The Saturday front pages cover a wide range of topics in the run-up to Christmas.
The Irish Times leads with the conviction of a Circuit Court judge for one count of attempted anal rape and eight counts of sexual assault against six complainants in the 1990s. Gerry O’Brien (59) made no reaction when the jury returned the guilty verdicts in the Central Criminal Court on Friday. Read the full story here.
The HSE is to establish a new red alert group to tackle the mounting numbers of drug overdoses linked to synthetic opiates, the Irish Examiner reports.
Minister for Media Catherine Martin has told the Irish Independent she wants to see the TV licence fee abolished – as she pledged to decide on long-term funding for the national broadcaster early in the new year.
The Irish Daily Mail reveals details of a previously undisclosed barter deal between RTÉ and the Open University worth €1 million.
The late Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan leaves behind a €5 million fortune and annual royalties of up to €300,000, the Irish Daily Star claims.
The Irish Daily Mirror and Belfast Telegraph both lead with the story of a girl believed to be the smallest surviving premature baby born on the island of Ireland who is spending her first Christmas at home together with her parents.
A report that Britain's King Charles is set to knight the Archbishop of Canterbury features among the stories leading the British papers.
The Daily Mail says Justin Welby will be admitted to the Royal Victorian Order for his “personal service” to the British crown.
Saturday’s @DailyMailUK #MailFrontPages pic.twitter.com/IvMiCGDg4g
— Daily Mail U.K. (@DailyMailUK) December 22, 2023
The Telegraph carries comment from James Dyson, who says wealth generation and growth have become “dirty words” as the nation’s political leaders emphasise cutting inflation.
📰 The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:
'Dyson: UK must focus on growth, not inflation'#TomorrowsPapersToday
Sign up for the Front Page newsletter 👇https://t.co/x8AV4Oomry pic.twitter.com/G7hWAvWsS3— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) December 22, 2023
The Daily Mirror leads with Christmas travellers facing a “getaway from hell”.
Saturday's front page: Big Fretaway#tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/RoDsOXoYe2
— The Mirror (@DailyMirror) December 22, 2023
The UK’s worst rail firms are cancelling more trains than before the pandemic, according to the i.
Saturday's front page: UK's worst rail firms cancel 200 trains a day but bosses still take bonus#TomorrowsPapersToday
Latest by @SteveRobson04: https://t.co/arB7c7Mpc8 pic.twitter.com/git6a8RVpI— i newspaper (@theipaper) December 22, 2023
The Sun reports Alex Batty, who went missing for six years, had so few friends on the run that he read each of the Harry Potter books at least 20 times.
Saturday's SUN: Alex: My only friend was Harry Potter#tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/W5sEeWpUb2
— Jack Surfleet (@jacksurfleet) December 22, 2023
The Guardian says Labour may scale back its ambitious green plan in an effort to avoid Tory criticism in the lead up to the general election.
Saturday's GUARDIAN: Labour may curtail green plan to avert Tory attacks#tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/KnLxSsle06
— Jack Surfleet (@jacksurfleet) December 22, 2023
The Times reports ministers are pushing for live facial recognition cameras to be used routinely in town centres following successful trials in using them to quickly catch criminals.
Saturday's TIMES: Criminals snared by new face recognition cameras#tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/6ESurR8dXk
— Jack Surfleet (@jacksurfleet) December 22, 2023
The Daily Express says Esther Rantzen has thanked the paper’s readers for their support in her campaign to legalise assisted dying.
Saturday's DAILY EXPRESS: Esther's thanks: 'You've given me strength when I needed it most'#tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/XPqrD8PDqM
— Jack Surfleet (@jacksurfleet) December 22, 2023
And the FTWeekend reports US inflation cooled in November.
Saturday's FT WEEKEND: Wall St cheered by falling inflation#tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/z5KOcRsu5b
— Jack Surfleet (@jacksurfleet) December 22, 2023
