News Round-Up

• “The day that changed Russia: mutiny falters but Wagner boss survives” – Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner mercenary army, called off his assault on Moscow after an extraordinary 24 hours in which his forces seized one of Russia’s biggest cities, reports the Sunday Times.
• “Putin disappears as allies ask how rebels got so close to Moscow” – The Russian leader is hiding from public view while formerly loyal media outlets admit that the coup attempt has shattered his grip on power, reports the Telegraph.
• “U.S. feared Putin could lose control of his nuclear arsenal” – Sources said Washington chose not to intervene during the Wagner attempted coup to avoid escalating a dangerous situation, says the Telegraph.
• “Putin breaks silence about ‘stepping up efforts’ in Ukraine” – Putin is believed to have suffered grievous losses as he sought to halt the Wagner mercenaries’ march towards Moscow, says the Mail.
• “The Wagner uprising has left Putin isolated” – Putin’s autocratic rule has suffered a major blow as the Wagner Group’s mutiny exposes the failures of the Ukraine invasion and erodes support, says Konstantin Sonia in the Spectator.
• “Is this the end for Putin?” – When history records the downfall of the Russian President, it will say the endgame started here, writes Mark Galeotti in the Sunday Times.
• “Prigozhin’s march on Moscow: chronology of an attempted coup” – Driven by his feud with Russia’s Defence Minister, the Wagner leader’s uprising has petered out… for now, says Luke Harding in the Guardian.
• “What does the future hold for Prigozhin and Wagner after the mutiny?” – Despite ending his revolt, the mercenary chief will continue to be a thorn in the Kremlin’s side unless he retires quietly to Belarus, says the Guardian.
• “Sir Mark Rylance admits using garlic solution instead of Covid vaccine” – Actor Mark Rylance says he was “not convinced” he needed the COVID-19 vaccine and being told to have it caused “alarm bells” to ring, says the Mail.
• “Scotland is now the testing ground for Net Zero madness” – The SNP and Greens have merged nationalism and eco-politics into a single agenda, while blaming London for all the costs, says Tom Harris in the Telegraph.
• “Just Stop Oil fundraiser tells activists: Just stop — it’s not helping” – Trevor Neilson, the entrepreneur who set up a group that funded Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil, has resigned, citing their methods as “counterproductive”, according to the Sunday Times.
• “The great vegan rollout has been halted in its salty, sugary, ultra-processed tracks” – As the plant-based hype crumbles, the vegan craze faces a bitter reality check and dwindling consumer support, writes Rod Liddle in the Sunday Times.
• “BBC accused of anti-Tory bias as Ben Elton brands PM a ‘narcissistic sociopath’” – The BBC is facing accusations of anti-Conservative bias following comedian Ben Elton’s scathing remarks about Rishi Sunak on its flagship Sunday morning show.
• “Gay rights and the limits of liberalism” – Andrew Sullivan explains how the Left’s unwillingness to accept that the fight for gay rights and trans rights has essentially been won and its insistence on trying to stamp out any criticism of the LGBTQ+ agenda has reignited homophobia.
• “Tory MP demands Government pass ‘sex education transparency’ law” – Miriam Cates accuses schools of “hiding materials from parents” and proposes a new law to increase transparency amid concerns over controversial teaching practices, says the Telegraph.
• “Actors ridicule university trigger warnings over blood in Macbeth” – According to the Mail, Queen’s University Belfast has issued a warning to undergraduates studying Macbeth, stating that it “could cause offence” due to its depictions of “bloodshed”.
• “Proof your iPhone is tracking you: there is a secret map on your cell” – The Mail shows you how your iPhone keeps an internal log of your whereabouts, which you can access – and turn off.
• “UFOs or not – something is up” – From high-ranking U.S. officials discussing UFO sightings to astonishing claims made by a whistleblower, Washington’s fascination with the extraterrestrial has the Spectator’s Sean Thomas questioning what is really happening.
• “Irish Government hate speech bill: ‘nonsensical word salad’ or ‘landmark’ legislation?” – RTÉ reports that the proposed hate speech legislation by the Irish Government is facing cross-party opposition due to concerns over freedom of expression (significant because this is the first time RTÉ has admitted there’s widespread opposition to the Bill).
• “The vulnerable are never, ever protected by censorship” – U.S. free speech champ Michael Shellenberger lets rip against the Irish Hate Crime Bill in a Twitter thread that has quickly gone viral.

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