The Papers: 'Andrew's law' call and the 'lost city' of Beirut

Image caption The widow of PC Andrew Harper - who died after he was dragged for more than a mile by a getaway car - has called for people who kill emergency workers to receive life sentences, the Daily Express reports. The paper says Lissie Harper is campaigning against "soft sentences" after the driver was jailed for 16 years. Image caption "We want Andrew's law," says Metro's headline, which covers the same campaign and points out that the driver, 19-year-old Henry Long, will be eligible for parole in 10 years. A photo of a hazy sunset also heralds the start of a four-day heatwave that will be "more sizzling than Jamaica". Image caption An aerial shot of the scarred landscape of Beirut after Tuesday's explosion dominates the Times' front page. The paper's main story reports on the government's "planning revolution", which aims to limit the power of local politicians to block new projects and create a "construction boom". Image caption But the Guardian raises concerns about the reduction of democratic oversight, saying that planning shake-up could "choke off affordable housing and lead to the creation of 'slum' dwellings". The paper also pictures rescue workers in Beirut as it reports that there were "repeated warnings" of the risk of an explosion. Image caption "The lost city" is the headline of the i newspaper, over an image of dust and smoke hanging over the rubble that was Beirut's port area. The paper says the explosion, which left 300,000 people homeless and killed more than 100, "seals the collapse of Lebanon". Image caption The Financial Times headline quotes Lebanon's president, Michel Aoun, pledging to punish the "negligent" following the blast. The paper says port officials were put under house arrest after an initial investigation suggested the cause of the explosion was thousands of tonnes of fertiliser stored for six years at the port. Image caption A photo of an army helicopter dropping water on the smouldering wreckage of Beirut's port fills much of the Daily Telegraph's front page. Its lead story reports on warnings from private school head teachers that pupils face a "life sentence" if they cannot appeal against their grades, which were awarded this year under a statistical model after exams were cancelled. Image caption The Daily Mirror says more local councils in areas hit hard by Covid-19 are developing their own contact tracing systems because they say the government one is "flawed". The paper says three councils in West Yorkshire are the latest to propose their own approach to tracking infected people and their contacts. Image caption One of the bridesmaids at the wedding of Diana, Princess of Wales, tells the Daily Mail that she was a guest on the private island and jet of the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein. She tells the paper she was young and naive, "very lucky" to escape, but that she did not experience or witness any abuse. Image caption And the Daily Star reports on the misfortunes of "hopeless romantic" Albert Ndreu, who spelled out "Marry me?" in candles to propose to his girlfriend, only to burn down their flat. "And she still said Yes?" is the paper's incredulous headline, over an image of the happy couple shrugging in their wrecked home.

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