your knowledge below to see if you have you been paying attention to our newsletters this week...

1. Which is France’s ninth-biggest city?

2. From which role will Sir Clive Alderton step down next year?

3. The Duchess of Sussex made an appearance at the quarter-finals of which competition?

4. Which disparaging nickname was applied to amateur cricketer Brian Devine?

5. Where does Hollywood star-of-the-moment Zendaya obtain her groceries?

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.

Panagram

Yesterday’s Panagram was GUNPOWDER. Come back tomorrow for the solution to today’s puzzle.

Plus, can you tackle The 1% Club? Scroll down to see if you got the questions right – and play for free on our website and app.

 

On this day

1834 | The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 comes into effect, abolishing slavery across the British Empire

1936 | Olympic Games are opened by Adolf Hitler in Berlin

1944
| Anne Frank’s final diary entry. She is arrested three days later

1976 | Niki Lauda suffers a near-fatal crash during the F1 German Grand Prix at the Nürburgring (and see the coverage on our front page the following day)

Birthdays
: Caroline Shaw (44), Jason Momoa (47), Sam Mendes (61)

Telegraph front page
 

Thank you for reading. Have a fulfilling day and I hope to see you tomorrow.

Chris Evans, Editor

P.S. Please send me your thoughts on this newsletter. You can email me at fromtheeditor@telegraph.co.uk.

Quiz answers:

  1. Bordeaux
  2. Principal Private Secretary to the King and Queen
  3. MasterChef Australia
  4. “Clicky Ponting”
  5. Waitrose
 

1% Club answers:

  1. 8 minutes
  2. 6
  3. ENRAGED
 

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