Newspaper headlines: Strictly star ‘vindicated’ and ‘world holds breath’

The Daily Mail says the “world holds its breath” as Israel starts its invasion of Lebanon. The Middle East is on the brink, it argues, with US officials “locked in talks” with Israel about what happens next. It reports that President Joe Biden is tying to salvage his ceasefire proposal for Israel and Hezbollah. The Financial Times says the US is sending an “additional few thousand troops” and fighter jets to the region to protect the 40,000 US service peronnel already there and help Israel defend itself.

The Daily Telegraph homes in on the Israeli prime minister’s warning to Iran that it is heading towards the “abyss”. The paper reports that Benjamin Netanyahu gave a speech – in English – directed at citizens in Iran, in which he said the Islamic Republic’s “puppets” were being eliminated by the day. “There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach,” the Telegraph quotes him as saying. The paper says his words were a “possible prelude” to a war with Iran itself.

The Times says it has been told that migrants will continue to be housed in hotels for up to three years because the asylum backlog will take much longer to clear than Labour thought. Ending the use of hotels was one of Sir Keir Starmer’s election pledges, though the party gave no time frame. According to the paper, Home Office officials had been expecting to stop using the last hotel within a year. But Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is said to have conceded privately it would take longer to clear the backlog. The Telegraph notes that her predecessor James Cleverley told a fringe event at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham that it was a mistake to use the phrase “stop the boats” about tackling migrant crossings. The Tory leadership contender said its use distilled a complicated problem into a soundbite.

According to the Guardian, the prime minister has been urged to do more to help with rising gas and electricity costs this winter as average energy bills go up today by almost £150 a year. The Resolution Foundation think tank said its research suggested around 7.7 million households would struggle to heat their homes, in the wake of the winter fuel payment cuts for most pensioners in England and Wales.

Many of the papers cover the BBC’s verdict on the Strictly Come Dancing bullying claims. The corporation cleared Giovanni Pernice of using physical aggression towards his partner Amanda Abbington but he was found to have used belittling language. The Express highlights the “vindication” for Abbington, noting the BBC apologised to her over bullying complaints against Pernice. The Daily Mirror says both sides claimed victory, while the Sun‘s front page features a single speech bubble over the former dance partners, with both saying, “I’ve won”.

And the Guardian and Times both report Mount Everest is having a “growth spurt” and becoming taller. Scientists says it is partly down to “isostatic rebound”, where extreme erosion of surrounding areas allows the mountain to be pushed upwards, by as much as half a millimetre a year.