Newspaper headlines: Britons 'upbeat' as hospitals face flu crisis

The newspapers begin 2018 with some familiar stories - about political upheaval.

There's continuing speculation as to whether Prime Minister Theresa May will usher in the new year by carrying out a major reshuffle.

The Daily Telegraph reports that allies of Brexit Secretary David Davis fear he could be marginalised, with Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in line for a new "super-charged" Brexit role.

It thinks a reshuffle would inject a burst of energy into the government, but it reports Mr Johnson wouldn't accept anything which looked like a demotion.

Whatever political turbulence lies ahead, the Times believes that voters are upbeat about their prospects in 2018.

Its front page lead draws on a YouGov poll of more than 1,600 people, which suggests that more than half think their personal financial situation will stay the same or improve this year.

Some 40% also believe their jobs will be secure.

Meanwhile, Ruth Davidson - who heads the Scottish Conservatives and is tipped by some to be a future national party leader - seems to be trying to tap into that sense of optimism in an article in the Telegraph.

She says she's lost count of the number of columns bemoaning 2017 and argues life is measurably richer and healthier than at any time since she was born.

Several papers warn about one worrying trend though - the rising numbers of children using social media to buy illegal drugs.

They quote youth workers who say Instagram and Snapchat are increasingly being used for this purpose, making substances more easily available to younger teenagers.

Both sites say they're taking steps to clamp down on the trade.

There are also photos of the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, on his way to church in Sandringham on many front pages.

That's because during the short walk he apparently spotted a man with a long ginger beard - prompting him to say to his bodyguard: "Is that a terrorist?"

The Sun reports the man found the comment hilarious, but it also quotes Mohammed Shafiq of the Ramadan Foundation who warns it is offensive to insinuate that anybody with a long beard is a terrorist, when the vast majority of Muslims reject terrorism.

Several of the papers also have dramatic images of the storms which battered parts of the country on New Year's Eve.

The Daily Star shows big waves rolling into Blackpool with its famous tower in the background.

The Guardian has an image of an angry sea smashing into a wall in Androssan in North Ayrshire.

Away from the UK, the Guardian says Iranian demonstrators have defied a threat by authorities to clampdown on protests with an "iron fist".

They have posted video depicting acts of resistance rarely seen since the Islamic revolution of 1979.

The Times believes President Rouhani's intervention on Sunday is a sign of how deeply the regime has been rattled.

It argues the country's powerful Revolutionary Guard was happy as long complaints about stagnant living conditions were directed at the president.

However, it says they are becoming increasingly alarmed now the demands are threatening the foundations of the Islamic republic.

Iran's state media has also begun trying to discredit the protests with an article in the Tehran Times.

It contains a claim that 80% of those arrested during the disturbances had admitted receiving money and orders from outside the country.