Friday briefing: What the Jason Arday row reveals about equality in modern Britain
In today’s newsletter: Reputational power operates unevenly across elite organisations in British public life, shaping whose mistakes become scandals and whose are quietly absorbed
Good morning. Instinct told me we should avoid this story. Europe is on fire, Gaza is besieged and Donald Trump remains in control of the world’s largest nuclear arsenal.
Allegations against British sociologist Jason Arday of CV-zhuzhing and plagiarism in his PhD thesis (“An exploration of peer-mentoring among student teachers’ to inform reflective practice within the context of action research”) felt rather parochial by comparison.
US news | A federal judge has temporarily halted an order requiring Donald Trump to turn over detailed financial information about his business empire to the BBC as part of an ongoing libel lawsuit.
UK politics | The government is “urgently” identifying any grooming gang perpetrators who may still be eligible for early prison release after concerns were raised about a potential loophole in the system.
Gaza | Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which was set up in January to oversee the reconstruction of Gaza, has finally issued its first construction contract: a project to build a military outpost.
Heatwave | Temperature records have been broken in several countries across central and eastern Europe as the extreme weather that has caused wildfires and droughts across the continent continues.
Science | Scientists have made the first viruses designed by artificial intelligence in a milestone that raises hopes for new medicines but also concerns over how to ensure the technology remains safe.
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