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Days after battling for life, terminally-ill British baby Charlie Gard dies

The case attracted the attention of Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump, who both offered to support the baby.

London: Photographs of baby Charlie Gard dominated the front-pages of Britain's Saturday newspapers, which paid tribute to a "beautiful little boy" who had raised tough ethical questions for Western societies.

The Daily Mail ran with the headline "Rest in Peace Charlie", with the centre-right publication saying the 11-month-old baby had "captured hearts around the world".

Gard died of a rare genetic condition on Friday after parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates failed in a lengthy legal battle to take him to the United States for therapy.

The case attracted the attention of Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump, who both offered to support the baby.

The Mail said the case has "raised so many questions about our age", with campaigners angry that Gard's parents did not have the final say over their child's fate, while others argued that the baby should not be made to suffer unnecessarily.

The Sun carried a front-page photograph of the baby, with the headline "RIP our hero", adding that Gard was the "brain-damaged tot who's plight touched the world."

The Daily Mirror also carried a front-page photograph of the baby smiling at father Chris Gard under the headline "Our beautiful little boy has gone", echoing the words of mother Connie Yates.

The centre-left Guardian expressed sympathy for Yates and partner Chris, saying the "anguished parents found themselves confronting a harsh and unfamiliar world of paediatric intensive care, the law courts and the media."

Centre-right broadsheet the Daily Telegraph said "little Charlie" had "brought out the best in us."

"Poor Charlie has died. Whatever one thinks of the debate surrounding his life, that's all that matters now. A life is gone. Those left behind have to be given the space to grieve. Politics is suspended."

( Source : AFP )
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