Newspaper headlines: UK's 'worst ever rapist' and Iran crisis deepens By BBC News

Staff Published duration 7 January

image copyright Greater Manchester Police image caption Reynhard Sinaga filmed himself assaulting unconscious victims at his student flat in Manchester

The face of the serial sex attacker, Reynhard Sinaga, looks out from many of the front pages, alongside reports of the multiple life sentences he has received for drugging and assaulting 48 men he met outside nightclubs in Manchester.

The Guardian has been speaking to his friends. One describes him as "nice, meek and inoffensive". Another calls him a "sweet, happy guy".

Sinaga's church provided a character reference to the court.

After the US air strike that killed an Iranian commander, the situation of British and American troops in Iraq is the main story for the Times the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian

The Times says Britain is stepping up contingency plans to evacuate military personnel and civilians from Iraq because of growing fears of attacks. It says around 20 military advisors have been sent to the embassy in Baghdad, where they are mapping out withdrawal routes.

The Mirror reports that Royal Navy warships are closely escorting UK tankers in the Gulf because of fears of attacks by Iranian submarines. It says lranian mini-subs which could sink British vessels have been spotted preparing to launch from the Republican Guards' submarine base in the Strait of Hormuz.

The New Statesman's political correspondent, Patrick Maguire, assesses the chances of Rebecca Long-Bailey in the Labour leadership race. He says the decision by the Labour Party chairman, Ian Lavery, not to stand leaves her in a strong position to reach the final ballot of members.

image copyright PA Media image caption Rebecca Long-Bailey became the sixth candidate to enter the leadership race

But he says positioning herself on the left as a continuity candidate has risks in the light of last month's election result - and that rival campaigns don't believe she will have enough support to win the final contest.

Reflecting on the future of the party, the Guardian says the leadership contest must be conducted with honesty and humility. It believes Labour "must become a broad church again" and that there is "no quick fix" after its momentous defeat.

The Mirror fears the leadership election is being rushed through to ensure the machine behind last month's crushing election defeat keeps control. It thinks Labour would be wiser to "reflect first, elect second" and to invest more thought and time in deciding who would win a general election.

The Financial Times claims spending on science is set to grow quickly and become more adventurous post-Brexit. It says the government is planning to create a new state-backed agency to promote ambitious "high risk, high reward" experiments and that many senior research scientists are warming towards Boris Johnson's administration.

The Times reports that up to 40% of trains connecting the biggest cities in the north of England and Scotland have been cancelled this month because of the late delivery of new carriages.

TransPennine Express already has one of the worst punctuality records on the network with only 38% of trains arriving on time.