News Round-Up

• “It’s not war in Iran, it’s mass murder on a scale close to Babyn Yar” – Iran’s crackdown has escalated into mass slaughter while the West does nothing, writes Jake Wallis Simpson in the Telegraph.
• “Why won’t Britain just ban the IRGC?” – Britain has hesitated while other countries have banned the IRGC as a terrorist organisation, says Jonathan Sacerdoti in the Spectator.
• “Starmer told to ban IRGC now” – Ministers are facing calls to ban the IRGC as dithering continues, notes the Telegraph.
• “Starmer has got nothing from his demeaning trip to China” – Sir Keir Starmer sought a “more sophisticated” China relationship, but is returning empty handed, says Ian Williams in the Spectator.
• “The darker side of Starmer’s China trip” – Starmer’s delegation has gone to enormous lengths to stop their phones being bugged in China, reports the Telegraph.
• “‘Upset’ Rachel Reeves ‘sidelined’ after being dropped from Keir Starmer’s China trip at the last minute” – Rachel Reeves was dropped from the China visit at the last minute, says the Mail.
• “China’s Forbidden City snub to Keir Starmer: PM had to make do with a tour guide and gawping tourists… after Trump got a personal viewing with Xi Jinping” – Starmer has been denied top-level pomp in Beijing and is feeling humiliated, according to the Mail.
• “Chagos exiles offer to name island after Trump” – Chagos islanders have offered to name an island after the US President if he torpedoes UK’s surrender deal, notes the Telegraph.
• “Epstein sent £10,000 to Peter Mandelson’s husband” – Fresh Epstein files, released yesterday, reveal that he gave £10,000 to Peter Mandelson’s husband, says the Telegraph.
• “Sarah Ferguson thanked Epstein for being a ‘brother’, new emails show” – New emails in the Epstein files feature Sarah Ferguson hailing Jeffrey as the brother she never had, reports the Mail.
• “Immigration officer was illegal immigrant, court hears” – A Home Office immigration officer was himself an illegal migrant, reveals the Telegraph.
• “‘Demonic and inhuman’ migrant hotel murderer jailed for life” – An asylum seeker has been sentenced to 29 years in jail for murdering Rhiannon Skye Whyte, reports the Telegraph.
• “Migrant accused of raping 12-year-old girl threatened to attack her again, court hears” – A court has heard that an illegal immigrant raped a 12 year-old and then threatened to attack her again, says the Telegraph.
• “Council ‘can’t afford’ elections… but spends £30k on migrants’ mental health” – A council which says it cannot hold an election because it’s too expensive gave £30,000 to migrants struggling with their mental health, according to the Telegraph.
• “Police officers evicted over Rayner’s housing reforms” – Police families have been evicted from their grace and favour homes as part of the disgraced ex-deputy prime minister’s housing reforms, reports the Telegraph.
• “Labour minister says Nigel Farage is racist to voice concerns about surge in Turkish barbers” – A Labour minister has branded Farage “racist” because he expressed his concern about the rising number of Turkish barbers, says the Mail.
• “The truth about Starmer is out, he’s just another Left-wing lawyer” – Starmer is just another Left-wing lawyer, writes Camilla Tominey in the Telegraph.
• “The Lords isn’t filibustering on assisted suicide. It is just doing its job” – In the Telegraph, Charles Moore disputes Charlie Falconer’s claim that peers opposed to the assisted suicide bill are behaving unconstitutionally.
• “Why the Schools Bill remains a threat to a thriving sector” – Labour’s Schools Bill has been going through parliament for over a year, but its key defects remain, writes Meg Powell-Chandler in the TES.
• “PIP benefits explosion: Anxiety and depression handouts have nearly tripled to £4.3 billion since Covid – with autism and ADHD bill hitting £2.2 billion and ‘back pain’ £1.6 billion” – PIP payouts have surged for mental-health and neurodevelopmental claims, according to the Mail.
• “Drop ‘sir’ and ‘madam’ to avoid offending trans patients, NHS told” – NHS staff have been urged to avoid “sir” and “madam” to avoid offending trans patients, reports the Times.
• “Measles is coming back as vaccination rates fall. What’s next?” – Measles has rebounded as jab uptake slips and a bigger outbreaks threaten, notes the Times.
• “Heat pumps are a miracle – which is what we’ll need to afford them” – Heat pumps promise efficiency savings, but the costs are still astronomical, says Tom Whipple in the Times.
• “Why does Octopus’s tech ‘powerhouse’ need £25 million of taxpayer money?” – In the Telegraph, Kathryn Porter says Octopus’s tech arm, Kraken Technologies, has been given £25 million in public cash with very little prospect of getting it back.
• “Green Tory Ben Goldsmith draws up Reform nature strategy” – Ben Goldsmith, founder of the Conservative Environment Network, is advising Reform on its environmental policy, according to the Telegraph.
• “Volvo tells customers to not charge EX30 above 70% due to ‘fire risks’” – Volvo has warned EX30 owners to cap charging at 70% or risk the battery catching fire, reports the Mail.
• “Passengers warned air fares could soar under EU baggage crackdown” – Airlines have warned fares could rise under new EU cabin-bag rules, according to the Mail.
• “If the BBC is institutionally anti-Semitic, can it be saved?” – In the Telegraph, former BBC executive Danny Cohen asks whether the institution can be cleansed of its antisemitism or whether it’s doomed.
• “BBC is told to stop box-ticking casting that ‘shoe-horns’ ethnic minority actors into period dramas – and to improve coverage of the working class and women over 60” – A new review of the BBC’s casting decisions has urged it to stop casing black actors as white historical figures like Isaac Newton, says the Mail.
• “The censors are winning” – In the Spectator, Douglas Murray worries about censorship spreading across the West.
• “Thou shalt not mock the woke” – Apple Music has deleted a satirical Holly Valance track, much to Andrew Doyle’s dismay on his Substack.
• “Sacked GEOAmey worker did not want to ‘lie’ over transgender pronouns, tribunal told” – A prison custody trainee was dismissed after refusing to use the preferred gender pronouns of male prisoners in women’s prisons in Scotland, reports Sky News – the FSU’s latest cast.
• “I do ‘exorcisms’ for the Church of England. I’ve seen enough to believe ghosts may be real” – The Reverend Dr Jason Bray, a priest who performs exorcisms, says ghosts are real, notes the Telegraph.
• “No more rum? How the Navy’s drinking ban will undo centuries of history” – The Navy has tightened alcohol rules, defying centuries of tradition, reveals the Telegraph.
• “Green candidate backed legal prostitution and abolishing police” – The Green candidate in the Gorton and Denton by-election wants to legalise prostitution and abolish the police, according to the Mail.
• “Another fine mess! Now they are punishing grannies for ‘fly-tipping’ while criminal gangs get away with it” – Councils chase petty fly-tipping cases while serious crime goes unpunished, writes Richard Littlejohn in the Mail.
• “The guilty men: the ideologues who undermine Britain” – In the Spectator, Michael Gove takes aim at the Left-wing lawyers who are selling Britain down the river.
• “The Church must not squander its foolish £100m slavery payout on favoured businesses” – The Charity Commission should demand more transparency over the Church of England’s ethically vacuous reparations plan, writes Robert Tombs in the Telegraph.
• “A message to Labour MPs” – On X, Sir Nick Timothy urges Labour MPs to honour their party’s history and defy David Lammy’s plans to curtain jury trials.

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