News Round-Up

• “Man who burned Quran outside Turkish consulate wins appeal” – A Crown Court judge rules that Hamit Coskun’s freedom of expression includes the right to express views that offend Muslims, reports the BBC.
• “Judge hails ‘right to offend’ and overturns conviction of Koran burner” – Hamit Coskun, 51, shouted “f*** Islam” as he set fire to the text outside the Turkish consulate in London in February. But a judge has ruled he shouldn’t have been convicted for a public order offence, says the Mail.
• “The Hamit Coskun appeal is a victory for free speech” – The conviction of Hamit Coskun of a public order offence for burning a Quran was overturned by Southwark Crown Court. It’s a vital victory for free speech in the UK, writes our own Laurie Wastell in the Spectator.
• “Koran burner cleared as judge says he has right to cause offence” – The overturning of Hamit Coskun’s conviction has been welcomed by free speech campaigners, according to the Telegraph.
• “Finally, a judge stands up for free speech. This is what we need to do next” – Two cheers for Mr Justice Bennathan, but we need to repeal laws that hobble freedom of expression, writes yours truly in the Telegraph.
• “A judge has finally seen sense over the SAS’s ambush of three IRA men” – Three IRA terrorists drove a stolen car from Moneymore, County Londonderry, to Coagh in order to murder a part-time soldier before being ambushed by the SAS. They special forces soldiers should not stand trial for it, says Eliot Wilson in the Spectator.
• “The trouble with activist judges” – When justice becomes political, democracy itself hangs in the balance, writes Andrew Doyle on his Substack.
• “Putin: Trump’s too good for the Nobel Peace Prize” – Putin, among others, has expressed regret that Trump did’t win the Nobel Peace Prize, reports the Telegraph.
• “Donald Trump is an awful person – but a brilliant president” – US president Donald Trump and LBJ both demonstrate how loathsome people can still do good things, writes Stephen Pollard in the Spectator.
• “Venezuelan Nobel Peace Prize winner dedicates her award to Trump” – The Norwegian Nobel Committee overlooked Trump in this year’s awards, according to the Mail.
• “Trump’s Gaza deal is the ultimate humiliation for the West’s woke Left” – Sherrelle Jacobs argues in the Telegraph that Trump has humiliated the woke left with his peace deal.
• “What will the Israel haters do now?” – There is an eerie silence in anti-Israel circles this morning after Israel and Hamas agreed a ceasefire deal, writes Brendan O’Neill in the Spectator.
• “MI5 dossier ‘showed China is a threat’ before collapse of spy case” – Former ministers say the security services prepared a dossier of evidence with “hundreds” of examples that proved China was a threat, reports the Mail.
• “Labour delays China super-embassy decision again amid spy case row” – Realising he’s in a pickle over China, Sir Keir has delayed the China super-embassy in Central London, says the Telegraph.
• “Can the NHS’s anti-Semitism problem be fixed?” – The NHS has an anti-Semitism problem, and Wes Streeting wants to fix it. But can he? asks Druin Birch in the Spectator.
• “Zarah Sultana: ‘Corbyn and I are like Noel and Liam Gallagher’” – Zarah Sultana has compared herself and Jeremy Corbyn to Noel and Liam Gallagher following their recent feud, reports the Telegraph.
• “Corbyn’s Your Party is no joke” – Why do people feel the pull of Your Party and the like? wonders Rhys Laverty in the Spectator.
• “Church leaders unite against proposed ‘conversion practices’ law” – Over 1,000 church leaders across Great Britain have urged Westminster to ditch plans for a “full, trans-inclusive ban on conversion practices”, says the Christian Institute.
• “Afghan migrant is found guilty of making threat to kill Nigel Farage” – A Channel migrant who said he was coming to England to “pop, pop, pop” Nigel Farage in a TikTok video has been found guilty of making threats to kill, according to the Mail.
• “Kemi must ditch the old Tory wets if she wants to save her party” – Michael Heseltine’s comments on immigration policy would seem to suggest the Conservatives haven’t changed since the election,
• “Should black Africans ask Muslim countries for reparations?” – Some examples of slavery appear to be more important than others for those demanding atonement, writes Rakib Ehsan in the Telegraph.
• “Revealed: 2.5 million Britons now use weight loss jabs” – Weight loss jabs are being used by 2.5 million people in the UK, according to the Telegraph.
• “Starmer accused of ‘virtue signalling’ with millions for Madagascan lemurs” – The Government is “throwing money overseas“ while neglecting British countryside, although Mrs Rees-Mogg is less sanguine, reports the Telegraph.
• “Heat pump subsidies a ‘massive waste of money’, Labour donor warns” – Ed Miliband’s proposals to give households with the green technology £150 off their energy bills have ben denounced by Dale Vince, says the Times.
• “National Trust puts tampons in the men’s toilets at beloved castle” – The National Trust has faced a fierce backlash after it placed a dispenser for vegan tampons in the men’s toilets at one of its sites, according to the Mail.
• “CLIMATE CRITICS POUNCE! How the media turned “questioning a UN Bureaucrat” into a hate crime against science” – Roger Pielke Jr. – a political scientist with the unfortunate habit of reading data instead of chanting slogans – wrote an op-ed questioning whether Dr. Friederike Otto’s view was correct, reports WhatsUpWithThat?
• “Keir Starmer’s plan to blame Nigel Farage for budget tax rises” – With Reform UK threatening to end two-party politics, both Labour and the Tories are fighting to stay relevant,
• “A century after her birth, the battles Mrs Thatcher won need to be fought once more” – Many of the same issues that faced the UK in the 1970s have reared their heads again today, reports the Telegrah.
• “Why Bari Weiss Matters” – Big media and higher education desperately need reform, says Andrew Sullivan on the Weekly Dish.
• “Zack Polanski’s humiliating breast hypnosis climbdown” – On Question Time on Thursday, the Green Party leader accused Zia Yusuf of being a “far-right, fascist”, but Youseff gave as good as he got.
• “Once again Reform are smeared as fascists“ — Zia Yusuf and Zach Polanski spa on Question Time.

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