‘Retaliation is our right’ and Starbucks’ new boss
Several of Wednesday’s newspapers lead with tensions in the Middle East, after UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer urged Iran to “refrain” from attacking Israel. During a phone call with Sir Keir, the Metro writes, Iran’s new President, Masoud Pezeshkian, told the UK PM that Iran had the “right” to “retaliation”. Fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East have been growing after the recent assassination of senior Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.
The Daily Mirror says the Middle East is “on the brink”, and warns British nationals living in Israel to “get ready to flee”. The paper cites a statement from Downing Street which says ministers are working “to plan for all scenarios to keep British nationals safe” amid rising tensions.
A possible plan to evacuate British nationals from Israel is also featured on the front page of the Daily Express. Its main headline, however, focuses on the “victims of a £1bn state pension injustice”. The paper writes that tens of thousands of married women pensioners “missed out on payments” from the state and are yet to receive compensation. Campaigners say it would be “outrageous” to deny them compensation.
There has been a 40% surge in children on disability benefits, the Daily Telegraph writes. Citing figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions, the paper says claims related to conditions such as ADHD and autism have gone up by 200,000 “since lockdown”. A picture of Brad Pitt and George Clooney having a coffee in bed, in an interview for GQ, is also on the paper’s front page.
The Daily Mail leads on “workshy Britain” after Chancellor Rachel Reeves pledged to take action against what the paper calls a “worklessness crisis” in her autumn Budget. Labour have been told to “get a grip”, the paper says, as worklessness is at a “12-year-high”. A picture of Taylor Swift is also featured on the newspaper’s front page, as the star has arrived in London for a set of three shows at Wembley.
The Financial Times leads with Starbucks’ new boss, after its former chief was ousted in response to “falling sales” and “activist pressure”. The coffee chain’s shares surged 30% following the announcement, the paper writes – whereas the shares at Chipotle, where Starbucks’ new boss has handed in his resignation, fell by more than 10% in New York trading.
In a special report, The Guardian marks the lives of 50 women killed this year. “A man has been charged over each of their deaths”, the paper writes, adding that a woman dies “at the hands of a man” every three days in the UK. The paper’s front page leads with “cheapflation”, referencing a new study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which has found that Britain’s poorest households were hit the hardest between 2021-2023.
The i newspaper leads with an exclusive story on Elon Musk’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter. The paper says major companies have been “shocked” to learn that their adverts on X “are being run next to far-right content”, including messages about “racist content and misinformation about UK riots”. An exclusive story about “Prince William’s £800,000-a-year secret car showroom” is also on the paper’s front page.
“Get yer kit on!”, says the Daily Star in its leading story, referencing a poll which found people dislike “exhibitionist blokes” who walk around topless in public in the heat. The paper says some think the practice should be banned, and others have called for fines to be introduced.
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