News Round-Up

• “Starmer admits ‘mistakes’ after CPS criticised for pursuing postmasters” – Keir Starmer insists he has “no skeletons in the closet” as he faces questions over his role in the Post Office scandal, reports the Telegraph.
• “Tory donor embroiled in Post Office scandal given Government role” – A Tory donor, caught up in the Post Office scandal, was given a non-exec role on the Board of the U.K. Health Security Agency, according to the Telegraph.
• “Netanyahu tells the U.S. he opposes a two-state solution” – Benjamin Netanyahu has said he told the U.S. he opposes the creation of a Palestinian state, declaring that Israel must be “capable of saying no to our friends”, reports the Telegraph.
• “Primary school embroiled in Palestine row may be forced to close” – A second school accused of Islamophobia may be forced to close over its decision to ban children from wearing pro-Palestinian badges, reveals the Telegraph.
• “Antisemitism – what is to be done?” – On Substack, Laura Dodsworth discusses what can be done to combat rising antisemitism.
• “Professor defends ‘biased’ anti-terrorism training: ‘We’re not woke’” – A senior professor at King’s College London has denounced claims (made in the Daily Sceptic last week, among other places) that counter-terrorism training given to civil servants is “politically biased”, reports the Times.
• “The ‘trial’ of Katharine Birbalsingh is a battle for the future of Britain” – There’s a vital principle at stake in the case against Michaela Community School: whether or not minority rights are allowed to trump social cohesion, writes Fraser Nelson in the Telegraph.
• “In defence of Katharine Birbalsingh’s prayer ban” – The episode with Katharine Birbalsingh’s Michaela School tells us a good deal about the way rights culture has ballooned in the last few decades, says Andrew Tettenborn in the Spectator.
• “Teacher’s ‘blackophobia’ claim shows the tangle we are in” – If ever there was a sorry tale for our times, it is the saga of Andrea Mairs, writes Nana Akua in the Mail.
• “Chinese lab sequenced COVID-19 weeks before Beijing disclosed data” – A China-based researcher had already mapped the COVID-19 sequence two weeks before Beijing revealed such details to the world, reports the Epoch Times.
• “Covid smoking gun” – Genetic patterns in SARS-CoV-2 are a ‘smoking gun’ for a lab-made origin, says the Naked Emperor on Substack.
• “The system for reporting adverse drug reactions should come with a warning” – The cost to the health system of adverse drug and device reactions is substantial and failure to act will only lead to more harm, warn Prof. Carl Heneghan and Dr. Tom Jefferson on Substack.
• “Vaping while pregnant is safe for both babies and mothers, experts rule” – Women who feel nicotine cravings while pregnant can rest assured that using a vape won’t harm their baby, according to results from a British study involving over 1,100 expectant mothers, reports the Mail.
• “Rishi Sunak hit by new no confidence letters from Tory MPs” – A rebel source says many backbenchers are “deeply upset” at the Government’s handling of its controversial Rwanda Bill, says the Telegraph, and are sending in letters of no confidence to the 1922 Committee.
• “Put a stop to mass migration – while we still can” – Immigration is not a viable way to fix our demographic problems. We need a near halt for a decade or so, argues David Frost in the Telegraph.
• “Britain is on the brink of another 1973-style disaster” – Repeated failure to control inflation and political dysfunction point to a catastrophe ahead, warns Sam Ashworth-Hayes in the Telegraph.
• “Is humanity doomed? Doomsday Clock will be updated next week” – The Mail has everything you need to know about the Doomsday Clock before it’s next update.
• “What are the safest countries in the world if World War Three starts?” – The surge in global conflict throughout 2023 has led to speculation that World War III could be on the horizon. The Mail has a list of the safest countries to be in if it all kicks off.
• “Inside China’s impending population disaster” – Latest data shows the number of residents in China fell by two million last year, marking the second year in a row that its population has shrunk, reports the Mail.
• “How China’s collapsing birth rate risks wrecking Xi’s dreams of global supremacy” – Women are rejecting motherhood in China, says Eir Nolsøe in the Telegraph.
• “Teenager ‘enraged by global warming’ plotted terror attacks, court hears” – A jury has been told that a teenager wanted to kill at least 50 people in revenge for “living in a society that was destroying itself”, reports the Telegraph.
• “U.K. turns to last coal plant amid Arctic blast for electricity boost” – During a recent cold spell, the U.K. depended heavily on its last coal power plant, contributing 3.4% to the country’s electricity production, according to Energy Live News.
• “Drax carbon capture could cost bill payers £40 billion” – Drax has received permission to fit carbon capture technology to its North Yorkshire wood-burning power plant in a project that could cost bill-payers more than £40 billion, according to WUWT.
• “Labour would fast-track countryside wind turbines and solar panels under Net Zero drive” – Labour has pledged to fast-track the building of wind and solar farms in the countryside, raising concerns that rural communities will struggle to block Net Zero projects, reports the Telegraph.
• “Electric cars and heat pumps seem destined to make us freeze” – “There is no point in telling us we’ve got to get to Net Zero if you can’t tell us how we cope when we reach sub-zero,” says Ross Clark in the Telegraph.
• “Male British actors overlooked for Bafta nomination for first time in nearly 50 years” – No male British actors were included in this year’s Bafta nominations for the first time in nearly 50 years, reports the Telegraph.
• “White men no longer want to fight for a nation that scorns them” – If you can’t recruit for the military among the largest group, you’re going to have trouble filling the ranks, argues Robert Clark in the Telegraph.
• “‘Why I left Harvard’” – In the Free Press, Harvard lecturer Carole Hooven explains how she found herself entangled in a DEI web without the support to continue her job after stating facts about human biology.
• “With revenues declining, corporate media demand Substack censorship” – The censorship campaign against Substack is largely based on exaggerations and half-truths, say Zaid Jilani and Alex Gutentag on the Public Substack.
• “How to beat an ideologue” – On Substack, Somewhere, Anywhere explores the do’s and don’ts when dealing with dishonest activists.
• “The President of Argentina’s rallying cry for libertarianism” – On Substack, Dr. Robert W. Malone celebrates Javier Milei’s recent speech at Davos.
• “Javier Milei shocks Davos” – Argentina’s newly elected President’s 23-minute speech at Davos was a masterclass, says Kate Andrews in the Spectator.
• “‘Long live freedom, dammit!’” – Argentine President Javier Milei roasts the elites at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

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