Today’s news summary – Paper Talk
After a week of non-stop Huw Edwards coverage, Friday’s front pages give way to the government’s public sector pay offer. The Hollywood strike, Europe’s heatwave and Dele Alli’s interview are also splashed across the morning’s papers.
Public sector pay offer
The Financial Times says Rishi Sunak has thrown down the gauntlet to trade unions with what he says is the final offer. The Times says the approach is a “significant escalation of rhetoric.”
“Will doctors now end their callous strikes?” asks the Daily Mail, as junior doctors in England continue their industrial action.
The Guardian leads on the response of the health unions – saying they reacted furiously and have warned that the government is risking driving doctors away. The Daily Mirror says the government is taking an axe to already battered public services to fund the pay rises.
Cerberus heatwave
The Sun uses a heat map to show almost all of Spain is impacted by a heatwave across Europe. The heatwave – named Cerberus – after “hell’s guard dog,” says the Daily Express. The paper says the record high of 48.8C – set in 2021 – is expected to be broken at some point.
The UK is likely to experience the biggest increase in the number of days classified as “uncomfortably hot” according to the i newspaper. That means an average temperature of 18C over a 24-hour period if global warming.
Hollywood strikes
Several newspapers report on the Hollywood strikes – as the actors union, SAG-AFTA announced a strike alongside a current writer’s strike sweeping Hollywood. It meant the actors at London’s premiere of Oppenheimer went from the red carpet to the picket line, according to The Mail.
The Guardian’s coverage of the dispute predicts chaos across the film and TV industry and suggests the consequences are likely to be “seismic”.
The Financial Times front page reports on that what it calls AI’s lurking perils have spurred US regulators to investigate the technology for the first time. The paper says the Federal Trade Commission will examine Open AI – the makers of ChatGPT.
AI is one of the key issues in the Hollywood strike as actors and writers are concerned about the potential use of AI.
