4 July 2012 Last updated at 01:43 ET

Newspaper review: Mixed views on Diamond's worth

Bob Diamond's time as chief executive at Barclays is both applauded and deplored in Wednesday's newspapers.

The Times described Mr Diamond as "brash but brilliant", turning Barclays from "laughing stock into a power house". But the paper's Ian King concludes he simultaneously represents everything wrong in the banking sector.

For the Daily Mail, the ex-Barclays boss was a "flawed genius". The paper says he steered Barclays away from the financial abyss that swallowed many of its rivals.

The Mail also reflects on what it calls "the revenge of a fallen Titan", after Mr Diamond implicated the Bank of England in the Libor rate-fixing scandal.

Mr Diamond's resignation is received by the Financial Times as a belated acknowledgement that his continued presence at the helm was a damaging distraction.

"Diamonds aren't forever" is the headline in the Daily Mirror, which has labelled him a "shameless banker". The paper adds he could be in line for a pay-off of between £20m and £30m after stepping down.

Meanwhile Prime Minister David Cameron's promised parliamentary inquiry into the Libor scandal has failed to satisty the Independent. The paper agrees with Labour and calls for a judicial review with a wider brief.

Longer life

Elsewhere, the Times reports that Libyans in London have voted in their first democratic elections in almost 50 years.

An empty office building in Wembley was used for the task, while Libyans will vote in Libya at the weekend.

The Daily Express proclaims that scientists have found the secret of longer life.

Cutting food intake by 40% could add 20 years to life expectancy according to the study by University College London.

The final scene of the film The Italian Job, when a coach teeters on the edge of a cliff, has been recreated on the roof of the De La Warr Pavilion at Bexhill in East Sussex.

The Guardian has a photograph of a replica 1960s coach perched on top of the building as part of an arts events staged to mark the Olympics.