Newspaper headlines: ‘World waits on Iran’ and Sunak gets tough on benefits
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Israel’s strike on Iran takes the top story slot for the Financial Times, following the ongoing hostilities between the two countries. Elsewhere on the front page, the paper focuses on the UK economy with a story on how Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is targeting a further 2p cut on National Insurance in an pre-election “mini budget”.
“Calls for calm” provide the focus of the Guardian’s lead headline. The paper says that there are “tentative hopes” that Israel’s strike on an Iranian airbase “was sufficiently limited to fend off he threat of a bigger Iranian response and an uncontrolled spiral of violence”.
Further commenting on relations between Israel and Iran, the front of the i features the quote “2024 smells like 1938” – a reference to the lead-up to World War Two. But, the paper doesn’t go as far as suggesting a third global conflict is on the cards by adding “Tensions high but Iran and Israel step back from the brink”.
The Daily Mirror has a more alarmist take on the relations between the two countries, with the headline “Now the world waits on Iran” and a report from the paper’s defence editor Chris Hughes, saying that the Middle East has”edged closer to all-out war”.
“Benefits to be axed after year on the dole” is how the the Daily Mail headlines Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s plans to reform welfare payments. The accompanying story says the PM’s proposals have “triggered a furious backlash” from disability charities.
In an exclusive, Dame Esther Rantzen features on the front page of the Daily Express. The paper is backing her campaign calling for a Commons debate and free vote for MPs on the issue of assisted dying. The paper reports that a petition it has organised has surpassed 200,000 signatures. Presenter Dame Esther, who has stage four cancer, is a campaigner for assisted dying and has previously said she “wanted to avoid tarnishing her family’s happy memories of her by suffering as her life draws to a close”.
The Daily Telegraph leads with the quote “You are openly Jewish”. It’s what a Met police officer said to antisemitism charity leader Gideon Falter when he was threatened with arrest for being near a pro-Palestine march. In a video shared online, the officer said Mr Falter’s presence near the march was a “breach of the peace”. The Met apologised for this twice, after its first apology – which said some people attend protests to express an opposing view, despite “knowing their presence is provocative” – was criticised as victim-blaming.
The Sun leads on a “Wag’s robbery ordeal”. That’s in reference to Ruby Mae, the former partner of Everton footballer Dele Alli. In 2020, burglars with knives robbed the couple in Alli’s north London home. Ms Mae tells the paper she feared she was “going to be killed” during the ordeal.
And finally the Daily Star carries the warning of “Ratzilla”. According to the paper, “binmen and binmenesses” are coming into contact with rats the size of cats. The paper doesn’t elaborate more on the front page, but it does feature the images of some scared looking cats hiding from a giant rat.
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