Tuesday’s front pages feature a variety of stories. The Daily Telegraph says previously redacted plans have been seen for China’s mega embassy in London showing a “secret room” to be built alongside a network of critical internet cables. The newspaper reports that the underground complex could pose a “security risk” as the prime minister is expected to approve the embassy later this month.
The Financial Times reports that former US Federal Reserve governors are meeting to respond to the Justice Department’s criminal investigation into central bank governor Jay Powell. The newspaper says the group issued a joint statement calling the move an “unprecedented attempt” to undermine the independence of the Federal Reserve.
The Metro joins the Met police in a dawn drug raid in the lead story. The paper says the operation is part of a crackdown on drug gangs that has helped lower London’s murder rate.
The UK government is open to following Australia over its social media ban on people under 16, due to concerns that social media will harm children, i Paper reports. Technology Minister Liz Kendall is understood to be open to the move and says she will “act on the evidence”.
The Daily Express is leading a report suggesting the government’s net zero project could cost taxpayers £9 trillion, well above official figures. The article describes this cost as a “fantasy” and notes that authorities have “lightened” the prices of heat pumps, renewable energy sources and electric vehicles, according to a study by the Institute for Free Market Thinking, which it credits to the Institute of Economic Affairs.
In international news, UK special forces are lining up to attack Russian stay-behind fleet ships and could target hundreds of illegal oil tankers, the Times reports. On the other hand, the top photo shows a fire burning on the streets of Iran as anti-regime protests enter their third week.
“Outrage over workers’ pay” fills the front page of the Daily Mail, given to a Guantanamo Bay detainee who was tortured by the CIA after the September 11, 2001 attacks. It was revealed that the government paid “significant” compensation to Abu Zubaydah, who filed a legal case against the UK on the grounds that the intelligence services were “complicit” in torture.
The NHS overspends £164 million a year on ADHD services, according to research by the Guardian. The article cites analysis showing that the total cost of ADHD services is expected to be “more than double” current budgets, with the increased amount going to unregulated special assessments. Elsewhere, Adolescence star Owen Cooper is stepping into the spotlight with his Golden Globes victory.
Diesel fuel will start disappearing from pumps within four years as part of efforts to reach net zero, The Sun warns a new report. The newspaper’s opinion, “A Thousand Diesels,” quotes experts as saying the diesel market is at a “turning point” as demand falls and more drivers turn to electric vehicles.
Finally, the Daily Star has a story about former Master Chef host Gregg Wallace.
