17 August 2012 Last updated at 02:11 ET

Newspaper review: Papers says Assange must defend self

A look at the first editions of the UK papers

Ecuador's decision to grant Julian Assange asylum occupies the papers with the Times portraying the Wikileaks' founder as a superhero - naked except for a flag of Ecuador.

And that sense of emperor with no clothes is shared by other papers.

The Guardian says he is not truly a refugee and must be extradited to Sweden to face sex assault claims.

The Independent says that, to live up to the integrity he professes, he must defend himself in Sweden.

Facebook status

The Times notes the price of shares in social networking site Facebook have fallen by almost half since the company launched on the markets.

The paper thinks the millions who failed to invest will be updating their status to "experiencing schadenfreude".

The Financial Times says the value of shares held by chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has fallen from $19.1bn to $9.9bn.

It says the latest slump has led investors to defriend Facebook.

Great results

The Daily Mirror calls diver Tom Daley's A grade in A-level Spanish his second great result of the summer - after his Olympic bronze medal.

The Daily Telegraph, meanwhile, says a reduction in candidates earning the highest grades is a step towards restoring confidence in A-levels.

The Guardian talks of "a sensible balance having been struck".

The Independent argues for improving vocational training for young people who want jobs rather than study.

Heartbreaking

There's much sympathy for Tony Nicklinson, the man paralysed by a catastrophic stroke who has been told he cannot ask a doctor to kill him.

The Independent devotes its front page of his crying face and the headline "A fate worse than death".

The Daily Mirror says the ruling has left him "heartbroken."

The Daily Mail thinks the case may "slam the brakes on the accelerating rush in the courts towards the legalisation of assisted dying".