Newspaper headlines: PM 'weds in secret' and Wuhan lab leak 'feasible'

BBC NewsStaff
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News imageReuters Wuhan Institute of VirologyReuters
Lab-leak theories centre on the Wuhan Institute of Virology

According to the Sunday Times, British spies believe claims that the coronavirus pandemic may have originated from a leak out of a laboratory in Wuhan are "feasible".

British intelligence staff are said to be examining the possibility with their American counterparts and MPs are demanding a fresh investigation.

But the Times suggests experts are sceptical about their chances of finding a text message, email or document proving a lab leak - let alone what it dubs "a smoking test tube".

The Mail on Sunday asks: "Is this Covid's Patient Zero?", speaking of a 61-year-old woman who lived near the lab and was diagnosed with the virus three weeks before Beijing admitted that it existed.

The Sun on Sunday insists "it's crucial" that the West gets to the bottom of what it calls "China's Covid cover-up".

If China is found to have deliberately manipulated the virus to conceal its origins, the Sun concludes, that would be "an outrageous crime against humanity".

The Sunday Telegraph reports that NHS staff in England may be legally required to have a coronavirus vaccine under new plans.

There is concern, the Telegraph says, because as many as a fifth of health workers in some areas are yet to have a jab.

A Whitehall source said conversations were at an early stage.

The Independent warns that European holidaymakers coming to the UK could bring new Covid-19 variants - saying France, Spain, Italy and Greece have sequenced a fraction of the cases analysed here.

Writing in the Observer, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer suggests plans to lift restrictions on 21 June are at risk because he says government ministers are distracted by what he calls "melodrama, civil war and covering their own back".

News imageEPA Boris Johnson and Carrie SymondsEPA
Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds have reportedly married in a secret ceremony

The Sun describes the "secret" wedding of Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds.

A limo carrying the bride is said to have swept into the piazza by Westminster Cathedral yesterday afternoon.

Ms Symonds is reported to have stepped out "wearing a flowing white dress" with no veil.

Then the couple walked down the aisle to classical music.

The Mail on Sunday suggests the prime minister could not take his eyes off his new wife.

While there are no photos of the wedding, the Mail has pictures of Stanley Johnson and his daughter, Julia, taking selfies after the ceremony outside No 10.

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The Daily Star Sunday promises that the sunshine forecast this weekend will be the first heatwave of six expected this summer.

But the Observer looks at the threat posed by the increasingly hot weather, suggesting it could trigger thousands of deaths each year because measures have not been brought in to keep houses and care homes cool.

Finally, while eating well, exercising regularly, not smoking and drinking less alcohol are all put forward as ways to extend your life, the Times suggests you really should consider picking up a tennis racket.

A longevity study has found that male tennis stars in England and Wales enjoy an extra 9.7 years on the average lifespan.

Badminton players are afforded another six years and cyclists nearly four.

"For a longer life," says the paper, "it's game, set and match to tennis players".

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