The Papers: ‘Iran general killed’ and ‘record’ boat arrivals

Image caption, The Times leads on reports that a suspected Israeli strike has destroyed the Iranian consulate building in Syria’s capital, Damascus. Senior Revolutionary Guards Corps commander Mohammad Reza Zahedi and his deputy were identified among the seven killed, according to Iran state media. The Israeli military said it did not comment on foreign media reports.

Image caption, Sticking with foreign news, the FT splashes on the defeat suffered by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party in Turkey’s municipal elections. The newspaper says the sweeping victories scored by the country’s opposition party dealt Erdogan his “most severe electoral setback” since his rise to power two decades ago.

Image caption, Looking ahead to the local and general elections this year, several papers drill down on domestic politics. Rishi Sunak has been warned not to rely on a recent economic upturn to boost Tory hopes in the polls, the i reports. The newspaper quotes one government insider as saying that using the economy as a campaign tool is “not working” among local voters.

Image caption, The new figures on Channel crossings tops Tuesday’s Metro, after nearly 800 migrants made the journey over the Easter bank holiday weekend. This brings the annual total to 5,000, “piling more pressure” on Mr Sunak, the newspaper says.

Image caption, Meanwhile, analysis by the Guardian suggests there has been “no progress” on half the government’s levelling up targets, in areas including education, skills and wellbeing. A fellow at the Bennett Institute for Public Policy says the data indicates the Tories are “failing to turn the tide on regional inequality”.

Image caption, Up to 1.6m more pensioners will be paying income tax within four years as a result of Tory “stealth raids”, reads the front page of The Telegraph. Citing new analysis by the House of Commons Library, it says up to 9.3m older people will be paying the tax by 2023 due to the government freezing the tax threshold.

Image caption, The Daily Mirror headlines on NHS waiting list figures, reporting that 79% of patients are now waiting more than a month to see a GP. One doctor is quoted as saying the “bottom line is we don’t have enough GPs”.

Image caption, And the risks to our health posed by eating ultra-processed food is the subject of Tuesday’s Express front page. Doctors tell the newspaper they want food addiction to be classed alongside alcohol and drug misuse to help combat obesity.

Image caption, Leading the Daily Mail is JK Rowling challenging Scotland’s new hate crime law – inviting police to arrest her if they believe she has committed an offence. The newspaper says the Harry Potter author was backed by Rishi Sunak, quoting him as saying: “We believe in free speech in this country, and Conservatives will always protect it.”

Image caption, Sports fans share their “fury” with the Sun over Team GB’s apparent redesign of the Union Jack, which takes creative licence with the flag by adding patterned panels and an array of different colours to the traditional red, white and blue. It follows the row over Nike’s reimagining of the St George’s Cross design on its new England kit.

Image caption, ‘Boffs come to defence of psycho chip-nickers’ goes the Daily Star’s headline, splashing on a scientist’s defence of seagulls. ProfessorPaul Graham, of the University of Sussex, says “we need to learn to live” with the birds.