Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
Many of Friday’s front pages are leading with the move by ferry operator P&O to sack 800 of its workers and replace them with cheaper agency staff.
The ongoing war in Ukraine makes the lead for several of Friday’s papers as well as the BBC’s controversial interview with the late Diana, Princess of Wales.
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P&O sacks crew & latest Ukraine news
The Sun does not hold back in expressing its anger over the events, the paper describes the “furious backlash” that followed the sacking and quotes a spokesman for prime minister calling the sackings “wholly unacceptable.”
Several of the tabloids refer to the events as a “mutiny” including the Daily Mail which reports that some of the security personnel sent in to remove crew from the ships were dressed in balaclavas and carrying handcuffs. The Metro said P&O is facing outrage and a mutiny on its ships following the sacking of the crew members.
For the Daily Express, the behaviour amounts to a “betrayal” the front page reports that the captain of Dutchman Eugene Favier locked his ship down to stop workers from being escorted off.
The Financial Times reports the company sent security teams to clear crew members from its ships and that no notice period had been given. Its front page also features an image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meeting an injured girl.
The Guardian leads with an image of Ms Zaghari-Ratcliffe and family, The paper’s lead story is that six countries – the UK, US, France, Albania, Ireland and Norway – have requested a meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss alleged war crimes in Ukraine. The paper quotes Liz Truss as saying there was “very, very strong evidence” of war crimes by Russian forces.
The i and the Times lead with the ongoing war in Ukraine. The i claims Putin may have to abandon plans to send troops into Kyiv in favour of aerial bombardment. The paper claims Western intelligence believes Russian advances have stalled due to the resistance and supply issues.
Russia’s military setbacks are also the subject of the front page of The Times. The paper reports that the country’s forces are being held off around Kyiv and second city Kharkiv and have had to summon troops from other deployments.
The Daily Mirror leads with an exclusive report on a group of mothers who have been carrying out missions to rescue children from Kyiv – they have rescued 227 children so far. The Ferry sackings also make the front page of the Mirror – the paper branding the billionaire chief as ‘scum’.