The Papers: Kate\'s \'majestic\' mask and Beirut left in \'agony\'

Newspaper headlines: Kate is 'majestic in a mask' and Beirut in 'agony'

By BBC News Staff
Daily Telegraph front page
Image caption The Daily Telegraph reports that the Children's Commissioner has told the government that pubs and shops should be shut if it is necessary to enable the full reopening of schools without causing a spike in coronavirus cases. Like many papers, it also features an image of the Duchess of Cambridge at a volunteer project helping families affected by the pandemic.
Metro front page
Image caption "Kate's still majestic in a mask," says Metro, alongside a picture of the duchess "setting the perfect example" in a floral face covering when she moved indoors during the same visit. The paper's lead story says a report by MPs has called it a "grave error" to have abandoned checks and restrictions on travel into the UK earlier in the pandemic.
Daily Mail front page
Image caption Lockdown took a "huge toll" on Britain's health, the Daily Mail reports, with two-thirds of non-coronavirus patients facing delays to treatment, particularly those with cancer, heart conditions, strokes, diabetes or lung disease. The paper also praises the "chic" face covering worn by Catherine for her "corona cover-up".
i newspaper front page
Image caption "PPE chaos revealed" declares the i newspaper, reporting on doctors' pleas for action to prevent a repeat of the "turmoil" when the pandemic first hit earlier in the year. The paper says hospitals had to turn to fashion stores, jewellery firms and a coffee company for supplies as the government struggled to provide protective equipment.
The Guardian front page Image copyright AFP
Image caption The Guardian's lead story features Labour leader Keir Starmer warning that the government has just one month to improve the "broken" test-and-trace system or the UK faces "a long, bleak winter". A photo of the huge explosion in Beirut dominates the front page, which the paper calls a disaster "in a country on edge".
The Times front page
Image caption The billowing cloud of smoke over Beirut also features on the Times front page, with a first-person account by their Middle East correspondent Richard Spencer, who describes being "blasted across the room". The paper's main story says the BBC faces a "revolt" by pensioners over the end of free TV licences for those who are not receiving pension credits.
Financial Times front page
Image caption Firefighters carry an injured person from the scene of the explosion in a photo on the Financial Times' front page, next to the headline "Beirut agony". The paper's lead story says investors in the Chinese company behind the social network TikTok have backed its "forced sale" to Microsoft, seeing it as the "only solution" to demands from the White House.
Daily Express front page
Image caption The Daily Express reports that thousands of women were paid less than they were entitled to in a state pensions "blunder" to the value of tens of millions of pounds. Many have already been refunded after they missed out on automatic increases, the paper says, receiving an average of £9,000.
Daily Mirror front page
Image caption "Lock up PC's killers for longer," urges the Daily Mirror, reporting on the attorney general's review of the sentence given to the killers of PC Andrew Harper. The officer's mother, Debbie Adlam, said the prison sentences meant the three teenagers had "got away with it".
Daily Star
Image caption And the Daily Star reports that the business of burglary is the latest to fall prey to automation, with "robot robbers" being designed to break into homes through the letterbox and steal valuables. "Rise of the bot burglars" is its headline. As it is a difficult story to illustrate, the Star's front-page sub-editor opts for a picture of a Dalek with a speech bubble saying "Let's hope there's no bleeding stairs in the house".

The massive explosion in Beirut is widely reported, with pictures of the smoke and flames that engulfed the city on several front pages.

The Sun's headline describes the devastation as "hell on earth".

The Daily Telegraph says that even in a country that survived a 15-year civil war and is enduring the most crippling economic collapse in decades, the explosion was instantly described as an unprecedented catastrophe.

The Daily Star in Lebanon reports that rescue workers dug through the rubble overnight, looking for survivors.

Image copyright EPA
Image caption The explosion in Beirut was described as an unprecedented catastrophe

The Times's correspondent in Beirut says he has witnessed the wars in Libya, Iraq and Syria, and has been in buildings hit by Russian jet missiles, but he never experienced a blast like this.

The official version of events - an industrial accident - seems unconvincing to many, he adds.

The Guardian leads with a warning by the Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, that Britain faces a "long, bleak winter" unless ministers fix the test-and-trace system and halt a second wave of coronavirus.

In an article for the paper, Sir Keir says there's "precious little evidence" of serious preparation for a resurgence, and urges Boris Johnson to set out the "hard decisions" he's prepared to take to keep schools open if cases rise.

A suggestion by the children's commissioner for England that pubs and shops should close so that schools can reopen if a trade-off has to be made, makes the lead for the Daily Telegraph.

The paper reports that Anne Longfield has criticised ministers for treating children as an "afterthought" during lockdown and insisted that they must be put at the heart of planning for a second wave.

Image copyright Office of the Children's Comissioner
Image caption Children's commissioner Anne Longfield says pubs and shops could close so schools an reopen safety

The Daily Mail leads with what it calls the "huge toll" on non-coronavirus patients during lockdown.

It says a survey of senior doctors has revealed that those suffering from cancer, heart conditions, strokes, diabetes or lung disease are among the worst affected by delays to their diagnosis and care.

The paper's leader column takes up their plight, calling them the "hidden victims" of the pandemic.

It says that in all the clamour over fears of a second wave of infections, their voices are being drowned out.

It points out that by the end of the pandemic, deaths from other causes may well exceed those from the virus itself.

So why, it asks, is there so little urgency among health service managers to get back to business as usual?

There appears to be little evidence of business as usual in Whitehall, despite government efforts to get civil servants back to their offices.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the government's drive to set an example to the rest of the country has suffered a blow after it emerged that some civil servants don't expect to return full-time until the New Year.

One civil servant tells the paper: "You come in maybe a day a week to show your face."

The Daily Mail says that even with new social distancing policies, many civil servants appear too frightened to step across the threshold.

'Exam results shambles'

The Daily Express argues that the withdrawal of the furlough scheme will help Britain "get back to business".

It says taxpayers were glad to invest in this emergency effort, but the economy will soon have to function without colossal injections of state aid.

However, the Financial Times urges the government to be flexible, suggesting the scheme should continue in some form until next year at the very least. Forcing redundancies shortly before an effective vaccine is ready would be a tragedy, it says.

The Spectator website says there was little for pupils in Scotland to celebrate yesterday as many received worse than expected exam results, after the Scottish Qualifications Authority lowered grades for around a quarter of candidates.

It is the lead for the Daily Mail's Scottish edition, which features the headline: "Backlash over exam results shambles".

The Daily Herald in Scotland says there are calls for exam bosses to be hauled in front of MSPs to explain their reasons for lowering marks.

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For its lead, the Daily Express says thousands of women could be due refunds after being short-changed on their state pension as a result of a blunder.

It says the Department for Work and Pensions is trawling through records to identify those who are due a windfall.

According to the paper, thousands have already been reimbursed after failing to receive increases in payments, with the average refund around £9,000.

Finally, the Chancellor's "Eat Out to Help Out" discount scheme for meals at pubs and restaurants appears to have drawn in the crowds on its first day.

The Daily Telegraph reports that it was the busiest Monday of the year for eating out, with spending up by nearly a fifth on the previous Monday.

But there was confusion about the scheme among some customers.

One pub, near Grimsby, reported that some customers had been rude when they realised the 50% discount was capped at £10. And they were adamant it should be applied to their alcohol bill as well.