Tuesday evening UK news briefing: Soldiers walk free as landmark Troubles murder trial collapses
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
It was an incident - bloody and brutal - that would last for seconds but haunt them for almost half a century.
Two soldiers - young back then but elderly now - had been involved in the shooting of 'Big' Joe McCann, an IRA commander, who at the time of his death on April 15, 1972 was one of the most dangerous terrorists in the province.
Today, the landmark trial of the two men accused of McCann's murder collapsed after just five days.
The former paratroopers, both in their 70s, walked free from court after more than a decade under investigation.
Robert Mendick reconstructs how the case sparked a scandal over nearly 50 years.
Starmer begins damage limitation amid Tory poll lead
Sir Keir Starmer has begun his damage limitation before the ballot boxes even open, after a new poll put the Conservatives 17 points ahead in the critical Hartlepool by-election. Tory candidate Jill Mortimer is in the lead with 50pc, while Labour's hopeful Paul Williams has slipped nine points to 33pc, according to Survation. The same poll showed a 4pc bump in personal favourability for Boris Johnson in Hartlepool, with Sir Keir sliding the same amount. Ahead of local elections on Thursday, read how Labour MPs have warned Sir Keir's leadership is "not cutting through" and called for a "major change in direction". Michael Deacon sketches how the Labour leader is acting as if his party has already lost.
Meanwhile, a leading expert on the SNP has said that the nationalists had been "blessed" with weak opposition parties and the fact independence was a dominant campaign issue. The comments from James Mitchell, professor of public policy at Edinburgh University, came as the latest opinion poll registered a dip in support for Scottish independence. Former chancellor Alistair Darling has been drafted in to write to Tory voters urging them to cast their second, regional, vote for Labour but Alan Cochrane outlines why the plea has come too late.
Meghan to publish first children's book 'The Bench'
The Duchess of Sussex has written a children's book about the "special bond" between father and son which evolved from a poem she wrote for Prince Harry on Father's Day. The story, called The Bench, is Meghan's first foray into children's literature. It was inspired by the relationship between her husband, the Duke of Sussex, and their son, Archie, who turns two on Thursday. See images from the 40-page book, aimed at children aged three to seven, illustrated by San Francisco-based artist Christian Robinson and due to be published on June 8.
At a glance: Coronavirus evening briefing
Holiday hopes | Portugal and some Greek and Spanish islands have been declared safe for travel by the Foreign Office, raising hopes they could be on the travel green list. The Foreign Office has quietly dropped its advice against non-essential foreign travel to several destinations and declared the Canary Islands and Israel, one of the most highly vaccinated nations in the world, are safe. Read on for details and follow our liveblog.
Classrooms | Secondary school pupils' return has not driven up cases
Infections | Pubs, bars and restaurants 'linked to just 246 outbreaks'
Jabs | No evidence drinking interferes with vaccines, regulator says
India crisis | Medical students to be sent to Covid frontlines
IPL suspended | England players scrambling to return home
Also in the news: Today's other headlines
Dalian Atkinson | Pc Tasered footballer and 'kicked him in head'
House explosion | Suspected gas blast injures seven in Kent
Chinese rocket | Parts could crash land anywhere in the world
Financial woes | Buckingham Palace launches its own sloe gin
Gates divorce | How their money and work have helped the world
Around the world: Metro overpass collapses in Mexico
An elevated metro line collapsed in the Mexican capital on Monday, leaving at least 23 people dead and dozens injured as a train came plunging down, authorities said. Carriages were seen hanging from the overpass in a tangle of twisted cables with the ends pointing towards the ground in a V-shape. Watch shocking footage of the scene.
Tuesday interview
Tim Henman: My fears for how lockdown will damage kids
The British tennis star tells Simon Briggs he is disturbed by the way blackboards have been replaced by screens, and sport has all but disappeared from many curriculums
Comment and analysis
Tom Harris | Why can't London elites fathom the shift in Red Wall?
Charles Moore | The doctrine of Net Zero makes mugs of us all
Henry Hill | Giving the SNP everything is no way to save the Union
Mark Almond | Iran needs to know that the West has limits
Charlotte Runcie | The Today programme is starting to feel quaint
Editor's choice
Environment-wrecking problem | The dark side of our houseplant obsession
'I'm investing in my 60s to survive' | How excessive prudence can ruin retirement
Costume drama without the costumes | BBC's Pursuit of Love sexes up Sunday nights
Business and money briefing
Companies created | The UK has recorded the biggest surge in business births for at least four years as the economy fights back from the pandemic, official figures have shown. Read on for details.
Mined diamonds | Pandora stops sales in favour of lab-grown gems
Tax hacks | How to shelter your property sale profits from the taxman
On top of markets | Live stocks and shares updates 24 hours a day
Sport briefing
Lions tour | Who are the under-capped talents, late surgers and pivotal call-ups that have changed Lions sides? Read a brief history of Lions bolters from the past 30 years - and why they can make the difference - and see who the Telegraph team has chosen for their back three.
Snooker | The top 10 world champions of all time
Three things for tonight
Parenting | Kate Silverton on how to raise a resilient child
Style | 'Corsets have taught me the joy of keeping it all in'
And finally... for this evening's downtime
Toyota Mirai review | A fuel-cell car generates its own electricity from hydrogen. But look beyond the novelty and the Mirai is accomplished in all respects. Read Alex Robbins' five-star review of the quiet, comfortable hydrogen-fuelled electric car.
If you want to receive twice-daily briefings like this by email, sign up to the Front Page newsletter here. For two-minute audio updates, try The Briefing - on podcasts, smart speakers and WhatsApp.
