Papers lament Andy Murray defeat

"Thanks Andy, it's been emotional" says the Daily Telegraph, picturing Andy Murray waving goodbye to his fans after his semi-final defeat at Wimbledon.

"Goodbye to all our dreams" is the Daily Mail's headline, across a similar photograph filling half its front page.

The Daily Express and the Financial Times refer to his "agony" on their front pages.

A teasing Sun boasts that "Andy's in the final" before pointing out, sadly, it is referring to his opponent Roddick.

'Wacko'

Speculation about the funeral arrangements for Michael Jackson is a popular topic for the tabloids.

The Daily Express says he'll be buried like Tutankhamun in a velvet-lined, £15,000, 14 carat gold-plated casket, in a golden goodbye fit for a Pharaoh.

The Sun says the coffin, known as the Promethean, is the same chosen by relatives of soul legend James Brown.

"Wacko to the end" it says, highlighting that tickets for his memorial will be allocated by a random draw.

Court proceedings

For the Guardian, the main story is formal charges being brought against UK embassy officials in Tehran.

The paper says this is "a dramatic escalation" of Iran's campaign to blame Britain for the protests against its disputed election results.

The Daily Mail and the Times describe the impending court proceedings as a "show trial."

The Independent notes that the prospect of the prosecution prompted a coordinated European Union backlash.

Tactics

The Daily Express goes so far as to suggest the British embassy staff in Iran are facing execution.

An analysis in the Daily Telegraph suggests that the situation is nothing more than a return to the hostage-taking ways of the 1980s.

The tactics resulted in the abduction of Terry Waite and John McCarthy.

It says in the 30 years since the ayatollahs seized power, taking hostages has become a familiar tactic whenever the Islamic regime has felt under threat.

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