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'World holds its breath' and 'No Kan do'

News imageThe headline on the front page of the Mirror reads: “World holds its breath”.
The papers, which went to press before news of an apparent ceasefire in the Iran war, are dominated by Donald Trump's threats after the US president warned a "whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again" in a post to Truth Social. The headline of the Mirror reads "World holds its breath" over a photograph of the Earth taken from space by the Artemis II crew earlier this week.
News imageThe headline on the front page of the Metro reads: “... of a world in deep trouble”.
The juxtaposition of "Humanity's historic new view" from space and the conflict in the Middle East has also been employed by the Metro, which notes that on Day 39 of Operation Epic Fury, "at least 50 air strikes" were recorded on Kharg Island, an Iranian oil hub.
News imageThe headline on the front page of the Daily Mail reads: “Night the world held its breath and prayed”.
"Night the world held its breath and prayed" says the Daily Mail, calling it a "moment of reckoning" as peace talks went "down to the wire". The paper carries a photograph of women waving Iranian flags on a bridge in Ahvaz on Tuesday. It reports that after Trump's "unhinged declaration", people in Iran were seen forming "human shields" around bridges and power plants.
News imageThe headline on the front page of the Daily Telegraph reads: “Trump: Iran's whole civilisation will die”.
Trump's declaration that a "whole civilisation" might die is front and centre of the Telegraph, which says world leaders were calling for calm as the president's peace ultimatum drew closer. The US hit Kharg Island in tandem with Israeli strikes on railway bridges, it reports, in an "apparent show of intent". According to the paper, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made a "late intervention" and was pleading for both sides to stop fighting for two weeks to "allow diplomacy to prevail".
News imageThe headline on the front page of the Guardian reads: “Outrage and fear as Trump warns 'whole civilisation will die' in Iran”.
Similarly, the Guardian has the headline: "Outrage and fear as Trump warns 'whole civilisation will die' in Iran." The front page includes a photograph of Earth as seen from behind the Moon by the Artemis II crew on Tuesday, highlighting the latest "astonishing set of images" sent down from space. Quoting Nasa astronaut Victor Glover, it reads: "It's truly hard to describe."
News imageThe headline on the front page of the Times reads: “US: We won't use nuclear bombs”.
The Times leads with a White House declaration that it will not use nuclear weapons in Iran, issued shortly after the president posted on Truth Social. It notes Vice President JD Vance told reporters in Hungary that the US had "tools in our toolbox that we so far haven't decided to use", but Trump could decide to use them if "Iranians don't change their course of conduct". The US military has already used "most of the weapons in its conventional arsenal" during Operation Epic Fury, according to the paper.
News imageThe headline on the front page of the i Paper reads: “UK makes plea for peace after Trump threat to wipe out 'whole civilisation'".
"UK makes plea for peace after Trump threat to wipe out 'whole civilisation'" reads the i Paper, which reports that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer appealed to the president to "strike a peace deal with Tehran".
News imageThe headline on the front page of the Daily Star reads: “End of the world as we know it”.
The Star says this is the "end of the world as we know it", characterising the president's latest threats as an "orange manbaby tantrum".
News imageThe headline on the front page of the Financial Times reads: “Hedge funds ramp up wagers against European stocks as war casts shadow”.
Hedge funds are betting Europe will be hit hard by the economic fallout of the Iran war, the Financial Times says, with a record number of short positions against European stocks recorded in the first three months of this year. The paper says that as a net importer, Europe is viewed as "much more vulnerable" than the US, which is a net exporter.
News imageThe headline on the front page of the Sun reads: “No Kan do".
One of the few papers not dominated by the war in Iran, the Sun leads with US rapper Kanye West, who is now known as Ye, being blocked from entering the UK. He was due to headline Wireless Festival in London this summer, according to the paper, despite a history that includes a "string of antisemitic remarks". The Home Office said the decision to refuse permission was made on the grounds that his presence would not be conducive to the public good. The Sun reports that the entire festival has now been "axed", and thousands of fans will have their tickets refunded.
News imageThe headline on the front page of the Express reads: “'UK a laughing stock' for not stopping the boats”.
The mother of Rhiannon Whyte, who was murdered in 2024 by Sudanese asylum seeker Deng Majek at the hotel where she worked, has called the UK a "laughing stock" for failing to stop illegal Channel immigration, the Daily Express reports. Sir Keir Starmer has made tackling illegal immigration and "restoring order" to the asylum system a priority for his government.

In a late edition, the Daily Telegraph leads on US President Donald Trump's "11th-hour Iran truce" after he announced a two-week ceasefire in return for Tehran reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The report says the talks that led to a deal were spearheaded by Pakistan's chief of army staff, with whom Trump has a strong relationship. The Daily Mirror describes the president as "unhinged" - and says he has "finally backed down from the apocalyptic brink". A picture of an Iranian woman crying tears of joy at the announcement makes the Guardian's website. The Daily Mail carries a picture of women and children who - the paper says - are forming a human shield on a bridge in central Iran. Trump had threatened to bomb Iran's energy plants and bridges. The Financial Times says oil prices began to fall after the ceasefire announcement.

The Times says the former Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, will support Labour colleagues in the run-up to the local elections in England next month to "show her strengths" as a potential party leader. "Rayner will go into battle for Labour, before taking fight to PM" reads its headline.

The mother of a woman murdered by an asylum seeker has branded the UK a "laughing stock" for its record on small boat arrivals, according to the Daily Express. Rhiannon Whyte's mother, Siobhan, told the paper that countries such as the US and Australia were better at stopping such crossings. The government said it was taking "decisive action" to bear down on small boats.

The Sun leads on the Wireless festival being cancelled after the rapper, Kanye West, was denied entry to the UK because of previous antisemitic comments. "No Kan do" reads its headline.

The i Paper says that an octopus fossil that holds a world record for being the oldest in existence has been stripped of the prize - not because of its age, but because it is not actually an octopus. The fossil is understood to date back almost 300 million years but, the report notes, further studies have uncovered tiny teeth, discrediting experts' initial theory.

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