News Round-Up

• “Trump official intervenes in suspension of Arday critic Nathan Cofnas” – President Trump’s ambassador to Belgium has called for Nathan Cofnas, the American academic who accused Jason Arday of plagiarism, to be reinstated at Ghent University, according to the Times.
• “Solidarity with Cofnas” – J’accuse expresses solidarity with Nathan Cofnas in the wake of his suspension by Ghent University.
• “Jason Arday in the New England Journal / Nathan Cofnas’s suspension letter” – On his Substack, Dr Vinay Prasad argues the Jason Arday scandal exposes a deeper failure in academia, from the NEJM platforming astonishing claims to Ghent University suspending Nathan Cofnas for challenging them.
• “The NUJ’s grotesque Jason Arday rant is the final straw” – In the Spectator, Stephen Pollard argues that the National Union of Journalists’ response to Jason Arday’s death – and to media coverage of his plagiarism and Walter Mitty fantasies – is so grotesque he can no longer remain a member.
• “Has the Arday affair damaged trust in British universities?” – On his Substack, Eric Kaufmann examines a new report asking whether the Arday affair has eroded public trust in British universities.
• “The Arday tragedy: from tokenism to wokenism” – Jason Arday’s blackness was the crucial factor in his elevation to the pinnacle of academia by whites eager to feel good about themselves, says John H. McWhorter in City Journal.
• “Afghan migrants accused of raping girl on London train” – Two Afghan migrants allegedly raped and assaulted a 14 year-old girl on a train after forcing her onto the London-bound service, reports the Sun.
• “Asylum seeker jailed for sex attack on girls” – A migrant who fled custody after sexually assaulting two teenage girls has been jailed, with one of his victims saying she tried to take her own life, according to the Sun.
• “Nowak killer made up racial abuse after being prompted by brother” – Newly released court transcripts reveal that Henry Nowak’s killer fabricated claims of racial abuse after being prompted by his brother, says the Telegraph.
• “Teacher who regularly emailed schoolgirl late at night allowed to keep job” – Maths teacher Jamil Wali, who regularly emailed a vulnerable schoolgirl late at night, has been allowed to stay in the profession, reports the Telegraph.
• “More than half of terror attack victims denied compensation” – More than half of terror attack victims who applied for government compensation weren’t given any, with up to 92 of 177 applications turned down over the past two years, reveals the Telegraph.
• “Sadiq Khan is joyfully expanding our surveillance state” – The Mayor of London’s slow replacement of targeted policing with a digital catch net not only makes us less safe – it makes us less free, argues Silkie Carlo in the Telegraph.
• “Zionism is racism: the British Green Party resurrects an old lie” – On his Substack, C.J. Strachan argues that the Green Party is preparing to revive a Soviet propaganda formula whose dangerous history its members either do not know or have chosen to ignore.
• “Billionaire Labour backer considers return to the Tories” – Billionaire Labour backer John Caudwell, the founder of Phones 4u, is considering a return to the Conservatives after declaring that Kemi Badenoch is now leading the “only electable party”, reports the Telegraph.
• “Mandelson police investigation at risk of collapse” – Scotland Yard reportedly believes the US is unlikely to hand over the un-redacted Epstein files that may (or may not) contain evidence Lord Mandelson committed a criminal offence, reports the Telegraph.
• “Shock rise in borrowing after spending on benefits hits £30 billion” – The Government borrowed £1.8 billion in July, while the Office for Budget Responsibility forecast a £500 million surplus, says the Times.
• “Taxpayers could face prosecution for mistakes under new HMRC plan” – Industry experts are warning that taxpayers could face prosecution for mistakes under an HMRC plan to introduce a new tax crime, reports the Telegraph.
• “How ‘strictest head’ is proving critics wrong with top GCSE results” – Katharine Birbalsingh’s Michaela Community School has proved its critics wrong yet again with top GCSE results to rival Eton despite serving one of the capital’s most deprived areas, says the Mail.
• “Councillor wins legal victory against ethics commission in freedom of speech row” – A Labour councillor has won a legal victory against an ethics watchdog after she criticised Glasgow City Council for proposing to cut the number of the city’s teachers, reports the Daily Record.
• “Rangers legend Ally McCoist ‘heartbroken’ after Glasgow city centre documentary” – A BBC documentary exposing crime in Glasgow’s city centre has left Rangers hero Ally McCoist ‘heartbroken’, according to the Glasgow Times.
• “Meloni ‘own goal’ leaves Italy facing wave of migrant returns” – Giorgia Meloni has been accused of scoring “a spectacular own goal” after European countries started sending failed asylum seekers back to Italy, reports the Telegraph.
• “Ukrainian is arrested over Nord Stream bombing” – A Ukrainian man has been arrested in connection with the Nord Stream bombing while working on the set of a Hollywood movie about the Nord Stream bombing, says the Mail.
• “Beach that sparked fury over gender-separation sees surge in visitors” – A record number of visitors have flocked to the Italian beach that caused outrage over its gender-segregation rule, reports the Mail.
• “Argentina receives slap on wrist for Falklands banner after England victory” – The Argentinian football team has been given a paltry fine after the players unfurled a Malvinas banner following their World Cup victory over England, says the Telegraph.
• “Democratic Socialists commemorate Fidel Castro’s 100th birthday” – In the Manhattan Contrarian, Francis Menton says that the American Left’s decision to celebrate the centenary of a brutal dictator reveals everything about its values.
• “Two new studies raise alarm over potential COVID-19 ‘vaccine’ contamination of the blood supply” – A new two-part study raises fresh questions about what happens when blood from Covid-vaccinated donors is transfused into someone else, writes Nicolas Hulscher on the Focal Points Substack.
• “The build-up to the winter crisis: Brick 9b” – On the TTE Substack, Dr Tom Jefferson and Prof Carl Heneghan continue their diary of FOI investigations into the factors driving the looming winter crisis.
• “Wildlife habitats under threat from eco-pipeline” – Plans to build an eco-pipeline across Britain’s North West are threatening wildlife habitats, says the Telegraph.
• “Running like the wind to Net Zero will backfire” – Expensive power is killing British industry and discouraging people from buying cleaner cars or boilers, warns Emma Duncan in the Times.
• “Britain faces wet and stormy autumn caused by ‘unprecedented’ El Niño” – An “unprecedented” El Niño is set to bring a wet and stormy autumn and winter to Britain as rising sea temperatures in the tropical eastern Pacific disrupt global rainfall patterns, reports the Mail.
• “Shakespeare’s Globe hunts for ‘the most exciting new plays about the climate crisis’” – Shakespeare’s Globe theatre is on the hunt for what it calls “the most exciting new plays about the climate crisis”. Is it what Shakespeare would have wanted? asks Charlotte Gill on her Substack.
• “Asian communities told to wash rice and feet less by regulator in water-saving bid” – Asian and Muslim communities have been told to wash their rice and feet less in a bizarre water-saving request by the UK’s water regulator, reports the Daily Star.
• “Even after record heat deaths, Belgium refuses air conditioning” – Europe has seen 16,000 heat-related deaths, including 1,747 excess deaths in Belgium, yet authorities there still don’t see air conditioning as the answer, writes John Nolte in Breitbart.
• “Wrong, Honolulu Civil Beat, one hurricane doesn’t prove climate change” – The claim that Tropical Storm Lala proves climate change is making hurricanes stronger is misleading, if not outright false, says Anthony Watts in ClimateRealism.
• “William and Kate at ‘Sussex summit’ after Harry’s return announcement” – The King, Prince William and Kate have been spotted at Balmoral as they enjoy their summer holiday and come to terms with Prince Harry and Meghan’s surprise return to the UK, reports the Mail.
• “Woman banned from wearing backless dress to Post Office” – A woman was barred from wearing a backless dress inside a Post Office after the owner of the store said they “can’t allow too much exposure”, says the Mail.
• “Ex-cop criminalised for a bacon meme mocking Islam’s child-bride history” – The Free Speech Union’s Connie Shaw talks about ex-police officer Stephen Gray’s conviction for sharing a satirical meme about Muhammad’s child bride, arguing that Britain’s blasphemy laws are back – but only when Islam is involved.

If you have any tips for inclusion in the round-up, email us here.