Summary of The Guardian Newspaper
The Guardian page this morning – summarised
The front page of The Guardian this morning leads with a report that some jury trials may be axed under new plans to ease the court backlog. The front page features an image of a funeral for a victim of the Assad regime.
Jury trials could be abandoned for some criminal cases in England and Wales under a radical overhaul proposed by ministers as the crown courts backlog hit a record high.
A review, to be led by the former high court judge Sir Brian Leveson, will consider creating “intermediate courts” where cases could be heard by a judge flanked by magistrates, in an attempt to speed up the length of trials.
The streets of Damascus have been filled with celebrations since Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia last Sunday in the face of an unexpected rebel offensive, ending more than 50 years of his family’s brutal rule over Syria. But at a public funeral for Mazen al-Hamadah – before his disappearance in 2020 one of the most vocal survivors of torture in the regime’s prisons system – the joy gave way to sorrow, as the country begins to grapple with the fact that many of the estimated 130,000 people missing may be lost forever.
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‘Celebrations and sorrow in Syria’ & ‘NATO spending talks’ & ‘Prince Andrew spy links’ – Paper Talk UK
Friday’s front pages lead with various domestic and international stories. There is ongoing coverage of the latest across the Middle East as G7 nations prepare to hold a virtual meeting on Friday to discuss the fast-moving developments. For Syrians, many have taken to the streets in celebration, marking the end of the Assad regime.
Amid ongoing war in the Middle East and Europe, as well as the return of Donald Trump to world politics, several front pages lead with stories regarding NATO. European members of the alliance are holding talks about increasing the spending target to 3% of GDP. There is also a warning from the new head of NATO, Mark Rutte, that European members need to spend more on defence.
A little closer to home, Prince Andrew has found himself on the front pages again, this time regarding a close confidant to the Duke who has reportedly been banished from Britain over claims he is a Chinese spy.
