Month: February 2024

The news that a school headteacher has not hired classroom staff because a PFI contract forces him to spend £30,000 a year on mowing the grass on the playing fields is the lead story in the Metro.

David Potter says almost 20% of his whole budget is spent on the deal which helped build the school but ties it to the same maintenance firm for decades as prices rise, the paper says.

The Sun leads on the news that Coronation Street star Bill Roache reportedly owes nearly £550,000 in tax and is now facing a battle in the High Court. It says his debt is revealed in court papers obtained by the newspaper on Monday, weeks after the paper reported that the actor faces “bankruptcy again”.

The Daily Mirror leads with the news that Sarah Payne’s murderer Roy Whiting has been stabbed in prison. The paper writes that the paedophile was said to have been “saved” by a guard at Wakefield Maximum Security prison, where he was stabbed in a “frenzied” attack.

Many of Tuesday’s newspaper front pages lead on Labour’s decision to cut ties with its candidate in the Rochdale by-election. Comments made by Azhar Ali during a Labour meeting shortly after the 7 October attacks have forced Labour to “disown” Ali.

Pictures of Taylor Swift at the Super Bowl are also featured on the front pages this morning.

The captain of Nigeria’s Super Eagles football team has led calls to end online bullying against midfielder Alex Iwobi.

Some football fans have been trolling Iwobi on social media, blaming the 27-year-old player for their country’s 1-2 loss to Ivory Coast in Sunday’s Afcon final.

Venezuelan authorities have officially acknowledged the arrest of Rocío San Miguel, a prominent human rights activist. San Miguel, known for her outspoken criticism of President Nicolás Maduro’s government, was arrested on Friday and transported to an undisclosed location.

Former US President Donald Trump has petitioned the Supreme Court to halt a lower court’s decision denying him presidential immunity from prosecution. Trump had argued that he couldn’t be prosecuted for actions taken during his presidency, particularly in a case involving election interference.