Newspaper headlines: 'Return of the King' and 'teacher shortage crisis'
BBC News - Staff
·6 min read
The news that the King is to return to public duties next week dominates the front pages. The Daily Mail is one of a number of papers to carry a picture released on Friday showing the King and Queen smiling together in Buckingham Palace Gardens. The headline reads: "Smiles that say King is going back to work". [BBC]
The Sun says the news comes 11 weeks after the King was diagnosed with cancer. It says his return to work will begin with a visit to a cancer centre on Tuesday, and that he also hopes to attend Royal Ascot and the 80th anniversary of D-Day, both in June. [BBC]
The King is vowing to support fellow cancer sufferers, according to the Daily Express. The paper says he will meet patients and staff at the cancer centre and that the visit will be intended to "highlight the search for a cure". [BBC]
The Daily Mirror says the King's doctors have been "very encouraged by his progress" since his diagnosis. [BBC]
A palace spokesperson has stressed that the King's treatment is not yet over and that it is still "too early to say" how long it will last, according to the Times. The spokesperson also tells the paper that "forthcoming engagements will be adapted where necessary to minimise any risks to His Majesty's continued recovery". [BBC]
The Daily Telegraph says the King is also expected to host a state visit to the UK by the Emperor and Empress of Japan scheduled for the end of June. The paper adds that a source has said there are no plans for the King to confirm the type of cancer he has or any details of the procedures he has undergone. [BBC]
In other news, the Guardian reports on a survey of teaching assistants that has found that almost 40% are covering classes for regular teachers for at least five hours per week - roughly the equivalent of half a term's cover over a school year. The paper says unions are warning of a "desperate recruitment crisis" that is leaving schools across the country unable to put a qualified teacher in front of every class. One primary-level assistant told researchers: "I don't think parents have any idea how much of their children's education is being delivered by unqualified teaching assistants." [BBC]
Chicken "megafarms" run by firms that supply meat to some of the UK's biggest supermarkets and restaurant chains are causing a steep rise in emissions of toxic gas, according to the i. The paper says ammonia from the farms can combine with pollutants in the air to create particles that have been linked to respiratory problems and heart disease. Industry figures tell the paper the industry is working "to reduce emissions of pollutants". [BBC]
The Financial Times says investors believe mining conglomerate Anglo American is set to be brought and broken up, even after it rejected a £31 billion hostile bid from Australian rival BHP. The paper says the London-listed firm believes BHP's offer "significantly undervalues" it, but that other competitors are circling and Anglo American chief executive Duncan Wanblad "faces a fight" if he wants to keep the firm intact. [BBC]
And the Daily Star says scientists have solved the so-called curse of the pharaohs - said to have claimed the lives of numerous people involved in the excavation of Egyptian tombs - and have pointed the finger of blame at "leaking radiation". [BBC]
The news that the King is to return to public duties next week - and a photo of him arm-in-arm with the Queen - dominates the front pages.
"The King is back in the saddle" is the headline in the Sun, which says the nation is "rejoicing" at the announcement that he's "on the mend". The Daily Mail describes it as "cheering news on Charles's cancer battle", while the Daily Mirror's headline is: "Fit for a King".
The messaging is clear, according to the Times: "He's nearly out of the woods". The Daily Telegraph says his return to public life "signals a remarkable turning point". But it also points out that "despite the King's own wholly positive outlook, caution has long been the watchword".
"Humza on the rack" is the headline in the Scottish Daily Mail. It says Humza Yousaf's rivals are "turning the screw" as the first minister "limps towards a no confidence vote". According to the Daily Telegraph, he is "desperately attempting to cling to power". The paper says sources close to Mr Yousaf have suggested that "nothing will be off the table" when he tries to persuade the Scottish Greens or his former SNP leadership rival, Ash Regan, to keep him in post.
The National, though, reports that he's been urged by the former Scotland secretary, Alistair Carmichael, not to agree to Ms Regan's proposal for a second independence referendum.
The pressures facing Scottish First Minster Humza Yousaf feature in many of the papers [Reuters]
The Guardian reveals the scale of what it calls the "teacher shortage crisis" in England and Wales. It highlights research which has found that almost 40% of teaching assistants - who are paid as little as £14,000 a year - are routinely covering classes for teachers who are off sick or have quit. The Unison union tells the paper that it's "neither right, nor fair" that pupils are being educated "on the cheap". The Department for Education has been contacted for comment.
According to the i Weekend, the Home Office is asking civil servants to temporarily move to Rwanda to help process the claims of asylum seekers deported there. The paper says staff will be posted to Kigali for weeks at a time to mentor and offer advice to local officials. They're said to have been told that they would have to follow "exceptionally high standards of behaviour" because of the "political interest" in the Rwanda scheme.
The Labour conference is compared to Glastonbury in the FT Weekend, which reports that the party's "business day" sold out in less than 24 hours. The paper says 500 top executives paid £3,000 each to attend, with the high demand reflecting Labour's strong lead in the polls. Interest in leader Sir Keir Starmer's plans for government is said to have "grown sharply in business circles as the election approaches".
And Latin is booming at some state schools, according to the Times. The paper highlights an academy trust which has made it the main language taught at more than 20 of its primary schools, in what's thought to be the biggest single uptake of Latin for younger children. The paper says the language helps pupils improve spelling, grammar and literacy - and also allows them to decode Harry Potter spells.
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