The bravery of Gisele Pelicot, the Frenchwoman who was raped by dozens of strangers after being drugged by her husband, and the death of a woman in Gorey, Co Wexford, are among the stories that feature on Friday's front pages.
Left-wing parties are planning a cooperation structure for the 34th Dáil, The Irish Times reports.
Gardaí are targeting the country's 'number 1' drug gang, the Irish Examiner reports.
The Irish Independent leads with the death of 32-year-old Paula Lawlor in Gorey, Co Wexford, and the arrest of a man in relation to her death.
The Echo leads with a story on parents of babies in Co Cork reaching out to a charity for help.
The Irish Daily Mail leads with a story on a poll that found 60 per cent of respondents want the Regional Independent Group to form part of the next government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
For all the big news, pick up Friday's Irish Daily Mail pic.twitter.com/pFLrH3VTVR
— The Irish Daily Mail (@irishdailymail) December 19, 2024
The Herald leads with a story on a foiled hit on a gang boss.
In the North, the Belfast Telegraph leads with a story on the driver from a crash that killed three people.
The Irish News leads with a story on a vigil for Karen Cummings, who died in Banbridge.
The front page of today’s Irish News. pic.twitter.com/lb9hUkR6gS
— The Irish News (@irish_news) December 20, 2024
The bravery of Gisele Pelicot also features prominently on Friday’s UK front pages.
The Daily Express and Metro lead on Ms Pelicot’s husband and 50 other men being found guilty of sexual assault and abuse charges.
Friday's DAILY EXPRESS: Gisele's brave message of hope after horror#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/6TuZeLzqLN
— Jack Surfleet (@jacksurfleet) December 19, 2024
Tomorrow's Papers Today 📰
MASS RAPE VICTIM'S COURT TRIUMPH: I HAVE NO REGRETS...
🔴 As evil husband and 50 rapists are jailed, Gisèle gives a message of hope#tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/fOVO2vGbqT— Metro (@MetroUK) December 19, 2024
The Guardian focuses on Ms Pelicot paying tribute to other victims of sexual violence in the aftermath of the verdicts, telling them: “I want you to know that we share the same fight”.
Friday's GUARDIAN: Gisele Pelicot: 'I wanted all of society to be a witness'#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/13TFQGvoRF
— Jack Surfleet (@jacksurfleet) December 19, 2024
Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror’s front page calls Ms Pelicot the “world’s bravest woman” for staring down her abusers.
Friday's DAILY MIRROR: The world's bravest woman#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/t00pWGlac9
— Jack Surfleet (@jacksurfleet) December 19, 2024
In political news, The Daily Telegraph reports Lord Mandelson will be made the next British ambassador to the US as the UK government looks to win over the incoming Trump administration.
The front page of tomorrow's Daily Telegraph:
'PM picks Mandelson to win over Trump'#TomorrowsPapersToday
Sign up for the Front Page newsletterhttps://t.co/x8AV4OoUh6 pic.twitter.com/pYVIayhjCG— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) December 19, 2024
The Independent launches a new campaign to free Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese politician and activist who the newspaper labels “the world’s most prominent political prisoner”.
The Independent: "FREEDOM FOR AUNG SAN SUU KYI"@_KateDevlin / @JohnJohnston100 lead for @Independent.
FULL STORY: https://t.co/Gii7XPrzw7
Three former Foreign Secretaries have called for the release of AUNG SAN SUU KYI in Myanmar.#TheIndependent#TomorrowsPapersToday#IBPapers pic.twitter.com/8j8V0yhnIA— ANDY GIBSON (@AndyGibsonTV) December 19, 2024
The Times and Daily Mail both concentrate on a warning from the Bank of England, which says the economy is stagnating following October’s budget.
Friday's TIMES: Budget has left us with zero growth, says Bank#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/ACNQYt7gvG
— Jack Surfleet (@jacksurfleet) December 19, 2024
Introducing #TomorrowsPapersToday from: Daily Mail
No who’s really crashing the economy
Discover more newspapers at https://t.co/vX9dQF0H0Y
Support press freedom and buy a newspaper #buyapaper #pressfreedom #journalist pic.twitter.com/IiB3Ytjl47— The Sentinel Current (@sentinelcurrent) December 19, 2024
The Financial Times says the Bank of England has also warned stubborn inflation could prevent it from cutting interest rates quickly.
Just published: front page of the Financial Times, UK edition, Friday 20 December https://t.co/P5sWTmqTuo pic.twitter.com/tf0XUm6Bgo
— Financial Times (@FT) December 19, 2024
Ofwat has approved a 36 per cent price increase over the next five years with watchdogs warning further hikes may be necessary, according to the i.
Friday's front page: Extra water bill hikes will follow 36% increase - unless Labour kills failing watchdog #Tomorrowspaperstoday
Latest by @lucieheath: https://t.co/JIpskI3QMA pic.twitter.com/cgMPYARMGD— The i Paper (@theipaper) December 19, 2024
Lastly, the Daily Star reports a “man who is so clever he makes Albert Einstein looks like a dimwit” has proof of an afterlife.
Friday's frontpage: World's boffiest boffin says afterlife is REAL!https://t.co/wczz1wXauF pic.twitter.com/V3O5K8HAn2
— Daily Star (@dailystar) December 19, 2024
The New York Times leads with a story on an impending US government shutdown after Elon Musk 'flexed his muscles' to thwart a bipartisan spending bill.
