Papers gripped by Olympic fever

Beijing features prominently in a number of Wednesday's papers ahead of the start of the Olympics.

The Guardian says authorities may have to relocate some endurance events if smog in the city gets much worse.

For the Daily Mirror, Beijing's Olympic complex is "the Forbidden City" due to it being swamped by security personnel.

Meanwhile, the Daily Telegraph says Britons competing will not be able to fly the flags of the home nations - because the Chinese have banned them.

Man's best friend

Dogs like to yawn when humans do, according to research reported by the Daily Mail.

Scientists at Birkbeck College in London say that man's best friends like to mimic human yawns to show empathy with their owners.

Meanwhile, the Times has seen a report which claims British Airways loses more bags and operates more delayed planes than any other big airline in Europe.

BA blamed the problems with Heathrow's Terminal 5 for the figures.

Stamp duty plan

The Independent reports that a so-called stamp duty "holiday" is probably on the cards.

Whitehall sources tell the paper it is being considered at the Treasury, but stressed no decision had been taken.

The Daily Express calls for a major reform of stamp duty, saying the tax looks like a relic from a bygone era.

But the Sun is worried that a stamp duty holiday could lure vulnerable first-time buyers into debt, before the credit crunch has run its course.

Fast food

The discovery of fossilised tortoises in Spain leads some to conclude that our Stone Age forebears were lazy.

Rather than chasing sabre-tooth tigers, it seems that cavemen preferred to hunt a tortoise instead because it was so much easier, the Telegraph says.

The paper says a tortoise might just have been the original ready meal.

The Daily Express, which also reports on the discovery of hundreds of the fossils, cannot resist a pun, praising cavemen for shunning fast food.