What the papers say – April 13

Brexit appears to take a backseat in Saturday’s papers with the latest on Julian Assange and a fine for a parenting club making headlines.

The Times leads with questions over the authenticity of the world’s most expensive painting, Salvator Mundi, which is said to be the sole work of Leonardo da Vinci and sold for 450 million dollars (£345 million) in 2017.

The Daily Telegraph reports that Home Secretary Sajid Javid “drew up a detailed technological plan” to remove the Irish backstop but was stopped by the Treasury.

The Guardian leads on Assange, with the Home Secretary being urged to “prioritise” action which would see the WikiLeaks founder extradited to Sweden.

The i says that Assange is facing a “tug of war” between Sweden and the United States as Stockholm considers re-opening the case against the 47-year-old.

The DailyMail writes that a woman who is alleged to have been sexually assaulted by Assange said treating the WikiLeaks founder as a political victim was not “helping the cause”.

The FinancialTimes carries a story on the £400,000 fine for parenting club Bounty for selling users’ data.

The Independent reports that hundreds of children who have sought refuge in the UK are being sent “into danger” when they turn 18.

The DailyMirror says that former Crimewatch host Nick Ross said police made “blunders” which “hindered” the investigation into Jill Dando’s death.

The DailyExpress leads on a campaign to give soldiers more help to cope with the trauma of combat experiences.

And the Daily Star writes that EastEnders actor Jake Wood and his famliy were “almost eaten alive” by an alligator in Florida.