The Papers: ‘Andy U-turns on early release’ and ‘Hunt on for eclipse glasses’

The Financial Times’ front page pictures Atif Najib, the cousin of ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and former head of political security, standing in a cage during a court hearing in Damascus. Najib and Assad were sentenced to death over war crimes and crimes against humanity during Syria’s civil war. Assad was sentenced in absentia, as he has been living in Moscow after fleeing Damascus in 2024 when his regime was overthrown.