Newspaper headlines: 'Schools phone ban' and Kremlin 'covering tracks'

19 February

By �鶹Լ�� News

Staff

The British Museum has been tackling an influx of social media users from Chile calling for the return of statues taken from Easter Island, according to the Guardian

A variety of stories led Monday's papers.

The allies of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny, who died in prison on Friday, have accused Kremlin officials of "covering their tracks". The paper says Mr Navalny's mother, Lyudmila Navalnaya, was given conflicting information about the whereabouts of his body and a vague description of the cause of death.

The that Russia has started to jail scores of people for laying flowers and candles at makeshift memorials. In , the Sun says President Putin thinks he can kill with impunity - but "the martyrdom of Alexei Navalny must galvanise all those who treasure peace and justice to prove he can't".

"Can our police sink any lower?" asks the front page headline in . It reports that officers in a WhatsApp group shared graphic details of the injuries suffered by three people fatally stabbed in Nottingham last June. The paper quotes a relative of one of the victims who describes the revelations as "needless voyeurism".

Tech giant Apple is facing a €500m (£427m) from the EU after allegedly stopping iPhones informing users of cheaper alternatives to its own music streaming services, according to . The paper says an antitrust probe was launched following a complaint by Spotify and calls the fine, expected to be announced early next month, "one of the most significant financial penalties levied by the EU" on a big tech company. Apple said previously it would address concerns while promoting competition.

"Now Make Them Pay", is the headline in . It leads on calls from sub-postmasters to "oust" the Conservatives from government after claims by the former chairman of the Post Office, Henry Staunton, that he was told to delay compensation payments until after the next election. One man whose wife was wrongly convicted tells the paper the government "needs to be punished at the ballot box". According to , Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has accused Mr Staunton of lying - and she's said she'll make a statement on Monday "telling the truth" about what happened.

The Chancellor Jeremy Hunt is trying to allay fears that he will cut public spending in next month's Budget. Treasury sources tell the paper that cutting services to fund personal tax cuts will be necessary only if economic forecasts further limit what they describe as the Chancellor's "financial headroom".

And the that the British Museum is tackling an influx of social media users from Chile calling for the return of a moai statue, one of the stone monuments from Easter Island. The museum has two of the statues, taken by the British in the late 19th century. The paper says social media users began inundating the museum on Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook after a Santiago-based influencer encouraged his one million followers to demand the monoliths' return.