What the papers say: Wednesday's front pages

By PA Reporter
Wednesday's front pages focus on a range of stories on Nama receiving criticism for the sale of Northern Ireland properties for over €1 billion to an iconic Cork pub going up for sales.
The Irish Times reports The National Asset Management Agency (Nama) has been criticised for the way it handled key aspects of a £1.322 billion (€1.59 billion) sale of its Northern Ireland properties more than a decade ago.
The Irish Examiner lead with a piece about a major Cork city centre licensed premises and associated businesses all in a city block by the Events Centre site and key Cork city centre tourist attractions, fronted by The Flying Enterprise bar, has been put up for sale with a €5.3 million.
The Echo lead with a piece about a man in his 30s being arrested after a woman in her 80s died at Cork University Hospital after an incident at her home.
The front page of the Irish Independent on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/Yw7dL7bhXK
— Irish Independent (@Independent_ie) February 26, 2025
Wednesday's front page pic.twitter.com/wDxI3xvQEC
— The Irish Daily Mail (@irishdailymail) February 25, 2025
Today's front page of The Irish Sun pic.twitter.com/YsU43rxT
— The Irish Sun (@IrishSunOnline) February 26, 2025
Morning readers. Here's a look at Wednesday's Belfast Telegraph. Stay with us throughout the day for all your breaking news.
On the front page:
🗞️ School funding row https://t.co/NDxIFlAfH4
🗞️ 30 Under 30 https://t.co/5gfmkvvMRH pic.twitter.com/fNr2fEFFBz— Belfast Telegraph (@BelTel) February 26, 2025
Defence spending, Ukraine and US relations dominate the front pages of Wednesday’s newspapers.
Keir Starmer’s announcement of an increase in military spending is the biggest since the Cold War, according to The i Paper, while The Independent says the Prime Minister has bowed to US President Donald Trump in making the decision.
The Guardian also leads on the 2.5 per cent defence budget rise, saying the “fight for peace” had come at the cost of overseas aid, while The Sun reports he has chosen “shells above shellfish”.
The British Prime Minister’s declaration that we are entering an “era of hard power” ahead of his trip to the US to meet with Mr Trump takes centre stage in the Daily Mail, while Sir Keir said we cannot hide from the threat of Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the Daily Mirror.
The Daily Telegraph also focuses on the spending increase, saying Chancellor Rachel Reeves has called on European allies to follow suit on a bid to secure peace in Ukraine.
A deal between Kyiv and Washington on Ukrainian minerals could be signed on Friday with president Volodomyr Zelenskiy expected to fly to the US, reports The Times.
The Financial Times focuses on the same story, saying Ukraine has agreed to the deal in a bid to mend ties with the US.
Matters closer to home occupy the Daily Express, which says farmers’ children have called on the Chancellor to scrap her plans for inheritance tax.
The Metro gives over its front page to what it calls the “shocking statistic” that 50,000 babies are caught up in domestic violence each year.
And the Daily Star says former prime minister Boris Johnson has called out President Trump for saying Mr Zelensky is a “dictator”.