What the papers say: Friday's front pages
Ellen O'Donoghue
A variety of stories feature on Irish front pages on Friday, including the murder of Qayyum Balogun, Aughinish Alumina, and May's record heat being caused by climate change.
The Irish Times lead with US companies disclosing huge tax payments to the Irish exchequer, an associate of Putin still controlling Aughinish, and the EU taking Ireland to court over illegal peat cutting.
The Irish Examiner lead with record May heat being due to climate change, children as young as 12 years old reporting sexual assault by peers, and a murder accused trio who “acted as a team” in a fatal attack.
The Irish Independent lead with medical negligence claims costing the State almost €1.8 billion over the past five years, with fees paid to lawyers and expert witnesses soaring.
The Echo lead with a Cork injection centre “urgently” needing to open to save lives, and a Cork murder trial beginning.
The Herald lead with a joint investigation being under way after €15,000 worth of illegal drugs “went missing” from a secure area of An Post parcel hub in Dublin.
The Irish Daily Mail lead with the Rotunda defending its position on subverting Government policy to allow private care in the public-only hospital following a major HSE investigation into its consultants.
The Irish Daily Mail and Irish Daily Star both lead with videos posted hours after the killing of Qayyum Balogun showing the chief suspect in the case brandishing a knife and saying "what's a body to me?".
The Belfast Telegraph lead with a court hearing that Jeffrey Donaldson sent a WhatsApp message to a minister saying that he wanted to repent.
