Death of Hamas mastermind’ and One Direction tribute to ‘brother’ Liam
By Yungsea
The font page of the Financial Times. The headline reads: “Hames mastermind of October 7 attacks killed in Gaza, says Israel.
Several of the papers lead on Israel announcing the death of Hamas Leader Yahya Sinwar, as the Financial Times does here, calling him the “mastermind of October 7 attacks”. The death of the leader is a “pivotal” moment in the Israel-Gaza war, the paper says, describing it as a “symbolic victory” for Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The story is illustrated by a photo of the The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) carrying what is said to be the body.
The Daily Telegraph’s front page, headlined with “Israel kills Hamas leader”.
The Daily Telegraph’s take on the same story says Prime Minister Netanyahu “will not stop war” despite Sinwar’s death. The headline reads: “Israel kills Hamas leader”. Netanyahu has threatened to kill anyone who harms the remaining hostages held by Hamas, the paper reports, saying the military will “go into Rafah” to finish the job.
The Guardian front page, headlined with “Mastermind of Hamas attacks on Israel is killed by IDF troops.
Also describing Sinwar as the “mastermind” of Hamas attacks, the Guardian says the groups leader had been the subject of a “year-long manhunt”. It describes his death as a “major boost” to the The Israel Defense Forces and the latest in a series of high-profile assassinations.
The front page of The Times.
An image of Sinwar holding a child clutching a gun is splashed across the Times, which also leads with his death. The leader was killed in a “chance shelling”, the paper reports, adding Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, “vows” to continue war.
The Metro front page, headlined with “Liam’s final tragic hours,” referring to the death of One Direction singer Liam Payne.
Devoting its front page to the death of Liam Payne, the Metro paper says the One Direction star endured his “final tragic hours” in a “trashed” hotel room, before falling from the third floor of a hotel in Argentina.
The Daily Star front page. The headline reads “Our kind, funny and brave soul”.
The Daily Star also headlines on Payne’s “heartbroken” family’s tribute to his “kind, funny and brave soul”.
The Daily Mirror’s front page, headlined with “Our kind, funny, brave soul”.
The Mirror’s headline mirrors the Daily Star’s, describing the “outpouring” of grief and “emotional” tributes paid by family and fans.
The Daily Mail front page. The headline reads “Record Label dumped Liam before fatal drugs binge”.
Payne’s record label dropped him days before the 31 year-old died in Buenos Aires, the Daily Mail says.
The front page of The Sun. The headline reads “We love you brother”.
The rest of One Direction paid tribute to Payne, calling him “our brother, who we loved dearly”, The Sun reports.
The front page of the i, headlined with “UK public service cuts in budget: Labour ministers accuse No 10 of complacency.”
In other news, Labour ministers have accused No 10 of “complacency”, the i declares. “Deep unrest” swirls within the Government over the scale of the “bleak” cutbacks the chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to make in the Budget, according to a Whitehall insider the paper has spoken to.
The front page of the Daily Express, titled “Pension Cash-in ‘panic’ at Labour budget tax rises”.
And staying with the chancellor, the Express reports Rachel Reeves has been accused of “undermining the economy”, causing a “pension cash- in panic” as savers near retirement age try to avoid a “feared £2bn tax raid”.
Images of Yayha Sinwar appear on many of the front pages. The Guardian calls him the “mastermind” of last year’s October attacks, and says his death is a major boost to Benjamin Netanyahu’s military campaign.
“Hamas leader is killed by a chance shelling” is the headline of The Times which features a photo of Sinwar with a child who is holding an automatic rifle. The paper describes him as having been killed by “trainee troops”, unaware they’d found Israel’s most wanted man.
An Israeli official has told The Telegraph that the ceasefire negotiation team have held “emergency discussions” in the wake of Sinwar’s death. The Financial Times calls his killing “pivotal”, and carries a quote from a 28-year-old Gaza resident. “I thought I would feel happy if Sinwar was killed,” he says, adding: “If his death is not leading to the end of the war then there’s nothing to be happy for.”
EPA Hamas Gaza leader Yahya SinwarEPA
Yahya Sinwar
The I reports deep disquiet from within the cabinet at the scake of cuts to public services being mooted by the government ahead of the budget. A Whitehall insider has told the paper that it’s not a case of what will be cut, but which services will be terminated entirely – saying the prime minister has failed to “consider the politics” of the situation. An unnamed minister said: “It’s really bad. There’s going to have to be significant consideration of what we’re going to have to cut as a department. It’s pretty bleak.”
The Guardian reports a row between the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, over social housing. It says Reeves has refused a request for billions of pounds to begin construction of the homes which Rayner believes are essential for Labour to meet its target of constructing one and a half million homes in this parliament. A Treasury spokesperson says no final decisions have been made.
The Daily Express claims there’s been a rise in tax-free withdrawals from pension pots in the run-up to the budget. The paper blames what it has called “panic”, and says the chancellor has “undermined the economy” by creating “uncertainty”, in the run-up to her Budget speech.
reuters Liam Payne poses for photographers at the world premiere of the film “I am Bolt” in London. reuters
The Telegraph reports tensions between Labour and the Republican Party in the US, because almost a hundred current and former Labour staffers have been sent to campaign in swing states in the Presidential election. Some Republicans are said to regard it as an “outrage”, claiming that this represents interference in American politics.
Liam Payne features on the front page of the Sun. The paper says Argentinian police have spoken to five witnesses about the fall from the third floor of a Buenos Aires hotel which killed the One Direction singer. The Daily Mail claims he had been told he was being dropped by his record label, and is one of a number of tabloids to run a photo – which it claims was taken inside his hotel room – showing burnt aluminium and a white powder . “Record label dumped Liam before fatal drugs binge” is the headline.
There’s alarming news for the growing number of office workers who choose to stand at their desks, rather than sit, in the Times. An eight year study of more than eighty thousand people has found the practice does not improve cardiovascular health over the long term, and increases the risk of circulatory issues.