Newspaper headlines: ITV anchor quits and HS2 'to get green light' By BBC News

Staff Published duration 30 January

image copyright Siemens/ PA image caption A proposed design for an HS2 train

Several papers lead with the expected government move to endorse HS2.

The Times suggests the decision will put Boris Johnson "at odds with his most senior adviser". It says Dominic Cummings views the project as a "disaster zone", which should be scrapped and the money used to pay for alternative infrastructure.

The Daily Mail says Chancellor Sajid Javid "came off the fence to back it", with an "insider" suggesting he felt the alternatives "were either unworkable or did not produce the same benefits".

The Financial Times says the Treasury's support is contingent on there being "controls on future costs on the northern section of the route".

It adds that Thursday's meeting will examine whether the line to Manchester and Leeds "should be subject to further review later in the project to ensure value for money".

Elsewhere in the FT , it reveals that Mr Javid has ordered government departments to identify where they can make cuts of at least 5% - and to "name 10 projects that could be scrapped in the autumn spending review".

In a letter to cabinet ministers, the chancellor warns that budgets remain tight, even after a decade of austerity.

The cuts to BBC News are featured heavily, with many defending their fellow journalists.

The Sun believes the BBC "needs reinvention" but says it "hates to see the loss of so many journalists' jobs".

The Daily Mail calls it a "bloodbath" and asks why the salaries of executives or star presenters can't be trimmed instead? The i newspaper says the announcement sparked a "furious staff revolt" led by broadcaster Victoria Derbyshire.

image copyright PA Media image caption Around 450 jobs will be cut from BBC News under plans to complete its £80m savings target by 2022.

Jim Waterson, in the Guardian points out that the BBC is "trying to ride two horses at once" by seeking to improve its online offering to reach younger viewers, and risks "alienating existing audiences without attracting new under-35s".

The BBC and other media are reported by the Daily Telegraph to be involved in a "standoff with No 10" over broadcasting Boris Johnson's message to the country when the UK leaves the EU on Friday.

Downing Street is said to want to record it in-house and release it for use; and the BBC has refused to guarantee to air it.

As the number of people infected with the coronavirus continues to grow in mainland China, the Daily Telegraph's China correspondent, Sophia Yan, offers a snapshot of life in the city of Foshan.

Images in the Sun and the Daily Mirror reveal the desperate measures people are adopting to avoid infection.

media caption "Wuhan, add oil!": Watch residents shouting to boost morale in quarantined city

According to the i newspaper , UK pharmacies are also selling out of surgical masks - despite the World Health Organisation advising that they offer little protection.

The Daily Mail 's resident GP, Dr Martin Scurr, describes the planned "mercy flight" to rescue UK citizens in China as "reckless" because of the potential for transmission of the disease.

The Times uncovers the growing problem of Scotch being "laundered" by Far Eastern drinks firms who are repackaging it as Japanese whisky.

The paper says distilleries pour a small amount of their product into a cask of Scotch and label the blend as made in Japan - and the current rules mean the practice is entirely legal.

Tributes are paid to the last Battle of Britain "ace", Wing Commander Paul Farnes, who died yesterday aged 101.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust tells the Daily Telegraph that Mr Farnes "was known for plain speaking but was generous with his time" in support of the organisation's activities.

The Daily Express reveals that, as a sergeant pilot, he was awarded the highest honour for non-commissioned officers, the Distinguished Flying Medal.

John Nichol - the former RAF navigator captured in the first Gulf War - said he knew him as a quiet, modest man who "was adamant he didn't do anything heroic".

media caption Paul Farnes on what it was like to fly in the Battle of Britain

And another unassuming air force veteran is featured in several papers - following his appearance on the US version of Antiques Roadshow.

The Daily Mirror says the unnamed former serviceman was "bowled over" when a Rolex watch he had bought for £260, 45 years ago, was now worth more than £500,000.