Author: WTX News

China casts spierballen as punishment for ‘separatist’ Taiwan

The Metro – General Election Day 1: Rishi’s bumpy take off The Metro leads on the general election, as the first day of campaigning got underway. The paper says the election announcement had the feel of a 90s romcom. Rishi Sunak stood outside 10 Downing Street in the torrential rain, sharing his feelings and begging voters for one last chance to make things right. The pint-sized Prime Minister was drenched and humiliated as D: Ream’s hit song – and New Labour anthem – Things Can Only Get Better, blasted so loud from a nearby protestor’s speaker that he was drowned…

The Independent – It never rains but it pours, Rishi, so you’ll need one of these The Independent front page leads on Rishi Sunak saying the outlook looks gloomy for the prime minister as he was forced to announce the Rwanda flights won’t take off before the election. The paper says social media reacted more or less as you’d expect to news of a “snap” summer election – the first July poll since 1945 – by finding the funny. Users of X (formerly Twitter) quickly coined the term “genny lex” – which, like “platty jubes” and “statey funes” before it,…

The Guardian – Sunak begins election campaign by abandoning flagship policies The Guardian leads on the first day of the general election campaign. Rishi Sunak has dropped flagship policies on deporting asylum seekers to Rwanda and banning smoking for young people on the first full day of his election campaign, leaving his legacy increasingly threadbare, the paper writes.  Sunak is pictured on the front page stepping off a plane – as he touched down in Wales for a whistlestop tour. Elsewhere, the paper reports on Post Office boss Paula Vennells who appeared at the Post Office Inquiry yesterday. The paper…

Western Mail – NHS waiting lists hit record high The Western Mail leads on newly released NHS figures showing more people are waiting for healthcare treatment in Wales than ever before. NHS data released by the Welsh Government showed rises in the number of people on waiting lists, longer waits in A&E, fewer cancer patients starting treatment within the two-month target and ambulances taking longer to get to the most urgent calls. The figures released on Thursday show winter pressures and strike disruption have been extremely disruptive for the NHS. There were around 591,600 individual patients on waiting lists for…

The National – Scottish Lib Dem candidate gave £25k to Boris The National’s lead story is an exclusive on Lib Dem candidate and businessman Angus MacDonald who donated £25,000 to the Conservatives under Boris Johnson. MacDonald hopes to rekindle the Lib Dem vote in their former Highland heartlands by taking the new Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire seat from the SNP, the paper writes. But there are questions about his commitment to his new party’s stated pro-EU stance after The National revealed his previous support for the Tories in the run-up to the 2019 election. Boris Johnson’s 2019 campaign was…

The Herald (Scotland) – FM’s election launch marred by police move on SNP fraud probe The Scottish Herald’s leading story reports that police in Scotland have launched a formal investigation into potential criminality involving SNP fundraising. The force, which has been assessing a fraud allegation from a member of the public since late March, said it had escalated its work after consulting with prosecutors. The paper notes the situation has been a blow to John Swinney’s bid to kick off the SNP’s general election campaign.  Elsewhere, a large image of PM Rishi Sunak on the campaign trail is featured on…

Now, it has been revealed that a joint investigation is being carried out by North Yorkshire Police and the Health and Safety Executive to establish what happened.

“This weakness is not ours, but the world’s, which has not dared to deal with terrorists in the way they deserve for three years,” he said in a post on X.

“India is a priority market for Pixel smartphones, and we’re committed to bringing the best of our hardware and underlying built-in software capabilities to people across the country,” Google stated in a blog post.

Palma Fire Chief Eder García informed local media that most of the victims were foreigners and tourists, as reported by El Pais.

Iran buries late president at shrine in home city of Mashhad Iran’s late President, Ebrahim Raisi, has been interred in his hometown of Mashhad, four days following his death in a helicopter crash. The 63-year-old hard-line cleric was laid to rest at the holy shrine of Imam Reza, a venerated figure in Shia Islam. Television broadcasts showed large crowds assembling in one of the northeastern city’s main streets prior to the ceremony. The crash, which occurred on Sunday amid adverse weather conditions in Iran’s mountainous northwest, also claimed the lives of seven other individuals. Among the deceased was Raisi’s foreign…

On Thursday, the governor called for a rare special session of the Legislature to enact a law permitting Biden’s inclusion on the ballot.

Australian in intensive care with severe spinal injury after ‘horrifying’ Singapore flight, husband says Kerry Davis was flung to ceiling when flight SQ321 hit turbulence before falling motionless to floor of plane Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast An Australian woman suffered a spinal injury and has no sensation from her waist down after her flight to Singapore hit extreme turbulence earlier this week, as others onboard are treated for skull and brain injuries. The Boeing 777-300ER hit what an airline official described as “sudden…

Haiti health system on verge of collapse, UN says Haiti’s health system is “on the verge of collapse,” according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef), which reports that six out of ten hospitals in the country are barely operational. “The combination of violence, mass displacement, dangerous epidemics, and increasing malnutrition has strained Haiti’s health system,” stated Bruno Maes, Unicef’s representative in the Caribbean nation. He emphasised, however, that “the strangling of supply chains may be what breaks it.” Armed gangs continue to control much of the capital, Port-au-Prince, and Unicef warns that millions of children are at risk of…

During his visit to police headquarters in the capital, Nouméa, on Thursday, President Macron acknowledged the challenging days and weeks ahead but assured that Paris would “go until the end” to restore order.

The incident took place in San Pedro Garza García, near Monterrey, as centre-left presidential candidate Jorge Alvarez Maynez was delivering a speech.

Tech tycoon Mike Lynch, accused of ‘massive’ fraud, set to testify at US trial Lawyers for founder of software firm Autonomy, charged over $11bn Hewlett-Packard deal, suggest they may move for mistrial The British entrepreneur Mike Lynch is expected to take the stand in a San Francisco federal courthouse on Thursday as a key witness in his own criminal fraud trial, which began in March. US authorities have charged the former software tycoon with 16 counts of wire fraud, securities fraud and conspiracy relating to his company’s acquisition deal with Hewlett-Packard in 2011. If convicted, Lynch faces up to 25…

Front page summary The National – UK government to be probed by regulator The National says An adviser to the Conservative Party has issued a stark warning, stating that the UK Government is veering into territory where it bans individuals based on disagreeing political views. This caution comes amid concerns about the government’s handling of protests and the implications for free speech and political expression.The UK Government is set to be investigated by a regulator over its treatment of disabled benefits claimants. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is suspected of potentially violating equality laws in its handling of these…

Front page summary The Herald – CalMac hit by record finesThe Scottish Herald says State-owned ferry operator CalMac has been fined a record £316,000 per month for poor performance in maintaining reliable ferry services. The total fines have reached nearly £5 million since October 2022, due to recurring reliability issues. The penalties were imposed as part of the Scottish Government’s oversight of the ferry contract, which has been plagued by issues with the aging fleet. The fines, which have accumulated significantly over the past year, aim to address the delays and disruptions that have affected island ferry services.An interactive sculpture…

Front page summary Western Mail – Labour will not be taking Gerthing’s unspent donations Western Mail says Money donated to Vaughan Gething’s leadership campaign, totalling £130,000, will not be taken by the Labour Party. Instead, it will be used for “progressive causes.” This decision follows calls from opposition groups for the return of a £200,000 donation from the Dawson Environmental Group, linked to David Neal, who has past environmental offence convictions. Party rules usually dictate that unspent leadership campaign funds go to the central party, but this case has been treated as an exception.In other news, Wylfa has been chosen as…

Front page summary The Guardian – Alarm over big increase in under-40s with diabetes A 39% rise in the number of people under 40 being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is the top story in The Guardian.The number of people under 40 being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the UK has risen 39% in six years, fuelled by soaring obesity levels and cheap junk food.Britain has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe. Two in three adults are overweight or obese and the NHS spends £6bn a year treating obesity-related ill-health. That is forecast to rise to £10bn a…

Front page summary Metro – Brit dies in jet plunge at 38,000ft The Metro leads on the news that a British man has died after a plane he was on from London to Singapore hit severe turbulence. The 73-year-old was on his ‘last big holiday’ with his wife who remains in hospital.Grandfather Geoffrey Kitchen is believed to have suffered a heart attack when the Singapore Airlines flight plunged 7,000ft in just six minutes after hitting severe turbulence. Mr Kitchen, from Thornbury, Gloucestershire was pronounced dead at the scene after the plane made an emergency landing in Thailand.Elsewhere, Marcus Rashford’s exclusion from…

Front page summary The Independent – Gove: Protesters must pay for right to marchThe Independent says Michael Gove has been accused of a ‘witch hunt’ after saying he wanted pro-Palestinian marchers to pay for the massive weekly protests.The secretary of state for levelling up labelled pro-Palestine university encampments as ‘antisemitism repurposed for the Instagram age’ and he accused activists of hostility towards Jewish students.Elsewhere, the front page features a large image of the plane from London to Singapore that was hit by severe turbulence – one person died of a suspected heart attack.  The Independent – Betrayal, lies and a…

Most of Wednesday’s front pages lead on the mid-air turbulence that struck the Singapore Airlines flight on Tuesday. British grandfather Geoffrey Kitchen, 73, died during the flight, suspected to have had a heart attack during the turbulence. 

Away from the lead, there’s a mix of domestic topics on the front pages – with little unity across the papers. 

The back pages lead on Gareth Southgate’s provisional England squad – ahead of this summer’s Euros. A few of the front pages feature the news as well – with Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson dropped from the squad.