Remaining cloudy in England and Wales, with showers becoming confined to the south coast. Drier with sunny spells for Northern Ireland and Scotland, though frost
Editorial 10.12.24
Tuesday’s front pages continue coverage of the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad including the UK suspending Syrian asylum claims.
In domestic news, the stabbing death of a young London girl features on several tabloid front pages, as well as the sacking of a Premier League referee.
The back pages continue Premier League coverage.
‘Rebels rushing to consolidate their power’
‘Rebels that overthrew him rushing to consolidate control over country,’ says the FT.
The FT says the rebel forces that overthrew him are now rushing to consolidate their control over the country. The paper says Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is holding meetings with officials from the former government to negotiate a transition of power. The paper adds that an amnesty has been issued for people conscripted into the military under Assad, while state bodies have ordered a resumption of public services.
‘Lammy brands Assad the ‘rat of Damascus’, highlights the Mirror.
The Daily Mirror leads with comments from David Lammy who branded Assad the “rat of Damascus” who fled to Moscow “with his tail between his leg.”
‘Saydnaya Prison is a vast underground complex that held some 1,500 people,’ reports The Guardian.
The Guardian says a report from the Saydnaya Prison in Damascus describes the discovery at the site of a “vast underground complex, five storeys deep” where some of the regime’s last prisoners. The paper says the complex was believed to hold some 1,500 people and that a “procession lit by thousands of phone torches” filed through the prison as people searched for their loved ones.
‘Critics of Assad were often taken to Saydnaya but few ever left,’ reports The Times.
The Times reports from Saydnaya and carries an image of someone holding up bloodied nooses found at the site. The paper says throughout Assad’s 24 years in power, and particularly since the 2011 uprising, thousands of his critics were taken to Saydnaya, though “few ever left”. The paper speaks to Ahmed, who spent three years at the prison and had travelled there in hopes of finding his brother, who had been imprisoned for ten years.
‘UK will freeze asylum claims amid questions about if they still need refuge,’ highlights the i.
The i newspaper reports the UK is to freeze decisions on asylum applications from Syrian citizens while it assesses the situation. Around 5,000 people from Syria currently awaiting an outcome of a claim, but the fall of Assad has raised questions about whether they still need refuge, the paper adds.
The Guardian says the freeze on applications come despite lack of clarity over the future of the country.’
The Guardian notes the decision to suspend the applications comes “despite a lack of clarity over what lies ahead” for the country.
‘Fears that British jihadists imprisoned in Syria could now return to the UK,’ notes The Telegraph.
The Telegraph suggests there are fears that British jihadists currently imprisoned in Syria could now return to the UK. The paper says there are around a dozen ISI fighters from the UK being held in prisons controlled by Kurdish forces in northern Syria, according to security sources.
‘Very large number of ISIS will be freed and they pose threat to the UK,’ is the Mail’s take.
The Mail leads with the same story, quoting former M16 chief Sir Alex Younger saying there is now a risk that a “very large number” of IS detainees will be freed and that they would pose a security threat to the UK.
‘London schoolgirl stabbed to death’
‘Sentamu pleaded guilty to manslaughter but denies murder,’ reports the Metro.
The trial of Hassan Sentamu leads the Metro. The paper reports the teenager is accused of stabbing London schoolgirl Elianne Andam to death in September 2023. It says Elianne was a friend of Sentamu’s ex-girlfriend and tried to grab a bag from him, believing it contained her friend’s possessions – including a teddy bear. Sentamu had pleaded guilty to manslaughter but is on trial charged with murder, which he denies.
‘Stabbed to death over a teddy bear,’ the Express says.
The front page of the Daily Express also reports on the story saying 15-year-old Elianne Andam was stabbed to death ‘over a teddy bear.’
Germany to tighten people-smuggling laws in new UK partnership
Germany has committed to tightening its laws to make facilitating people-smuggling to the UK a criminal offence, as part of a new agreement with Britain to curb illegal Channel crossings.
Syrian rebel leader vows to expose Assad officials accused of torture
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani, the leader of Syria’s main Islamist rebel group, has announced plans to publicly name senior officials from Bashar al-Assad’s regime who were involved in the torture of
Israel conducts over 100 air strikes across Syria, targeting military sites
Israeli warplanes have carried out extensive air strikes across Syria, including in the capital, Damascus, according to Syrian state media and monitoring groups. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights
Syria’s White Helmets end search for secret cells at infamous Saydnaya prison
The White Helmets, Syria’s renowned rescue group, announced the conclusion of their search for hidden cells or detainees at the notorious Saydnaya military prison. The operation, which involved K9 units
TikTok seeks emergency court block to halt looming US ban
TikTok has filed an emergency request for an injunction to prevent its ban in the US, which is set to take effect next month. The ban stems from a US
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson shot dead: Luigi Mangione charged with murder
Luigi Mangione, a 26-year-old man, has been charged with murder in connection with the fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City last week.
Iranian regime insider to the @FT on Assad: “He had become an obstacle, a liability — some even called him a betrayer. His inaction cost us dearly, and he aligned himself with regional actors who promised him a future that never materialised.”
Keir Starmer will strive to strengthen trade ties with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in his first trip to the Persian Gulf as prime minister. Read the full story here 👇
UK start-ups still at the forefront of global innovation
Despite the “doom and gloom” narrative and post-Budget fears looming over the UK’s start-up ecosystem, the country still holds its ground at the forefront of global innovation.
At least that is the view of Ashish Patel, managing director at Houlihan Lokey’s Capital Market Group, who says that a rise of international investment into UK start-ups this year is indeed a sign of good fortune.
While referencing the success of “landmark deals” across a variety of sectors this year, including AI firm Wayve’s $1bn (£787m) raise for self-driving cars, biotech start-up Nuclera’s $75m (£59m) for protein discoveries, and fintech Monzo’s additional raise of $430m (£338m), Patel’s argument becomes clear.
“Following the global investment declines of 2022, investment in UK-based businesses is picking up,” Patel says.
https://www.cityam.com/uk-start-ups-punch-above-their-weight-and-its-being-noticed-worldwide/
Business confidence drops at fastest pace for over three years
Business optimism fell at its fastest pace in over three years following October’s Budget, a new survey shows.
BDO’s latest business trends survey, which collects and regroups data from the UK’s main business surveys, showed that corporate confidence fell to its lowest level since January 2023.
The optimism index dropped 5.8 points to 93.49 in November, which was the largest monthly fall since August 2021.
The drop in confidence reflects the anticipated effect of the Budget, as businesses brace for the impact of the national insurance hike and the increase to the minimum wage from April next year.
Business confidence drops at fastest pace for over three years
What to Watch
Amazon prime - TV & Netflix
What to Watch
Love Sports
