Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group, makes the front of the i in camouflage with weapon in hand. It says the Putin critic is believed dead after his private jet crashed over Russia – 60 days after a failed mutiny he led against the Russian armed forces in June.
The Scottish Daily Express also leads with a picture of the crash scene. It writes Prigozhin “appears to have paid the ultimate price”. It also reports on the appointment of former Daily Record editor Murray Foote as the new SNP chief executive.
The Scottish Daily Mail asks: “Was this Putin’s terrible revenge?” The paper says security sources are pointing the finger at the Russian president. The Mail also reports former NatWest boss Dame Alison Rose is set to receive a £2.4m payout after resigning following the row over Nigel Farage’s bank account.
The Times says the armed rebellion led by Prigozhin was the most serious challenge since President Putin took power in 2000. It says that a channel on the Telegram messenger app linked to Wagner claimed the businessman had been on board the aircraft that was “shot down by Russian surface-to-air missiles”.
The Telegraph leads with UK security sources believing Prigozhin was killed in an assassination by Putin. They told the paper the aircraft had almost certainly been downed by the FSB, Russia’s domestic intelligence agency.
The Scottish Sun also headlines on “Putin’s revenge”. It writes there were still reports the Wagner boss could still be alive after travelling on a second plane.
“What rotten luck,” says the Daily Star. It writes no one at all is shocked at Prigozhin’s death and he joins dozens of Putin foes to “perish in terrible ‘accidents'”. The paper also reports explorers have found a cave system linked to Loch Ness “making it the perfect hideout” for the famous mythical beast said to occupy it.
The Herald’s lead story is based on claims that the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS) has breached a Scottish government agreement to ban zero hours contracts. The paper says it has seen information which suggests the courts have 16 members of staff on zero hours contracts which were banned in the Scottish government’s pay policies in 2018.
Edinburgh’s Hogmanay street party will be extended to a four-day event for its 30th anniversary, reports The Scotsman. The paper says the capacity of the event, run by Unique Events and Assembly on behalf of the council, will have an increased capacity from 30,000 to 40,000.
First Minister Humza Yousaf is “delighted” at the appointment of Murray Foote as the SNP’s new chief executive, reports The National. Mr Foote resigned from his previous role as head of communications for the SNP in March amid a row over the party’s membership numbers.
“India over the moon,” headlines the Metro as it reports on the country becoming the first to land in the lunar south pole region. A picture of the live simulation of Chandrayaan-3’s lander on the moon’s surface covers the front page. The paper writes the nation is only the fourth to land successfully on the moon.
The Courier leads on a former NHS Tayside manager who claimed she and her team were ordered back to their desks during the Covid-19 pandemic. The woman was part of a group who refused to work from their usual office after the Scottish government told people to stay at home, it says.
A “dramatic” drop in the number of lollipop patrols at schools makes the front page of the Daily Record. It says the number of workers has been cut by 43% in 15 years – which the GMB union said could have “catastrophic consequences”.
A man who punched his victim leaving them with a “fist-sized blood clot” has been jailed, reports the Evening Telegraph.
A rise in violence towards school teachers leads the Edinburgh Evening News. The paper also has an interview with actor Dougray Scott who stars in the detective series Crime – co-written by Irvine Welsh and Dean Cavanagh – ahead of the release of the second season next month.
The Evening Express reports that Aberdeen City Council is to “pick up talks” with Dons chiefs amid claims the local authority is “growing cold” on a new stadium at the beach.
The Press and Journal leads on Michael Gove backing the dualling of the A9 as it would help “unlock the full potential” of the Inverness and Cromarty Green Freeport.
And the Glasgow Times says a dispute is brewing between residents and a football academy over the future of a local park.
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