Newspaper headlines: UK and US strike Houthis and Sven has year to live

Image source, PA Media

Image caption, Former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson has revealed that he has terminal cancer
  • Author, ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ News
  • Role, Staff

Many of Friday's front pages report on the build-up to the British and American strikes against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, while the reaction is covered on the papers' websites.

"West strikes back", declares , which also carries an unverified image showing an explosion and fireball in the Yemeni city of Hodeidah. There's a similar message on the , whose headline reads: "It's payback time". The website says coalition forces "rained bombs" on the rebels using warships, fighter jets and submarines.

The decision to launch air strikes came after what the print edition of the calls "a day of frenetic behind-the-scenes activity in Whitehall", including an emergency Cobra meeting and a gathering of the National Security Council.

According to , discussions have gone on for days as to which targets to hit to avoid the conflict escalating into a full blown war. One Whitehall source is quoted as saying the US-led response was likely to be "limited but significant".

"Nobody can say that the Houthi rebels were not warned", is the message from the editorial in the Daily Express. The paper describes the group as a "force of terror in the Red Sea". The i's leader warns that the military intervention is "fraught with risk" because the strikes could pull in hostile powers such as Iran. The says there is a "sea of troubles" in the region. It appeals for a "robust defence" of international shipping accompanied by "equally robust diplomatic efforts to calm tensions".

Coverage of the Horizon IT scandal looks at the evidence given to the public inquiry on Thursday by a Post Office investigator, Stephen Bradshaw, whose work helped to convict nine sub-postmasters. The says Mr Bradshaw had to deny that he behaved like a Mafia gangster while carrying out his investigations. The says he "mumbled and spluttered" through case study after case study of human misery.

The says there's a sense of "poetic justice" that there's increased publicity of Stephen Bradshaw's evidence session, because he had "never lost a moment's sleep" over the effect of his flawed investigations.

The i reports that Royal Mail lost a record number of parcels and letters in the past year, with complaints by almost 900,000 customers. Figures show the amount paid out in compensation payments increased to Β£26.2m. One postal worker from County Durham says people are being sent out to do deliveries without training, but Royal Mail says the vast majority of parcels and letters were delivered successfully.

Pictures of the former England football manager, Sven-Goran Eriksson, make the front page of and the after he revealed he has terminal cancer. His comment that he has "a year to live at best" forms the Star's headline.

The Sun reports that he hid the diagnosis from the world after learning about it last February. The says he has been "overwhelmed" with messages of support, with former England striker Wayne Rooney describing him as a "brilliant coach and a special person".

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