Author: WTX News

Chinese scientists publish long-awaited data into Covid-19 origins A new peer-reviewed study has been published by a research team in China, detailing the analysis of biological evidence taken from the Huanan seafood and wildlife market more than three years ago, which has been linked to the outbreak of Covid-19. The study revealed that swabs collected from the market contained genetic material from wild animals, potentially opening up new lines of inquiry into how the outbreak began. While some scientists view this as further evidence of animal-to-human transmission, others have cautioned against interpreting the findings without more information. The study also…

Today’s news summary – Paper Talk Friday’s front pages lead on travel warnings as gridlocks have affected families’ attempts to get away for an Easter break. Royal news dominates some of the papers, with the King’s support of research into royal connections to slavery being reported on.  The Sun predicts “Bad Friday” for holidaymakers hoping to travel, warning of gridlock in the UK and “travel hell” for families. The Daily Mirror reports a slow start to the Easter getaway with the headline “Standstill”, while the Independent begins its story with “Oh no, not again…”. The Daily Mail questions whether the…

Ex-PM of Italy Berlusconi is in intensive care Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, 86, has been admitted to intensive care with breathing difficulties. Local reports say the former PM is being treated for a form of leukaemia and remains in a stable condition and is alert.  He has been hospitalised on several occasions in recent years, including for heart surgery in 2016 and pneumonia in 2020 after contracting Covid-19. Berlusconi is a divisive figure in Italian politics, he was recently cleared of bribing young showgirls to lie about his “bunga bunga” parties. He still leads his Forza Italia party…

Metro – You’re nicked Summary of the front page The Metro leads on Nicola Sturgeon’s husband Peter Murrell being arrested in a probe over the SNP party’s finances, with the couple’s home scoured by police. The paper features an image of blue tents and police tape outside the couple’s home in a quiet cul-de-sac in Glasgow and notes that a search of SNP HQ in Edinburgh was made at the same time. Mr Murrell, who resigned as chief executive last month, has been released without charge, pending further investigation. Today’s top stories Like this article? Leave a comment UK National…

The Guardian – Royals took £1.2bn in private income from estates Summary of the front page The Guardian reports that the King and the late Queen Elizabeth II have received payments equivalent to more than £1bn from two estates at the centre of a centuries-old debate over whether their profits should be given to the public instead. The front page also leaves a small amount of space to report on the Met Police facing its biggest scandal and Nicola Sturgeon’s husband being questioned into SNP funding inquiry. Today’s top stories Like this article? Leave a comment UK National newspapers Previous…

The Times – Tory MP in gambling cash-for-access scandal Summary of the front page The Times reveals that Tory MP Scott Benton offered to table parliamentary questions, leak a confidential policy document and lobby ministers on behalf of gambling industry investors who proposed paying him thousands of pounds a month. The paper said it had begun its investigation after hearing that several senior political figures were concerned that the gambling industry had been successful in securing support from MPs in return for some form of financial reward – amid moves at Westminster to tighten regulations around problem-gambling. The front page…

Daily Mirror – You can end this cruelty now … what’s stopping you? Summary of the front page The Daily Mirror reports that murdered Sabina Nessa’s sister has urged Dominic Raab to stop killers snubbing sentence hearings after Thomas Cashman refused to attend his last week over the murder of nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel. Jabina Yasmin Islam, whose sister Sabina Nessa was murdered in 2021, has urged Justice Secretary Dominic Raab to put the plan into action. The front page also reports on upcoming plans for the King’s coronation. Today’s top stories Like this article? Leave a comment UK National newspapers…

Daily Express – PM: Migrant barge is fair and will save money Summary of the front page The Daily Express reports that Rishi Sunak has defended plans to house migrants on a barge as “fair” and a saving for taxpayers. The barge will house 500 migrants off the Dorset coast. The paper features an image of King Charles sipping gin on a distillery tour in Yorkshire. Today’s top stories Like this article? Leave a comment UK National newspapers Previous Next

Only middle-class lefties could whinge that our first asylum barge is not luxurious enough The Sun says HOW predictable of the hand-wringing Left to slam our first asylum barge as “cruel”. Have they seen it? Decent ensuite bedrooms, well-stocked kitchens, a gym, bar and games room. Its problem, in fact, is that it is not austere enough on its own to deter illegal arrivals. What MAY, though, is the prospect of being kept aboard 24/7 for months as their asylum claim is heard. That won’t happen to start with, but it must in the end. Deterrents work. Look at the…

Brazil kindergarten attack: Man kills 4 children in Blumenau According to local officials, a man armed with a hatchet attacked a kindergarten in Blumenau, southern Brazil, killing at least four children and injuring four others. The attacker, a 25-year-old man, reportedly entered the privately-run Cantinho Bom Pastor nursery by jumping over a wall and targeted the victims at random. The incident occurred at around 09:00 local time on Wednesday and the man has now surrendered to the police and is in custody. The victims, three boys, and a girl, are believed to be between four and seven years old. The…

The pilot said: ‘I felt this cool sensation, sort of, crawling up my shirt.’

Daily Telegraph – Trump under arrest Summary of the front page “Trump under arrest” reads the Telegraph’s front page. The paper also reports the former president is facing claims he paid hush money over an alleged love child. Judge Juan Merchan, overseeing the case, said he was “concerned” over Mr Trump’s rhetoric in the lead-up to the historic hearing, the paper adds. Mr Trump has used social media to attack both the judge and prosecutor Alvin Bragg. The paper opts for an image of the former president sitting alongside his defence team in court. A story about government plans to…

Metro – Donald in the dock Summary of the front page “Donald in the Dock” reads the Metro’s splash as they report Trump was fingerprinted but not handcuffed at his arraignment today. The front page features an image of a “stony-faced” Donald Trump, next to the headline. The paper notes that the former president was not handcuffed as he appeared for his arraignment, but was fingerprinted. Today’s top stories Like this article? Leave a comment UK National newspapers Previous Next

The Guardian – Trump pleads not guilty to 34 charges in hush-money case Summary of the front page The Guardian leads on Trump pleading not guilty to 34 charges in the hush money case. The paper also reserves space for its coverage on TikTok’s £12.7m fine for illegally processing the data of 1.4 million children under the age of 13. Today’s top stories Like this article? Leave a comment UK National newspapers Previous Next

Daily Star – Bigly trouble Summary of the front page The Daily Star uses one of Trump’s infamous phrases in their headline which says the former president is in “bigly trouble”. The paper offers a characteristically satirical look at the case against the 45th President of the United States. The paper describes Mr Trump as an “orange man-baby” in “bigly trouble” – a reference to a term he may have used during a debate with presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Today’s top stories Like this article? Leave a comment UK National newspapers Previous Next

Daily Mirror – Trump in the eye of the Stormy Summary of the front page “Trump in the eye of the Stormy” reads the Mirror’s splash as former President Donald Trump is charged over hush money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels. The paper’s headline is a reference to porn star Stormy Daniels who, the former president is accused of paying hush money to. Mr Trump said ahead of the hearing: “Can’t believe this is happening in America.” Today’s top stories Like this article? Leave a comment UK National newspapers Previous Next

Clashes between Israeli police and Palestinian worshippers erupt at al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, 350 arrested Israeli police clashed with Palestinian worshippers at the Al-Aqsa mosque in occupied East Jerusalem on April 5. Police said they arrested 350 people in a pre-dawn raid after “agitators” with fireworks, sticks, and stones barricaded themselves inside. Palestinians said stun grenades and rubber bullets were used to clear out the group, resulting in 14 injuries. Later, militants in Gaza fired nine rockets at Israel and its military carried out air strikes in response. The incident took place just ahead of an overlap between the Islamic…

Jacinda Ardern to tackle online extremism as post-PM role revealed Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has been appointed as special envoy for the Christchurch Call, a newly created position aimed at combating extremism and terrorist content online. The Christchurch Call was created by Ardern in response to the 2019 mosque shootings in which 51 people were killed. The attack was live-streamed on social media, prompting Ardern to push for stronger protections against extremist content on platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter. The Christchurch Call project calls on signatory nations to adopt and enforce laws that ban objectionable material…

Trump attacks indictment in speech after pleading not guilty to 34 charges Former President Donald Trump returned to his Mar-a-Lago home in Florida on Tuesday evening after pleading not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in a Manhattan court. During his short speech, he attacked the judge’s daughter over her political connections and portrayed himself as a political martyr. He attacked the Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg, an elected Democrat, as “a local failed district attorney charging a former president of the United States for the first time in history on a basis that every single pundit…

Terence Kelly jailed for 13 years for abducting Cleo Smith A man has been sentenced to 13 years and six months in jail for abducting a four-year-old girl from a remote campsite in Western Australia. Terence Kelly, 37, admitted to taking Cleo Smith from her family’s tent in October 2021, and she was found alive 18 days later at his house, minutes away from her own home. Kelly kept Cleo locked in a bedroom with the door modified to be lockable from the outside and turned up the radio to drown out her cries for her mother. The court heard…

Nato’s border with Russia doubles as Finland joins Finland has become the 31st member of NATO, with the Finnish flag set to be raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels later.  Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and the US Secretary of State will attend the ceremony, which marks a setback for Russia’s Vladimir Putin. The move means Russia’s border with NATO member states has doubled, and it follows a surge in Finnish public opinion towards joining NATO after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If Finland is invaded or attacked, all NATO members will come to its aid. Sweden had also applied to join…

The Guardian – CBI in turmoil following new claims of sexual misconduct Summary of the front page The Guardian reveals that more than a dozen women claim to have been victims of various forms of sexual misconduct by senior figures at the Confederation of British Industry – one of the country’s biggest business lobby groups, including one who alleges she was raped at a staff party on a boat on the River Thames. The CBI has expanded its inquiry, which is being overseen by law firm Fox Williams. The front page features a picture of former US president Donald Trump…

Metro – Gutless Summary of the front page The Metro reports that the “cowardly gunman” who murdered Olivia Pratt-Korbel in her own home in a hit gone wrong refused to face her family in court before being jailed for 42 years. “Gutless” is how paper characterises Cashman’s no-show in court. The convicted killer stayed in his cell, claiming his trial was a “circus” and that he had heard prosecuting lawyers sing Queen’s song We are the Champions after he was found guilty, the paper reports. Today’s top stories Like this article? Leave a comment UK National newspapers Previous Next

Daily Express – 42 years: Life for Olivia’s killer Summary of the front page The “gangland coward” who shot Olivia Pratt-Korbel dead is likely to die behind bars after learning he must spend at least 42 years in jail, the Daily Express writes. It adds that “vile” Thomas Cashman skulked in a cell and refused to attend court on Monday to be handed a life sentence. The paper is one of several featuring an image of former Chancellor Nigel Lawson, who has died at the aged of 91. Lawson presided over the economic boom of the 1980s that came to define…

The Sun – Phil: I no longer have a brother Summary of the front page The Sun leads with This Morning host Phillip Schofield saying “I no longer have a brother” after his sibling was found guilty of sexually abusing a boy. The paper says the TV host provided evidence for the prosecution against Timothy, who was convicted of 11 charges. The front page also reports on killer Thomas Cashman’s 42-year sentence and reports UK star Maya Jama is dating Hollywood heartthrob Leo DiCaprio. Today’s top stories Like this article? Leave a comment UK National newspapers Previous Next