There was probably only one event that was going to take the new premiership off the front pages and it duly occurred in London on Friday morning

Al-Qa'eda hunt after two London bombs found says the Telegraph

A huge manhunt is under way for a group of suspected al-Qa'eda terrorists after two car bombs were planted in the West End of London.The first, a Mercedes filled with petrol cans, gas canisters, and nails, was primed to explode as hundreds of revellers poured out of a nightclub.
The second, another Mercedes, was dumped in the area and its deadly cargo discovered by parking wardens who had towed it - unwittingly - to a car pound. They became suspicious of a strong smell of petrol or gas.

Car bombs come to London says the Guardian

Opinions among senior figures who talked to the Guardian ranged from hope that the attack was limited to the two car bombs, to a real fear that more attempts could be on the way. One was clear: "We are very worried. This was a deadly serious attempt." Another said: "We can only guess at the intent and scale [of the terrorists]. We are having to guess."
MI5 cancelled leave for its frontline staff and security was stepped up at "iconic targets", with uniformed police patrols also increased. Security plans for weekend events from Wimbledon to a Gay Pride march in London were under review.

London on the edge is the front page of the Independent

Scotland Yard said that if the car parked outside the Tiger Tiger nightclub in Haymarket, where 800 people were partying, had exploded it would have caused carnage. The bomb - made with propane gas bottles used in patio heaters, 60 litres of petrol and large quantities of nails - was spotted shortly after 1am by an ambulancecrew attending an unconnected incident. It was defused by a police explosives expert who disconnected the mobile phone trigger.

THE MERC BOMBERS
Two Baghdad-style explosions 'to kill 100s' Hero cop thwarts 900ft fireball at club is the headline in the Mirror

A DEVASTATING car bomb was just two minutes from exploding in a 900ft fireball when it was defused by a brave expert yesterday.
The silver 1990 E-class Mercedes saloon was packed with eight propane gas cylinders, 60 litres of fuel in a dozen petrol cans plus another 30 in its tank and fistfuls of lethal three and six-inch nails.
Parked outside a Haymarket nightclub packed with 1,000 revellers, the Baghdad-style bomb could have killed and injured hundreds, laying waste to people and property in a 300-yard radius.

SAVED BY A DRUNK,A CLAMPER AND A COP HERO headlines the Sun adding that

HUNDREDS of women were feared to have been the target of yesterday’s first chilling car bomb — left outside a top London nightclub on a packed LADIES’ NIGHT.
Cops are convinced the huge device — stuffed with nails — was meant to explode at 2am just when revellers were leaving.

Nightclubs targeted by Al Qaeda for being 'symbols of Western decadence' says the Mail

The Mercedes - made safe by explosives officers - parked outside Tiger TigerNightclubs have long been a favourite target of Al Qaeda and Islamic radicals planning to bring slaughter and terror to the heart of major Western cities.
To the fundamentalist, the clubs with their sale of alcohol, often scantily dressed young women, loud music and decadent behaviour epitomise everything they abhor about the West.
They are obvious "impact targets" for a spectacular attack because they occupy a controlled space and explosions are likely to result in a large death toll and horrific injuries.

'WE ARE NOW FACING THE MOST SEVERE THREAT FROM TERRORISM' reports the Express

THE demands of over­seeing Britain’s security were made clear to new Home Secretary Jacqui Smith yesterday in an early-morning phone call.
The Cabinet newcomer – the first woman in the post – was awakened and told of the attempted terrorist attack in central London.By 7.30am she was meeting with security chiefs and civil servants before chairing her first meeting of the Cabinet terror crisis group Cobra.In what was her first full day in the job, she found herself warning the nation of the “most severe and ­sustained threat to our security from international terrorism” after the thwarted car bombing in Haymarket.

Nightclub bomb alert issued two weeks ago claims the Times

Nightclubs across Britain were warned they could be terrorist targets just days before yesterday’s attempted double car-bomb attack in London, The Times has learnt.

The drama came as it emerged that a 53-page document alerting businesses to the threat posed by VBIEDs — vehicle-borne improvised explosive devices — had been issued to police two weeks ago. It had been passed on to the Tiger Tiger club only a few days before yesterday’s events.
The incident also appeared to be foreshadowed by a posting on an internet forum used by terrorists, saying: “Today I say: Rejoice, by Allah. London will be bombed.”
Sir Ian Blair, the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, gave warning recently that car and lorry bombs were “the greatest danger” facing Britain.

Reality bites for Gordon Brown says the Telegraph whilst reporting that

Gordon Brown has achieved a dramatic upswing in Labour's fortunes in his first days as Prime Minister and could win a snap general election, according to the latest YouGov poll for The Daily Telegraph today.The survey, the first to be conducted since Mr Brown became Prime Minister on Wednesday, suggests that many voters who were disillusioned with Tony Blair have welcomed the arrival of the new occupant of No 10.
According to YouGov, 38 per cent of voters would back Labour at an early general election - a five-point increase since last month - suggesting Mr Brown could use a "honeymoon election" to seek his own mandate.

A similar poll in the Guardian reveals

Brown effect propels Labour to election-winning lead

Gordon Brown's first three days in office have produced a surge in Labour support, putting the new prime minister in an election-winning position, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today.
The poll, the first since Mr Brown became prime minister on Wednesday, shows Labour soaring seven points to 39%, a clear four-point lead over the Conservatives and its first lead in an ICM poll since March 2006.
The result is Labour's best performance in an ICM poll since David Cameron became Tory leader in 2005. If repeated at a general election it would see Labour increase its majority at Westminster.

The Times reports that

1,000 prisoners go home early on Brown’s first day

The early release from prison of 1,000 criminals including burglars, drug dealers and fraudsters marked Gordon Brown’s first day of office yesterday.
Plans to free the non-dangerous prisoners in an effort to ease prison overcrowding were set out two weeks ago.
A total of 25,500 prisoners are expected to be freed up to 18 days early over the course of a year.
Jack Straw, the newly appointed Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, defended the move, saying that criminals freed early would be “carefully selected” by prison governors

Brown raids the real world for a team of 'all the talents' reports the Mail

Gordon Brown capped his 'Government of all the talents' yesterday by drafting in senior figures from defence, science and other political parties.
On a day dominated by the London bomb alert, the Prime Minister unveiled a wider ministerial team which stepped up the battle against terrorism at home and abroad.
He reached beyond narrow party political lines to appoint Admiral Sir Alan West, the former head of the Royal Navy who once expressed doubts over the legality of the Iraq war, as Security Minister at the Home Office.
Ex-Scotland Yard commissioner Lord Stevens, head of David Cameron's UK border police task force, will be Mr Brown's adviser on international security.
And MP for Dewsbury Shahid Malik became the first ever Muslim member of a British Government. The new ministerial team was already being drawn up before yesteday's failed attacks, but many of the posts reflect a renewed antiterror drive.

A similar headline in the Indy

Brown completes government of 'all talents' with team of outsiders

Gordon Brown has appointed Admiral Sir Alan West, the former head of the Royal Navy, as a security minister at the Home Office as he appointed a string of "outsiders" to his government team. Sir Alan, a Falklands hero who has criticised defence cuts, is former chief of defence intelligence and deputy chair of the Joint Intelligence Committee. He is among five new ministers who were not members of the Labour Party appointed by the Prime Minister.

BRITAIN BRACES ITSELF FOR A WEEKEND OF FLOODING says the Times

A national flood support centre that can deploy extra man-power to the worst-affected places has been set up as Britain prepares for more torrential rainfall this weekend.
The central control, based at Worcester, will gather information from emergency services nationwide and improve the availability of help to the worst-affected areas.
Fire chiefs have admitted that they struggled to cope with the scale of the floods and that many staff were near to collapse after working around the clock for three days.

WORSE FLOODS ON WAY IN NEW DELUGE reports the Express

DOWNPOURS forecast for this weekend could trigger fresh floods, experts warned last night.
The Met Office’s severe weather warning for the entire weekend predicts 25mm (one inch) of rainfall “quite widely” across England and Wales.But it adds: “There is a risk that local totals could reach 50mm (two inches).”This could cause mayhem in rain-sodden areas still struggling to recover from Monday’s deluge.

Away from the Uk and the Guardian reports

Turkey warns of plans to invade northern Iraq

Turkey has prepared a blueprint for the invasion of northern Iraq and will take action if US or Iraqi forces fail to dislodge the guerrillas of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) from their mountain strongholds across the border, Turkey's foreign minister Abdullah Gul has warned.
"The military plans have been worked out in the finest detail. The government knows these plans and agrees with them," Mr Gul told Turkey's Radikal newspaper. "If neither the Iraqi government nor the US occupying forces can do this [crush the PKK], we will take our own decision and implement it," Mr Gul said. The foreign minister's uncharacteristically hawkish remarks were seen as a response to pressure from Turkey's generals, who have deployed some 20,000-30,000 troops along the borders with Iraq, and who are itching to move against the rebels they say are slipping across the border to stage attacks inside Turkey.

Court to review Guantanamo detainee appeals reports the Telegraph

The Bush administration suffered a fresh blow to its powers in the war on terrorism yesterday when the US Supreme Court agreed to review whether inmates of the Guantanamo Bay camp could use the civilian legal system to challenge their incarceration.
In what appears to have been a decisive factor, lawyers for the detainees last week filed a statement from a US military officer describing as inadequate the process used for the past four years to classify them as enemy combatants.
The court's nine justices made the unusual reversal of their previous stance without comment. In April, the court turned down an identical request, though two of the justices indicated that they could be persuaded to change their minds.

The Independent carries

A childs plea: 'Please close Guantanamo jail so I can see my daddy and give him a hug'

Johaina Aamer recalls very little of the final precious moments she spent with her father before the bombs started falling in Afghanistan.
She remembers him pretending to be a lion and chasing her and her two brothers around the garden and then running for cover as the explosions crept closer. After that, her mind is blank.
But in paintings and pictures the nine-year-old has unlocked her subconscious to tell a horrifying story of the American invasion, her father's capture and his 2,000 days spent as a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay.

The same paper reports that

Bush looks to his father to mend relations with Putin

Tomorrow's summit between George Bush and Vladimir Putin raises the intriguing question of whether the shadow of the father can help the son bring an end to the frostiest period in ties between the United States and Russia since the Cold War?
For the first time in his six-and-a-half years in power, Mr Bush is inviting a foreign dignitary not to the White House, or the Camp David retreat, or his ranch in Texas. This meeting takes place at the home of Mr Bush's father in Kennebunkport, Maine. The former president's deft handling of US-Soviet relations was a hallmark of his term in office.
The White House confirmed yesterday that the 41st president will be at the house while his son entertains Mr Putin. Although he will not take part in the official talks, the elder Bush is bound to be involved informally as the two leaders address the host of grievances that divide them.

The Times is reporting that

Poles smudge EU agreement before the ink has even dried

A deal on Europe’s future, stitched together at last week’s bad-tempered summit, began to unravel yesterday after the intervention of the EU’s most unpredictable leader.
Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the Polish Prime Minister, who sent his brother Lech, the President, to the summit, stunned Brussels by declaring his determination to renegotiate the compromise. The twins spent much of last week’s detailed negotiations on the phone to each other and Lech had said that his brother was content with the package. But Jaroslaw, who demanded extra voting power for Poland, insisted yesterday that the deal had not taken full account of Poland’s demands.

EU anger as 'awkward' Poland goes back on deal says the Mail

The EU deal on a replacement for the discredited constitution was in danger of unravelling last night after Poland demanded extra concessions.
The former Soviet satellite's hard-line premier said he would re-open negotiations on the agreement hammered out in Brussels a week ago.
Poland has emerged as a one-nation "awkward squad" in the 27-member EU, angering the club's big players

£900k stupid Buga fined £400 reports the Sun

A DRIVER who wrecked a £925,000 supercar in Britain’s most expensive crash was yesterday fined just £400.
Ajay Soni, 39, lost control of his Bugatti Veyron, one of only 12 in the UK and 300 in the world, as he accelerated in wet weather.
The car, capable of 253mph, ended up a virtual write-off after it hit an oncoming Vauxhall Astra — in which a pregnant woman was a passenger — at an accident blackspot.

Finally the Mirror ahead of tomorrows smoking ban reports from

BRITAIN'S SMOKIEST PUB..
..THEY ARE DEFYING THE NEW BAN UP TO THE.. LAST GASP

THERE'S so much puffing going on in this boozer that only regulars can find the bar through the tobacco haze - at least that's what the locals tell me.
Welcome to Britain's smokiest pub. The Coach & Horses is where, legend has it, the previous owner tried to ban non-smokers for bringing the place into disrepute.
And although no one has bothered to count them, I'm told there are 200 often-overflowing ashtrays dotted around the tables of this intimate, Central London watering hole.

Gordon Brown's new cabinet,a reminder on Iraq and Madeleine McCann dominate the headlines this morning.

ALL CHANGE WITH BROWN says the Times

Gordon Brown will begin today his attempt to stamp his mark on the Government as it emerged that Tony Blair had been interviewed for a third time by “cash-for-honours” police.
Mr Brown has called his second Cabinet meeting in two days to discuss plans to restore trust in politics. Proposals for making the Government more accountable, imposing a tougher code of conduct on ministerial behaviour, giving Parliament greater power over major decisions, such as such as sending troops to warwill be considered.
He will then set out the measures in his first statement to the Commons as Prime Minister on Monday. Although the health service is his policy priority Mr Brown has told aides that nothing is more urgent than regaining trust in politics.

Brown's first day: new faces and plans to heal old wounds says the Guardian

Gordon Brown set a blistering pace in his first full day as prime minister by totally recasting his cabinet and announcing that the new team will meet today in a special session to discuss his plans to restore trust in politics lost during the last decade.
The prime minister wants to strengthen parliament and draw the public into discussion about a possible bill of rights.
The special meeting itself is a deliberate signal that the prime minister is planning to restore cabinet government. He will also make a Commons statement on Monday laying out his constitutional proposals in a further sign of the importance he attaches to the agenda and his determination to restore parliament's authority.

Brown cabinet reshuffle sweeps away old order is the lead in the Telegraph

Every post changed hands, except for Des Browne, who stays as Defence Secretary, as the Prime Minister culled more than a third of the Cabinet inherited from Mr Blair.
He appointed the youngest Cabinet in living memory, with the average age down from 54 to 49, and the first woman Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith. At 41, David Miliband became the youngest Foreign Secretary for 30 years. The reshuffle was carried out in private in his room at the Commons - not No 10 - so ministers were spared the humiliating walk up Downing Street in front of the cameras to learn their fate.

Most of the attention in the new cabinet is on the first women Home Secretary and a young Foreign Secretary

JACQUI WHO? says the Mirror

UNKNOWN Jacqui Smith became Britain's first woman Home Secretary yesterday, taking on one of the toughest jobs in Gordon Brown's new government.
The 44-year-old mum of two will have to burn the midnight oil as she takes charge of crime, immigration - and the fight against terrorism.
Almost unheard of outside Westminster, the former economics teacher's star has risen dramatically since she took over as Chief Whip and impressed Mr Brown by enforcing party discipline.

It's time for the Brown bairns says the Sun

War sceptic Miliband offers chance of clean slate on Iraq reports the Guardian

The appointment of David Miliband as the youngest foreign secretary in three decades offers a chance for Britain to turn a fresh face to the world that is less compromised by the war in Iraq.
Responding to his appointment yesterday, Mr Miliband called for "a diplomacy which is patient as well as purposeful, which listens as well as leads".
The remarks gave little away but sent a message abroad that he was prepared to cast a critical eye over a foreign policy constrained by Britain's relationship with the US. Mr Miliband, 41, is not publicly associated with the decision to invade Iraq and is said to have been privately sceptical about it.

Rising star Miliband becomes heir apparent says the Telegraph

At 41, his promotion from the post of Environment Secretary to one of the great offices of state is a smart response by Gordon Brown to the "Miliband factor" that unnerved the Brownites.
In the short to medium term it will fully satisfy this ambitious young minister who will see the Foreign Office as ideal preparation for the job he ultimately wants - in Number Ten. As far as Mr Brown is concerned, the post will check - or least put on hold - the Miliband advance by keeping the only man who posed any potential threat to his leadership ambitions busy on the foreign circuit.

But the realities of Iraq were brought home yesterday morning.The Indpendent leads with

They were 20 years old. They came from the same quiet corner of eastern Scotland as Gordon Brown. Like him, they wanted nothing more than to serve their country. But yesterday, the lives of James Kerr and Scott Kennedy ended - two of three soldiers killed by a bomb in Basra. On day one at No 10, the tragedy of Iraq was brought chillingly home to Britain's new Prime Minister

Yesterday should have been a day of political triumph for Gordon Brown. Instead events in Basra provided a brutal and intimate reminder of the scale of the challenge he faces in Iraq.
Hours before Mr Brown unveiled his new Cabinet at 10 Downing Street, three more British soldiers were killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb, two of them from the Prime Minister's constituency.
For Mr Brown the latest casualties were a reminder very close to home of the savagery of the war and the toll of young lives lost. The two Scottish soldiers killed were both 20. Pte Jamie Kerr, The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, from Cowdenbeath, and Pte Scott Kennedy, of the same regiment and unit, from Oakley, Dunfermline, were on what was described as a routine operation when they were hit by the blast.

As does the Mail which leads with

HOW MANY MORE MR BROWN

Brown's rude awakening as two boy soldiers from his own back yard are killed in Iraq


Jamie Kerr, 20, from Cowdenbeath - part of Gordon Brown's constituencyGordon Brown wanted a bright new dawn. Instead he found himself in the grim shadow of Tony Blair's Iraq legacy.
His first full day as Prime Minister began with the news that three soldiers, including one from his Fife constituency and another from nearby, had been killed by a roadside bomb in Basra.
Their deaths cast a ghastly pall over a day which Mr Brown spent sweeping away the Blair era.

Basra bomb kills 3 Brit heroes reports the Sun

The deaths at 1am local time yesterday were the first military losses under Gordon Brown’s premiership.
In a grim reminder for the PM of the conflict’s growing toll BOTH soldiers from the famous Scots regiment have personal connections to him.
Pte Kennedy lived in Oakley, close to Mr Brown’s home town of Dunfermline. He only finished his Army training nine months ago.
And high-flier Pte Kerr — about to be promoted — was from Cowdenbeath, Mr Brown’s constituency. Both soldiers had volunteered for service in Iraq as rookies in the war zone.
The third hero, Corporal Joszko, had a young son and his girlfriend is expecting his second child.

It leads as does the Mirror and the Express with new developments in the Maddie case

Madeleine: Couple arrested

A MAN and his girlfriend were being quizzed last night in the hunt for Madeleine McCann.
The couple, allegedly after part of a £2.5million reward, were held in the Spanish town of Sotogrande — hours from where Maddie, four, vanished.
The couple were held in a dawn swoop by police probing an alleged bid to swindle reward money.
Officers then found Italian Danilo Chemello, 61, was ALREADY wanted on an international warrant issued by French authorities for illtreating his daughter.
His Portuguese girlfriend Aurora Pereira Vaz was taken with him from their plush home in swish Sotogrande, near Cadiz in southern Spain.

TWO HELD OVER MADELEINE EXTORTION says the Mirror

Last night an official statement from Spain's National Police said: "The facts point to them being fraudsters although the investigation is not closed.
"Police carried out the arrest on the basis of an intent to claim a reward offered by the parents."

The Times claims that

Madeleine suspect was jailed for child abuse

Mr Chemello has been on the run from France for his suspected links to criminal activities. The Italian national was previously jailed for 18 months for child abuse. His Portuguese girlfriend is reportedly being investigated over allegations that she is involved in illegal adoptions in Europe.
A police source said that the Mr Chemello had been under surveillance after claiming on June 8 that he knew what had happened to Madeleine following her abduction 57 days ago. He wanted to negotiate with her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, to claim the £2.5 million reward on offer for their daughter’s safe return.

The Guardian reveals that

Poll of Democrats reveals Gore could still steal the show

A presidential election poll suggesting Democratic voters would prefer former vice-president Al Gore to any of the declared contenders, including frontrunner Hillary Clinton, has highlighted continuing dissatisfaction among supporters of both main parties with the choice of candidates to succeed George Bush.
The poll, conducted in New Hampshire by 7News and Suffolk University, confirmed Ms Clinton's nationwide double-digit lead over her main rival, Illinois senator Barack Obama. The former first lady and New York senator attracted 37% support, against Mr Obama's 19%. John Edwards, a former North Carolina senator, was on 9%.

Gore edges ahead of Hillary in key state says the Telegraph

The results will add to the pressure on Mr Gore from his supporters to run for White House again, despite losing to George W Bush in 2000.

The Independent stays with the US reporting that

Cheney, master of stealth, readies himself for the final act of 'imperial' vice-presidency

Operating in the shadows, where he can best achieve his deeply conservative aims, Dick Cheney enjoys the total confidence of President George Bush and is sometimes described as the "Imperial" Vice-President.
Towards the end of every re-elected US President's second term, the opposition in Congress always smells the opportunity to assert itself. This time the target is Dick Cheney and subpoenas are raining down on his head from the Senate for the release of documents that could implicate him in illegal acts. His record for outflanking his enemies is such that there is little cause for optimism among his opponents who would have him impeached.

French media seek freedom from power of President reports the Times

A revolt is brewing among French journalists and opposition leaders against what they see as the iron-like grip that Nicolas Sarkozy is imposing on the media through his presidential power and ties to proprietors.

More media news from the Guardian which reports

Music industry attacks Sunday newspaper's free Prince CD

The eagerly awaited new album by Prince is being launched as a free CD with a national Sunday newspaper in a move that has drawn widespread criticism from music retailers.
The Mail on Sunday revealed yesterday that the 10-track Planet Earth CD will be available with an "imminent" edition, making it the first place in the world to get the album. Planet Earth will go on sale on July 24.
"It's all about giving music for the masses and he believes in spreading the music he produces to as many people as possible," said Mail on Sunday managing director Stephen Miron. "This is the biggest innovation in newspaper promotions in recent times."

The same paper reports that

EU bans 'unsafe' airlines from flights to the continent

All Indonesian airlines have been banned from flying to Europe in a safety crackdown that has also placed several carriers from Russia, Ukraine and Angola on an aviation blacklist. The ban was imposed following a series of accidents involving the country's aircraft that have included two fatal crashes since the New Year which killed a total of 123 people.
The national airline of Indonesia, Garuda, and the 50 other airlines registered in the country, will be kept away from the EU, although no Indonesian carriers at present fly to the continent.

The Independent reports

Libyan convicted over Lockerbie bombing given leave to appeal

One of the most emotive cases in British legal history - the killing of 270 people in the Lockerbie plane bombing - is to be re-examined after the emergence of new evidence.
Abdelbaset Ali Mohamed Al Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence agent who was convicted over the bombing under controversial circumstances, was granted the right to a fresh appeal yesterday by the Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission amid growing concern that he may have been the victim of a miscarriage of justice.

According to the Telegraph we can expect

First artificial life 'within months'

In a development that has triggered unease and excitement in equal measure, scientists in the US took the whole genetic makeup - or genome - of a bacterial cell and transplanted it into a closely related species.
This then began to grow and multiply in the lab, turning into the first species in the process.
The team that carried out the first “species transplant” says it plans within months to do the same thing with a synthetic genome made from scratch in the laboratory.
If that experiment worked, it would mark the creation of a synthetic lifeform.

MR & MISSES says the Mirror

THE number of marriages in England and Wales is at its lowest since records began.
Only 244,710 couples tied the knot in 2005 - a ten per cent fall on the previous year.
Between 2002 and 2004 the number of marriages leapt from 249,000 to 273,000. But the Office of National Statistics says the fall could be the knock-on effect of a crackdown on "sham marriages" by immigrants

Marriage rate falls to its lowest level since records began says the Mail

The proportion of couples tying the knot has fallen back into line with its declining long-term trend following a clampdown on sham weddings.
The popularity of marriage has been waning since 1973, but in recent years it has been artificially boosted by such bogus unions. In London alone, new rules which make it harder to use marriage to win the right to stay in Britain cut the number of ceremonies by more than a third.

Back to the Mirror which reports

TEEN PSYCHO FACES LIFE FOR MURDER

A TEENAGE killer was facing a life sentence last night for stabbing a nurse 72 times with a hunting knife "because I was bored".
Sick fantasist Stuart Harling, 19, butchered married Cheryl Moss, 33, at random after buying a "murder kit" - including an Ozzy Osbourne-style wig - on eBay.
The former altar boy, who has 10 GCSEs, told the Old Bailey in a voice devoid of emotion: "I went out that day with the knife and other stuff because I was bored.

Many of the papers report that

QUEEN'S PLEA FOR £3M TO FIX CRUMBLING PALACE

According to the Express

THE Queen has asked for an extra £1million a year from the Government to pay for urgent repairs to Buckingham Palace.
The tourist landmark, London home of Britain’s monarchs since 1837, is fall­ing apart after decades of neglect.Senior aides said 20 chunks of stone, each the size of a shoebox, have fallen off one of the walls in the palace quadrangle since February last year.

Finally it didnt take the limelight off Gordon Brown but the Telegraph reports

Spice Girls reunite for world tour

Yesterday the Spice Girls, Britain's biggest ever girl band, confirmed that they were reuniting to perform a world tour almost a decade after they split up.
By deciding to get back on the road after so long, the girls are following the example of Take That, The Police and Genesis.

Even if according to the Sun

Victoria Bite-ham soldiers on

BRAVE POSH SPICE attended yesterday’s press conference just two days after suffering a SPIDER bite.
She suffered the nasty shock while on a romantic break with husband DAVID BECKHAM on a paradise island in Indonesia.
Victoria needed an antihistamine jab from hotel first-aiders to stop the painful itching and swelling.
The blistering bite mark was visible on her arm yesterday, but the singer kept in good spirits.
She wasn’t the only one in the wars. MEL B joked that she had a funny feeling in her tummy — which the other girls put down to a bladder infection.

Every paper has on its front page a picture of the new Prime Minister entering Downing Street yesterday after noon apart that is from the Daily Star which reports





B BRO RUINED MY MARRIAGE





CELEBRITY Big Brother lovebirds Chantelle and Preston have split up, just 10 months after their fairytale wedding.And pals said it was the torment of seeing their fame fade away that put their marriage on the rocks.The couple announced the split yesterday, following months of speculation their relationship was in big trouble.





There is mixed reaction from the papers.



The Mail headlines



BYE BYE TONY MISSING YOU ALREADY



The Express says



GORD HELP US NOW-its good riddence to the Blair era but what can we expect from the man who stole our pensions.



The Independent gives the new Pm a manifesto on its front page



Ten pieces of urgent advice for the new man at No 10



The Sun tells us



In out shake it all about



NEW Prime Minister Gordon Brown promised an era of change yesterday as he finally achieved his lifetime’s quest to lead the nation.
He entered No10 Downing Street after repeating his school motto: “I will try my utmost” — and vowed to be the servant of the British people.



The Guardian leads with speculation about the new cabinet



We've made it. We're in



In a day of seismic shifts, stark contrasts and generous emotion, Gordon Brown yesterday finally entered Downing Street as prime minister, repeatedly promising change and immediately recasting his cabinet. Foreign secretary Margaret Beckett, health secretary Patricia Hewitt and justice secretary Lord Falconer will all lose their jobs.
It is expected that David Miliband, 41, the moderniser urged by some Labour MPs to challenge for the leadership, will be thrust into the Foreign Office - at three years older than the UK's youngest ever foreign secretary. If confirmed, it will be a bold move as he privately regards the intervention in Iraq as a great error.



Now let the work of change begin says the Telegraph



Mr Brown, clutching the hand of his wife Sarah, finally stepped out from Mr Blair's considerable shadow with a promise to heal the divisions within his party and the country over the Iraq war.
He also signalled a new, more low key style of government in stark contrast to the flamboyance of his predecessor.
"This will be a new government with new priorities," Mr Brown said. "I remember words that have stayed with me since my childhood and which matter a great deal today: my school motto, 'I will try my utmost'."



According to the Times



In another surprise move it emerged that Mr Brown was discussing with Baroness Williams of Crosby, a former Liberal Democrat leader in the Lords and former Labour minister, an appointment to a foreign affairs advisory post.
Earlier he had promised to bring in a “government of all the talents” and further nonpolitical appointments are expected tomorrow.
Mr Brown has also decided to split the Department for Education into two; one for young people and schools and the other for higher education and skills. That will mean two education ministers in the Cabinet for the first time. Ed Balls, Mr Brown’s long-term economic adviser, was tipped to enter the Cabinet and take charge of the new children’s department.



But the passing of the previous Pm in an emotional day couldnt be overlooked



A standing ovation, tears and a rainbow says the Telegraph



Tony Blair's 24-year political career as MP for Sedgefield came to an end last night as he tendered his resignation to a meeting of constituency members.


Moments before his arrival, a downpour soaked the waiting crowd and a striking double rainbow appeared over Trimdon Labour Club. It soon vanished, and by the time Mr Blair's official car pulled up the 100 well-wishers were bathed in sunshine.



Whilst the final performance in the House is described by Simon Hoggart in the Guardian



Tony Blair arrived. He began, as always, with tributes to fallen soldiers. His voice on the verge of cracking, he talked about the armed forces. "I know there are those who think that they face these dangers in vain. I do not, and I never will." That hovered on the edge of bad taste: was he using the dead to back his case for war?............





As he left, by prearrangement all Labour MPs rose for a standing ovation - strictly against the rules, but who would stop them? Cameron waved the Tories to their feet, and they stood less willingly, only a handful clapping. But all of them stood.
As he left, Gordon Brown slapped him on the back once, to say "well done", then again, as if to say, "that's the exit, there".



AND THAT IS THAT. THE END says the Mirror



Tony Blair joined the ex-prime ministers' club yesterday with standing ovations and beaming smiles all around.
Margaret Thatcher had to be dragged from Downing Street, devastated and crying. John Major, battered by years of Tory civil war, was carried out and finished as a politician.
But Tony Blair had cheers from the House of Commons, waves from the crowd and hugs from his family.
On his last appearance as PM he told MPs: "I wish everyone, friend and foe, well and that is that. The end."

to his future role the Independent reports





Blair's Middle East role tainted by associations with Bush, say critics




Mr Blair overcame Russia's reservations to be made Middle East envoy working on behalf of the US, Russia, the UN and the EU. His official remit will be to promote Palestinian economic development as well as advise on building the institutions of a future Palestinian state.
He told his constituency in Sedgefield, Co Durham, last night that he was quitting as an MP, causing a by-election, tipped to be on 19 July, to take up the new role.
However, reservations continued about his ability to act as an honest broker in the Middle East because of his unequivocal support for George Bush in the war in Iraq, and failing to call for a halt to the Israeli bombing of Lebanon last summer.
President Vladimir Putin had "positive" talks with Mr Blair before the ex-prime minister was confirmed in the post at a meeting of the Quartet powers in Israel.



Scepticism hangs over Blair's appointment as quartet envoy says the Guardian

Tony Blair is to make his first working visit to Ramallah in the West Bank next month as envoy of the quartet of Middle East peacemakers, it emerged yesterday, after his job was confirmed amid scepticism about any chance of his success.
His role of quartet representative was announced jointly in New York by the US, EU, UN and Russia. Mr Blair will work on building government institutions and the rule of law, mobilising international help, and promoting the economy.
"He will spend significant time in the region working with the parties and others to help create viable and lasting government institutions representing all Palestinians, a robust economy, and a climate of law and order for the Palestinian people," the quartet said in a statement.



The bad weather refuses to leave the papers,the Telegraph reporting that



Judge drowns after car is swamped in flood

A judge has died after flood waters swept his car from the roadside as he made his way home from work.Eric Dickinson, a county court judge, managed to telephone his wife to raise the alarm but drowned as the rising water overwhelmed him.
Police found his green Volvo estate car submerged 210ft from where he is believed to have left the road between Pershore railway station and Drakes Broughton, Worcs. His body was inside.
Mr Dickinson, 68, was believed to have left work at Evesham on Monday afternoon and was on his way home to Bransford, Worcs, when his car was swept away as he crossed a swollen ford.
His death brings the toll from the floods that have devastated swathes of Britain to at least five.
Yesterday a 41-year-old man was found floating in the River Leen in Lenton, Nottingham, after being swept away.

Environment Agency warns that 'almost nowhere will escape floods this weekend' reports the Mail


The devastating floods that killed six people and left thousands homeless could return to wreak more destruction at the weekend.
A severe weather warning has been issued by the Environment Agency - and flood experts say Britain is only experiencing "a lull between the storms". Several inches of rain are forecast for Saturday and Sunday across the whole country, swelling rivers that are already dangerously close to overflowing.
Not as much rain will be needed to inflict the same havoc, because most of the ground is already saturated.





Flood-hit towns and villages told to get ready for more heavy rain says the Times





The alert came as the Queen sent a message of support to all those affected by the floods and the emergency teams trying to cope with the suffering and damage to property.
“I have been shocked by the news and pictures of the devastation caused by the severe flooding across the country,” she said. “My thoughts are with those who have lost family or friends, whose homes or livelihoods have been damaged, and all those who have been displaced by these events.”



Meanwhile other parts of Europe are struggling with different problems

Dozens die as heatwaves and floods sweep across Europe says the same paper





A heatwave, storms like the one on the island of Prvic, in Croatia, torrential rain and fires have wrought havoc across Europe and caused dozens of deaths.
In Greece at least five people died during an eight-day heatwave. Temperatures in Athens hit 46.2C (115.2F) in the western district of Nea Filadelfia and fires broke out across the country.
In Romania 30 people died and 12 were reported injured as a heatwave was followed by storms that lashed the south of the country. In Bucharest, torrential rain disrupted power supplies and in Germany strong winds caused ferry services to be cancelled. In Italy the heat has destroyed fruit crops.





Environment and US policy top global fears says the Guardian



Growing numbers of people worldwide view environmental problems, pollution, infectious diseases, nuclear proliferation and the widening gap between rich and poor as the most menacing threats facing the planet, according to a 47-nation survey published yesterday by the US-based Pew Global Attitudes Project.
The survey, which conducted more than 45,000 interviews, finds that global opinion is increasingly wary of the world's dominant countries but also unimpressed by aspiring leaders in Iran and Venezuela who challenge the international status quo. In contrast, the UN receives strong support.

The Telegraph picks up on the same report

Urban population to exceed 50 per cent

The world crosses a threshold next year when more than half of its population, some 3.3 billion people, will live in urban areas for the first time, a UN report has said.
Over the next 30 years, the population of African and Asian cities are expected to double, adding 1.7 billion people, more than the current populations of China and the United States combined, to the global population.



RAIDERS LEFT £153M says the Mirror as it continues to report on the Securitas case

GUN raiders who carried out Britain's biggest robbery left behind £153million because their getaway van was stuffed full of cash, a court heard yesterday.
The seven men, in balaclavas and face disguises, spent an hour loading £53million into a 7.5 ton Renault.
But they drove off leaving an astonishing £153,833,020 in notes.


Prosecutor Sir John Nutting, QC, told the Old Bailey: "The only reason why no more was stolen was because they couldn't fit any more into the van."





Corpse found in car roof box reports the Sun

COPS were questioning a man last night after a woman’s rotting corpse was found in a car roof box in her back garden.
Police were alerted by worried neighbours who reported a terrible stench.
The festering remains were understood to have been inside the box for more than a MONTH. A source said the body had decomposed so much it was hard to tell if it was a man or woman. Locals said the couple who lived at the house in Brighton, Sussex, were Russian Catherine Genestin, and her husband Andre — a Polish body-builder.
The dead woman, found yesterday, was said to be a 37-year-old mum who disappeared more than six weeks ago.
The plastic box was found on the patio. Cops arrested a man of 48. He was in custody last night.

Meanwhile the Mail reports on the

Traffic warden beaten half to death outside wake for soldier killed in Iraq

A traffic warden is in a serious but stable condition in intensive care after being attacked in the street while issuing a ticket.
He was beaten round the head with a crash helmet yards from a pub where a wake for a soldier who died in Iraq was being held.
It is thought the victim was set upon by two mourners after they spotted him handing out a penalty notice across the road.





Egyptian billionaire ‘who spied for Mossad’ found dead reports the Times





An Egyptian billionaire financier who feared for his life after being accused of being a Mossad spy was found dead outside his Mayfair flat yesterday in suspicious circumstances.
Ashraf Marwan, the son-in-law of the late President Gamel Abdel Nasser, was found beneath his fourth-floor flat in Carlton House Terrace.
Police were treating his death as suspicious. Friends of Mr Marwan, a former shareholder in Chelsea Football Club, said that he had feared assassination after being named three years ago as an agent during the Yom Kippur war.



Finally most of the papers report on the

Rubber duck invasion of UK

A FLEET of 29,000 rubber ducks is set to wash up on Britain’s shores after a 15-year, 17,000-mile epic journey.
They are expected on Cornwall beaches in late summer.
The bath toys were set adrift in the Pacific after a container was washed off a cargo ship in 1992.
The sea corroded packaging, freeing the Chinese yellow ducks, plus blue turtles, red beavers and green frogs. Their colour has since faded to white.
Experts have tracked them across the world, spotting them in Alaska, Siberia, Japan, Iceland and Canada.

After seven weeks the day finally dawns and the Sun carries an exclusive interview with President Bush on its front page

BLAIR AIN'T MY POODLE says the paper

PRESIDENT George Bush urged Tony Blair to STAY in power until he quit the White House.
The US leader tried to persuade the PM to complete a full term in office so they could leave power together.
President Bush told The Sun in a world exclusive interview: “Tony’s had a great run and history will judge him kindly. He’s a very talented man, for whom I’ve got a great deal of respect.
“I selfishly said to him, ‘I hope you can stay out my term!’

Adding

Somehow our relationship has been seen as Bush saying to Blair ‘Jump’ and Blair saying, ‘How high?’ But that’s just not the way it works. It’s a relationship where we say we’re both going to jump together.
We’ve served together during a time of war, and shared the same determination to succeed. We analysed the enemy the same way, and found each other in the same foxhole.

For the new PM,the countdown culdnt have got off to a better start.

Blair exits British politics as new era begins with a Tory defection headlines the Guardian

A new political order in Britain will take shape this afternoon when Tony Blair flies to his Sedgefield constituency to resign from parliament with immediate effect, and Gordon Brown enters No 10 to prepare a shakeup of government which will see at least six ministers quit the cabinet.
Mr Brown's allies said the new ministerial line-up would be deliberately inclusive, and not settle scores with Mr Blair's supporters.
Mr Blair had planned to keep the decision to quit as an MP secret until after his 318th and final prime minister's questions at noon today. But news leaked that his local party was being called to an extraordinary meeting to be addressed tonight by Mr Blair. adding that

Mr Brown will go to see the Queen at 1.30pm today to be asked to form a government, still buoyed by his engineering of the defection to Labour of the pro-European Tory MP Quentin Davies.

First blood for Brown as a Tory swaps sides and blasts 'PR Dave' says the Mail

A surprise Tory defection embarrassed David Cameron last night and handed an eve-of-power propaganda coup to Gordon Brown.
Quentin Davies stunned Westminster by resigning from the Conservative Party and issuing a searing attack on the leadership of Mr Cameron, whom he described as 'not standing for anything' and being obsessed with a 'PR agenda'.
He summed up the Tory leader's qualities as 'superficiality, unreliability and a lack of any clear convictions'.

The Independent reports that

Quentin Davies, a pro-European appalled by Mr Cameron's Eurosceptic line, accused the Tories of standing for nothing and being driven by public relations. He heaped praise on the "towering record" of Mr Brown, who personally wooed him to Labour at a series of private meetings in the past two months.
The 63-year-old former shadow cabinet minister was accused of "treachery" by former Tory colleagues, who challenged him to cause a by-election in his Grantham and Stamford constituency, where he has a majority of 7,445.
Although the Tories said Mr Davies was a careerist, he will not be made a minister when Mr Brown announces his government over the next three days, a line-up that is expected to see several people from outside Labour ranks appointed as ministers and advisers.

Finally, Blair exits the stage headlines the Telegraph

Tony Blair will say farewell to Downing Street and domestic politics today, bringing to an end a remarkable decade in power which began with extraordinarily high hopes but ended with opinion divided over his legacy to the country.Mr Blair, Labour's most successful leader after an unprecedented three election victories, making him - alongside Margaret Thatcher - one of the dominant political figures since the war, will drive up The Mall to Buckingham Palace with his wife Cherie to tender his resignation to the Queen.

The Times reports on the Pm's last foriegn visitor.

How the Terminator met the Terminated

It was just like a movie. The only question is which one. Tony Blair’s last full day as Prime Minister began with the press conference of his dreams. If you had told him, ten years ago, that this event would be with Arnold Schwarzenegger, he would have laughed in disbelief. Yesterday, though, he thought it was completely normal. We are where we are and yesterday we were in La-La Land for the entire day.
It was a wonderful event. Forget Terminators 1, 2, 3. It was obvious that we were seeing, before our very eyes, the prequel to another sequel. Fans may be disappointed. For times change and so do cyborgs. Arnie is now the Governor of California and Mr Climate Change. So, obviously, the title has had to be tweaked. Still, I think The Germinator works, don’t you?

This time he won't be back says the Sun

TONY Blair got a farewell handshake from Terminator star Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday — and vowed that he won’t be back.
Mr Blair appeared with the Californian governor at No 10 for his last press conference as Prime Minister to plead for world action on global warming.
Referring to Arnie’s Terminator catchphrase Mr Blair joked: “My press officer said to me, whatever else you do this morning, don’t say, ‘I’ll be back’.”
Asked if he had any advice for Gordon Brown he said: “No, he is perfectly capable of doing the job on his own.”

The Independent's front page gives us

Gordon Brown answers your questions including

In an answer of one word, and with the benefit of hindsight, was it wrong to invade Iraq?

No. and

You were the one person who could have stopped Blair signing up to the invasion of Iraq, either by threatening to quit or publicly opposing it. How do you feel about putting your career ahead of the lives of thousands of Iraqis and hundreds of British soldiers?

I don't doubt that you hold your views about the war sincerely. We know it has been a divisive issue for our party and our country, but I hope you'll accept that I hold my views sincerely too. There's no doubt that mistakes were made in our planning for what happened after the removal of Saddam, and I think it's important to learn the lessons and to go forward knowing that proper procedures are going to be in place that will command the confidence not just of Parliament but the confidence of the public. We will learn all the lessons that need to be learnt.

The Mirror has also taken up the Chancellor's time

Mr Brown, who becomes our Premier today, immediately made THREE promises to YOU on GP cover, tackling MRSA and creating affordable housing.
The Chancellor pledged to "renew the NHS" as one of his priorities. He said: "Over the last six or seven weeks I have had time to listen to people about their experiences of the health service.
"One issue raised a lot is that they can't get access to their GPs at the weekend. People have busy lives and need to have access to a GP at the weekend."
And on the superbug MRSA he vowed to make hospitals set up isolation wards.
Mr Brown continued: "This is a huge issue. If you can isolate someone in a room quickly you reduce the risk of spread of infection."

Both the Mirror and the Mail lead with the aftermath of this week's storms

As rain wreaks havoc, why do we build more houses on flood plains? asks the later

Given their location, they had little chance when the deluge came.
Families evacuated from these homes in the South Yorkshire village of Catcliffe were wondering last night how on earth their estate was allowed to be built beside land that would normally act as a flood plain.
With thousands still cut off in the aftermath of this week's heavy rains, concerns were also growing over the failure to strengthen flood defences across the country.

TAKEN BY THE FLOOD is the front page of the Mirror

FLOOD victim Ryan Parry's mum told last night of the horrific moment she realised her missing son was dead.
Distraught Mandy Parry was taken to the spot where Ryan, 14, was swept away by a swollen river in Sheffield. She said: "I knew when I saw the scary water he was gone."
The floods death toll rose to five yesterday. A boy of 10 was killed by a storm-weakened branch in Norfolk and a man was found drowned in his submerged car in Worcestershire.

Whilst the Express warns on its front page that

BIGGER STORMS ARE ON THE WAY

Floods could cause an extra £1 billion worth of damage a year by the end of this century unless climate change is tackled.
Scientists have warned Britain will have to brace itself for more catastrophic weather in years as global warming disrupts rainfall patterns.No-one can say for certain that the record-breaking wet June the UK has just experienced is a direct result of climate change.But experts agree that intense rain storms and flooding, producing the effects witnessed this month, are likely to become more frequent as temperatures rise.

Whilst the Independent reports that

The Environment Secretary, David Miliband, was forced yesterday to defend the Government's record on flood defences. In an emergency Commons statement he insisted that barriers had held firm after facing the "ultimate test". But critics claimed he had cut the budget despite growing concerns over extreme weather. Mr Miliband told MPs that some 1,400 people were facing a second night in emergency shelters after flash floods ripped through towns and cities affecting 1,000 properties.
He warned: "Heavy rain later in the week remains a real threat and all the appropriate agencies remain on high alert."

Flood defence spending delayed for years in storm-ravaged cities say the Guardian

Many flood defence schemes planned for the cities and communities now devastated by days of torrential rain have been postponed for years by government cutbacks, it emerged yesterday.
Among them is a £100m scheme for Leeds, and others intended for Sheffield, Selby, Hull, York, Thirsk, Northallerton and Doncaster, places that have been hit by some of the worst flooding to hit the north of England in years. The details came to light as hundreds of people across Yorkshire and in the Midlands were evacuated from their homes, and 700 residents were moved downstream as the swollen Ulley dam threatened to burst near Rotherham.

The Telegraph reports that

CIA hired the Mafia to kill Fidel Castro

The Central Intelligence Agency knowingly worked with two of America's most-wanted Mafia figures in a botched attempt to assassinate Fidel Castro in the early 1960s, according to documents released yesterday.
The CIA declassified 705 pages of memorandums and reports detailing some of the agency's worst illegal abuses during 25 years of overseas assassination attempts, domestic spying and kidnapping.
The documents are known within the agency as the "Family Jewels," and were written in the mid 1970s at the behest of former directors anxious to know the worst of its activities in the wake of the Watergate scandal.
They acknowledge the secret testing of mind-altering drugs like LSD on unwitting US citizens, the wiretapping of journalists, spying on civil rights and anti-Vietnam war protesters, and break-ins at the homes of ex-CIA employees and others.

The Times is amongst many that report on the latest Bae developments

US Justice Department to scrutinise BAE’s Saudi deals

The British and United States governments are on a diplomatic collision course after the US Department of Justice (DoJ) decided to initiate a formal investigation into allegations of corruption at BAE Systems, the defence company.
The DoJ investigation will scrutinise BAE’s dealings with Saudi Arabia and expose an account held by the Bank of England that is used to facilitate Saudi payments for arms. The British Government refuses to acknowledge the existence of this account.
Gordon Brown, who becomes Prime Minister today, could face a diplomatic crisis in the early days of his leadership if the DoJ demands information on the account. Turning down a DoJ request for help in a corruption inquiry could be embarrassing for Mr Brown and damage the reputation of the country.

TEEN NO7 STABBED reports the Mirror

A SEVENTH teenager in six months was stabbed to death in London last night.
The unnamed white boy, in his mid teens, was attacked during a disturbance among a group of rowdy youngsters.
Paramedics were on the scene in minutes. But the lad died at the scene 30 minutes later.
Police said they were keeping an open mind about the motive for the attack in Islington, North London.

According to the Mail

Britain is now cocaine capital of Europe

Britain is now the cocaine capital of Europe with soaring numbers of young people taking the drug, a United Nations report has revealed.
It revealed more than 900,000 Britons buy cocaine, which means the country has overtaken Spain as the biggest user in the continent.
In addition, Britain's 350,000 heroin users are the largest number in any country in Europe.
The annual survey from the UN's Office on Drugs and Crime said that across most of the world drug abuse is holding steady or is in decline because of successful law and order campaigns to prevent their distribution, sale and consumption.

Staying with the same topic,the Guardian reports on a

Record opium crop in southern Afghanistan

Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, where some 7,000 British troops are based, is on the verge of becoming the world's biggest drugs supplier, cultivating more opium than entire countries such as Burma, Morocco, or even Colombia, the UN warned yesterday.
The region was largely responsible for a huge increase last year in Afghanistan's opium poppy harvest, the origin of most of the heroin on the streets of Britain and mainland Europe. And Helmand's poppy harvest is expected to increase again this year, according to the latest annual report of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

The Times reports that

Armed gang in theatrical masks ‘took 17 hostages in £53m heist’

A gang of robbers wearing theatrical disguises kidnapped and held a cash depot manager, his wife and child hostage at gunpoint before stealing £53 million, a jury was told yesterday.
During the “terrifying invasion” of a Securitas depot in Kent, the robbers had also held 14 staff hostage and threatened to shoot them as they loaded a lorry with used banknotes.
Opening the case for the prosecution, Sir John Nutting, QC, told the Old Bailey that the robbers were motivated by “pure greed . . . and the prospect of dishonest gain almost beyond the dreams of avarice”.
Only £21 million has been recovered from the robbery at the depot in Tonbridge, which is used by supermarkets and the Bank of England to process vast sums of cash.

SECURITAS RAID - BEYOND THE DREAMS OF AVARICE says the Mirror

Posing as policemen and driven by pure "avarice" the thugs held Securitas depot boss Colin Dixon at gunpoint and snatched his wife and young child, the Old Bailey heard.
Then, wearing disguises and brandishing weapons they broke into the depot where they threatened 14 employees: "You'll die if you don't do as you're told."

Parkinson announces chat-show retirement reports the Indy

Michael Parkinson, the chat-show host, has announced his retirement. His final series, on ITV1, will be broadcast this autumn.
But Parkinson, 72, who joined ITV in 2004 after defecting from the BBC, said he does not plan to quit television altogether. "After three enjoyable and productive years at ITV, and after 25 years of doing my talk show, I have decided that this forthcoming series will be my last," he said. " I'm going to take next year off to write my autobiography and consider other television projects. My thanks go out to all those who have worked on the shows down the years and the viewers for their loyal support and occasional kind words."

Finally the Telegraph reports that

Paris Hilton walks free bound for a TV studio

This time Paris Hilton was ready for the cameras.
Immaculate and beaming, the millionaire heiress was her usual composed self, waving regally to the assembled throngs of media and fans as she strode out of a California jail yesterday after serving three weeks for violating her probation in a drink driving case.It was a sharp contrast to the distraught and sobbing figure sent back to prison after a brief respite courtesy of the Los Angeles sheriff 18 days ago.
But jail has apparently changed the 26-year-old socialite, who has described her period behind bars as "life-changing".
Today she will tell the world exactly how much when she gives an hour-long interview to veteran talk show host Larry King on CNN.

How much do we depend on the Internet these days?

Last Wednesday morning,the British Telecom junction box down the road was vandalised and set on fire after the perpetrators decided to pinch the copper from the wires.As a consequence 4,000 homes have been without a phone line for the past 6 days.

I have been away in the Lakes for part of them, so I wasn't hanging from the walls.However it was a reminder of just how dependable we are on the broadband connection for information and communication,and how vunerable we are.

As one of the engineers told me this morning,with the price of copper at such premiums at present,this is going to happen over and over again.BEWARE

The papers carry pictures from Pakistan as demonstrators protest against the knight hood given to Salman Rushdie at the weekend





Muslim fury grows over Rushdie knighthood is the lead story in the Mail





Outrage over Salman Rushdie's knighthood threatened to ignite across the Muslim world yesterday.
Security around the writer was reviewed by Scotland Yard as an Iranian group placed an £80,000 bounty on his head. and continues





In London, Lord Ahmed, Britain's first Muslim peer, said he had been appalled by the award to a man he accused of having 'blood on his hands'.
In Pakistan, where effigies of the Queen and 59-year-old Rushdie were burned, a minister appeared to justify suicide bombings as a response to the knighthood.





The Independent says





Memories of the long years Salman Rushdie spent under threat of assassination came flooding back yesterday in the chilling comments of a Pakistani cabinet minister.
Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq, Pakistan's Religious Affairs minister, told his country's National Assembly that awarding a knighthood to Sir Salman was so insulting to Muslim sensibilities that it would justify his murder by a suicide bomber.
The threat is not to be taken lightly. The furore over Rushdie's novel, The Satanic Verses, resulted in one murder and two attempted murders, and compelled the writer to live under round-the-clock protection for a decade.





Muslim world inflamed by Rushdie knighthood reports the Times





Gerald Butt, editor of the authoritative Middle East Economic Survey, told The Times: “It will be interpreted as an action calculated to goad Muslims at a time when the atmosphere is already very tense and Britain’s standing in the region is very low because of its involvement in Iraq and its lack of action in tackling the Palestine issue





Another personality is on the front of the Sun which makes clear its feelings in the headline





Bernard Manning racist in peace





BERNARD Manning’s fans were mourning him last night — but critics were glad to see the back of his controversial brand of humour.
The 18-stone Manchester City supporter was the scourge of the politically-correct brigade with his often racist gags.
But he was also prepared to have a quip at his own expense — and even his own demise.
When once asked where he wanted his ashes scattered, he replied: “Ashes? When they burn me there’ll be six tons of lard left. They should pile me up by the posts at Maine Road. It might be a help to the goalkeeper.”





HEARD THE ONE ABOUT THE OBNOXIOUS, RACIST, SEXIST COMIC LOVED BY MILLIONS? says the Mirror





Just last month he filmed his own "living" wake for Channel 4, surrounded by fellow comics and declared: "I'm going to be with you for a long time yet."
Manning shot to fame on the 70s TV show The Comedians and became one of the most popular comics in the UK.
He went on to perform all over the world, including Mumbai and Las Vegas.
Even then critics labelled his act offensive, sexist, racist and in the 80s, TV work started to dry up. But he continued to sell out clubs, including his own Embassy Club in his home town of Manchester.





The Times leads with the news that





Burglars and drug offenders ‘to be freed’





Two thousand criminals are to be released early from jail to ease the prison overcrowding crisis, under plans being prepared by the Justice Secretary.
Lord Falconer of Thoroton, QC, has been forced to draw up proposals to open the gates as the eight-month overcrowding crisis deepens. Under the plan, up to 2,000 prisoners serving less than four years would leave jail early. Those considered for release are likely to be burglars, fraudsters and drug dealers. Offenders convicted of violent or sex crimes would not qualify.





All the papers carry the news that





Undercover police smash paedophile ring posting live abuse online reports the Guardian





Thirty-one children and babies who were repeatedly abused live for an internet chatroom have been rescued from homes in the UK and abroad following the biggest international investigation so far into an online paedophile ring.
Officers from Britain's Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre worked for 10 months with detectives from 35 other countries to identify and rescue the children, who were being abused and filmed live for the thousands of members of the chatroom. More than 15 of the children and babies were found in Britain and handed over to the care of social services.
The international inquiry, in which specialist detectives with experience in counter-terrorism posed as paedophiles online, led yesterday to the jailing of Timothy David Martyn Cox, the British "godfather" of the paedophile ring.








Global child abuse ring broken up says the Telegraph





Timothy Cox, 28, ran a chatroom called "Kids the Light of Our Lives" with more than 700 members worldwide, 200 of whom were based in Britain.Cox led a double life, working in the family brewery by day and - unbeknown to his parents, sister and 26-year-old girlfriend, with whom he lived near Stowmarket in Suffolk - obsessively "hosting" the site during his time off.
He was given an indeterminate prison sentence yesterday after being convicted of possessing more than 75,000 images of abuse, some involving knives. Cox will stay in prison until psychiatric experts decide it is safe to release him.





According to the Sun





Web paedo is 'Son of Satan'





Perverts regularly broadcast horrific images of children — including BABIES — being tortured and raped.
Most of the victims identified were British. On his computers were more than 76,000 vile images, including more than 1,000 harrowing films.Cox was inspired by American chatroom paedophile Royal Raymond Weller, who called himself G.O.D. When Weller was arrested last year, Cox resurrected his chatroom, calling himself “Son of God”.





It seems that te last week of Blair's premiership may be frought for both the Pm and his successor.The Telegraph leads with





EU reform chaos as Blair and Brown disagree





Only two days before a crucial summit that will decide whether the EU takes greater control over British policy on justice, policing and foreign affairs, open disagreement over tactics broke out at the very top of government.
Last night the Tories said the rights of the British people to be governed by their own Parliament were being put at risk by "confusion" and "bad feeling" caused by the long drawn out handover of power from Mr Blair to Mr Brown.





The Guardian meanwhile covers its front page with the allegation that





Sack the chancellor. Cherie Blair's repeated advice to her husband





Cherie Blair repeatedly urged her husband to sack Gordon Brown as she became incensed by his behaviour towards the prime minister, a family friend of the Blairs has disclosed.
Barry Cox, who has known the couple for 30 years, said that while the relationship between Mr Blair and his chancellor had been strained since the mid-1990s, the prime minister finally began to believe the worst of his successor during his final year in office. adding that

In a documentary due to be broadcast later this week, former cabinet ministers, including Charles Clarke, Alan Milburn, Estelle Morris and Clare Short, speak more frankly than ever on the way the relationship between the prime minister and his chancellor affected the running of smooth government.

Meanwhile the Independent tells

Cameron draws the battle lines with Brown

David Cameron moved to reassure his traditional supporters as he outlined the dividing lines between his party and Labour under Gordon Brown.
Pledging to make "social responsibility" the cornerstone of the party's policy review, Mr Cameron attempted to draw a line under the Tories' troubles over selective education, calling for "grammar streams" in every school. He also said he was putting David Davis, the shadow Home Secretary, in charge of a task force to promote social mobility.
In a speech in Tooting, south London, to highlight the party's policy blitz, Mr Cameron insisted he was turning the Conservatives into "the true force for progressive politics in Britain". He said he was "not copying New Labour but learning from its mistakes".

But according to the Mirror

TORY LEADER'S RELAUNCH IS FLOP

After a series of U-turns and gaffes the Tory leader made a relaunch speech dumping claims he was the "heir to Blair".
And in a bid to pacify his angry backbenchers he promised not to abandon Conservative principles in his push for power.
The relaunch comes after a backbench revolt over his refusal to build new grammar schools and a cave-in on axeing free admission to museums.

The Independent reports on the latest from Palestine where

Aid boycott lifted to reward Abbas for new government

The US and EU last night lifted their 15-month economic and political boycott of the Palestinian government following President Mahmoud Abbas's expulsion of the militant Hamas movement from the cabinet.
As a group of Palestinians trying to leave Gaza were caught in a gun battle, leaving at least one dead, a top UN official urged the international community not to isolate the Hamas-controlled territory. Karen Koning AbuZayd, head of the UN's refugee agency (Unrwa), warned against reducing aid to the 1.5 million residents of Gaza while it is stepped up for the West Bank.

The Guardian reports that

Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, said she had offered full US support to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the newly appointed government, whose prime minister, Salam Fayyad, is an economist favoured by the west, in a phone call earlier in the day. "I told [Fayyad] the US would resume full assistance to the Palestinian government," she said.
Ms Rice said the US believed there was one Palestinian people with one leadership and that was headed by Mr Abbas. But she pledged not to turn her back on Gaza. "We are not going to leave 1.5 million Palestinians at the mercy of a terrorist organisation... We are not going to abandon the Palestinians who are living in Gaza.

Meanwhile the same paper reports from another problem area

US failure to pay 'threatens Darfur peacekeeping'

A breakthrough agreement to deploy a United Nations peacekeeping force in Darfur risks being undermined by a shortfall of up to $1bn (£504m) in US contributions to the costs of global peacekeeping, campaigners said yesterday.
A UN delegation announced on Sunday that Omar al-Bashir, Sudan's president, had agreed at talks in Khartoum to allow the deployment of a 20,000-strong UN and African Union hybrid force by next year.
The deal ended months of wrangling and followed a direct threat by President George Bush to impose additional sanctions on the Sudanese government.

The Telegraph reports from Ireland where

Pact fear following triple suicide

Three teenagers from the same secondary school have killed themselves within the past month amid rumours that they arranged a suicide pact.
Pupils at Craigavon Senior High School, Co Armagh, told psychologists that 12 boys were involved in the pact, which had been influenced by suicide websites and chatrooms.
Youngsters were offered counselling at the 800-pupil school yesterday as the most recent victim, Lee Walker, 15, was laid to rest after killing himself on Friday night.

Staying with the same paper it reveals

Path to throw open entire coastline

Plans to give open access to the entire English coastline have been unveiled.
Everyone will have the right to walk a new 2,500-mile pathway round the coast under the proposed scheme.It will create the first ever 'right to roam' at the edge of thousands of privately-owned beaches, golf courses and farms.But the plan has run into fierce opposition from landowners and farmers whose properties border the sea. They are concerned about their land being invaded by walkers and a subsequent drop in its value.

The Independent says on its front page that

The Earth today stands in imminent peril

Six scientists from some of the leading scientific institutions in the United States have issued what amounts to an unambiguous warning to the world: civilisation itself is threatened by global warming.
They also implicitly criticise the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) for underestimating the scale of sea-level rises this century as a result of melting glaciers and polar ice sheets.
Instead of sea levels rising by about 40 centimetres, as the IPCC predicts in one of its computer forecasts, the true rise might be as great as several metres by 2100. That is why, they say, planet Earth today is in "imminent peril".

Both the Mirror and the Express lead with the winner of the reality Tv talent show

THE POTTER OF TINY FEET says the former

BRITAIN'S Got Talent winner Paul Potts yesterday revealed an even bigger dream - having a baby.
He and wife Julie-Ann, 27, could not afford to raise kids while he spent years as a struggling singer and salesman.
But Paul, 36, tipped to make millions, said: "Now we can think about a family. That would complete things."
When childhood bullies made his life a nightmare, Britain's Got Talent winner Paul Potts turned to opera for comfort.

The Express has a picture of the couple with the headlines

BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT STAR PLANS THE PERFECT STYLE

But the same paper continues with its Diana theme today claiming that

Diana's driver wasnt drunk

Whilst prominently carrying the news that

DIANA MEMORY A 'COTTAGE INDUSTRY'

The memory of Diana Princess of Wales is being exploited for money to such an extent it has become a "cottage industry", Prince William has said.
The admission came in a candid and in-depth interview the young royal and his brother have given to an American television network broadcast on Tuesday.

Finally according to the Mail

The world will end in 2060, according to Newton

His famously analytical mind worked out the laws of gravity and unravelled the motion of the planets.
And when it came to predicting the end of the world, Sir Isaac Newton was just as precise.
He believed the Apocalypse would come in 2060 – exactly 1,260 years after the foundation of the Holy Roman Empire, according to a recently published letter. Luckily for modern scientists in awe of his achievements, Newton based this figure on religion rather than reasoning.
In a letter from 1704 which has gone on show in Jerusalem’s Hebrew University, Newton uses the Bible’s Book of Daniel to calculate the date for the Apocalypse.

The failure to tackle the superbugs in our hospitals is heavily featured in the papers this morning

Hospitals losing fight to defeat superbugs says the Times

One in four NHS trusts is failing the latest government targets on cleanliness and tackling superbug infections, figures published today reveal.
Fewer hospitals and NHS trusts than last year can demonstrate that they are maintaining standards on cleanliness and infection control, despite the introduction of a strict “hygiene code” to eradicate illness caused by MRSA and Clostridium difficile.
Figures released by the Healthcare Commission show that six out of ten trusts in England have reported failing one or more of the twenty-four “core standards” on all aspects of care, on which they are assessed by the NHS watchdog.

The front page of the Mail says

Shame of the filthy hospital wards

One in four hospitals is so unhygienic it is putting its patients' lives at risk, it is revealed today.
Ninety-nine out of 394 English NHS trusts are breaching a Hygiene Code brought in to combat an increase in hospital-acquired infections such as MRSA.
A push to increase respect for patients' dignity has also faltered, according to the independent research. The Healthcare Commission watchdog is publishing figures today as part of an annual 'health check' of English NHS trusts.

The Guardian leads with the story that

Ministers defy judges on rape law reforms

The government is to press ahead with plans to reform the rape laws in an attempt to increase the low conviction rate, despite strong opposition from the judges who will have to put them into effect, the Guardian has learned.
Plans to try to clarify the law on drunkenness and consent are set to be dropped. But ministers are likely to proceed with other proposals outlined in a consultation paper last year, Mike O'Brien, the solicitor general, said in an interview.
"The conviction rate in rape cases is appalling," he said. "There are too many rapists getting away with it and many of them are repeat rapists."

The Telegraph concentrates on things political

Cameron reveals his blueprint for Britain

David Cameron will deliver the most important speech of his leadership today when he sets out a vision for Britain built on the twin pillars of opportunity and security for all.
As Tony Blair enters his last full week in power, the Conservative Party leader will declare that there is now clear blue water between a Tory party that believes in leaving people to run their own lives and Gordon Brown's commitment to interfering, ''big government''. adding that

Under the slogan "Our Society. Your Life," Mr Cameron will pledge to provide the secure platform for everyone in Britain to make the most of their opportunities.

Whilst sharing its front page with

Brown to defy Blair with public vote on EU

Geoff Hoon, the Minister for Europe, revealed that Mr Brown was ready to stage a national poll if Europe's leaders try to force through a deal that was unacceptable to Britain at this week's EU summit.Last night, sources close to Mr Brown confirmed his position, with one describing Mr Hoon's comments as a "sensible" analysis of the situation.

EU treaty row to dominate Blair's final days in power says the Independent

Tough negotiations over a replacement for the failed EU constitution will dominate Mr Blair's final full week in office as he tries to prevent a deal on a new treaty crossing a string of British "red lines".
Mr Blair and the Chancellor are expected to hold talks with the French President, Nicholas Sarkozy, before the Luxembourg Summit amid warnings that Britain faces "nerve-wracking" negotiations.

The Guardian reports that

Gazans stock up on petrol and food as fuel supplies run dry

Gazans rushed to stock up on petrol and food yesterday as Israel cut fuel supplies in its first concrete response to Hamas's seizure of power in Gaza.
The panic-buying came on another frenetic day of politics as President Mahmoud Abbas swore in a new government in Ramallah and outlawed the Hamas militias that deposed the Palestinian Authority in Gaza. He promised their members would be punished for their actions.
But Ismail Haniyeh, who was fired by Mr Abbas as prime minister on Thursday, insisted that he remained in power and that the new government was illegal.

NUKE THE AFGHANS reports the Mirror

TONY Blair feared George Bush would "nuke the s**t" out of Afghanistan in revenge for 9/11, a sensational documentary will claim this week.
Giving the inside story on the war, former British ambassador to the US Chris Meyer reveals: "Blair's real concern was that there would be quote unquote 'a kneejerk reaction' by the Americans... they would go thundering off and nuke the s**t out of the place without thinking straight."
Nuclear strikes would have resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths - and sparked a wave of al-Qaeda attacks.

Whilst most of the papers speculate on the fate of Alan Johnston

The moment of greatest danger: after 97 days held captive in Gaza says the Times

The fate of Alan Johnston, the BBC journalist kidnapped in Gaza City three months ago, hung in the balance last night as Hamas claimed to be close to securing his freedom while his kidnappers threatened to kill him.
Throughout the day, spokesmen for Hamas suggested that a deal with the Army of Islam was imminent, and that Johnston could be freed within hours.
But last night, in a video broadcast by al-Jazeera, a masked spokesman for Army of Islam, flanked by gunmen carrying Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-launchers, denied that any deal had been reached. He threatened to kill Johnston if his group’s demands were not met and if Hamas sought to free him by force. “If we do not reach an agreement and the situation worsens for us, we will have to turn to God and have no choice but to slit the throat of the journalist,” he said.

35 killed in suicide bombing of Kabul bus reports the Guardian

The most devastating suicide bombing in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban killed 35 people and wounded 52 yesterday, in an attack aimed at a police academy bus in Kabul which heralded an escalation in Iraq-style insurgency tactics.
The Taliban, which had threatened to unleash a summer offensive by thousands of suicide bombers, claimed responsibility. It was a blow to the Nato force and the Afghan government it is trying to bolster, as it sapped hopes that Nato's pre-emptive spring offensive had taken the sting out of the Taliban threat.

The Mirror leads with

HUNGER STRIKE
EXCLUSIVE: Bored, depressed and missing his gay lover, Huntley refuses to eat

BESOTTED Ian Huntley is threatening to starve himself to death in a bid to see more of his gay jailbird lover.
The self-obsessed Soham killer began a hunger strike last Tuesday - and says he is prepared to die unless his latest demands are met.
Huntley, 33, says he is fed-up with being kept on the "boring" medical wing at Wakefield prison.
Instead he wants to be moved to one of the main wings, where he can be nearer to gay killer Dean Wood, 29.

The pair have become close since Wood was jailed last year for killing casino boss Barry De Lacy in Leeds.

Setback for Sarkozy in parliamentary elections reports the Telegraph

Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right UMP party won a majority in the parliamentary elections in France last night but it failed to pull off the landslide "blue tsunami" many had predicted.

In a shock defeat, Alain Juppé, the powerful ecology minister and government number two, lost his seat in Bordeaux to a Socialist party candidate. The opposition Socialists did not suffer the record slump that many had predicted, according to early results.
The results were a blow to Mr Sarkozy, who has appeared to be unstoppable since his presidential victory on May 6. But his party's victory should still give him enough room to start pushing his reforms through parliament.

BBC accused of institutional 'trendy left-wing bias' is picked up by the Mail

The BBC is criticised for its liberal leanings in an official report published today, leading to claims that the corporation is "institutionally biased".
BBC bosses have been attacked for not reflecting a "broader range of views" and not thinking outside of its Left-leaning "comfort zone" in its programming.
The report, commissioned by the BBC, also attacks the way the corporation has pandered to politically motivated celebrities such as Bob Geldof and allowed schedules to be hijacked by special interest groups promoting trendy issues.

Teddy's West Ham 'cam scam' reports the front of the Sun

TEDDY Sheringham could face jail after he and fellow West Ham soccer stars were arrested over an alleged scam to cheat driving bans.
The ex-England forward, 41, was held by cops investigating players said to have perverted the course of justice by agreeing to accept penalty points for each other.
Police launched their probe after one of them allegedly tried to claim he had been driving another’s car when it was caught by a speed camera — to stop his pal going over the 12-point limit and receiving a ban.

The Independent uses its front page to plead

Why museums must stay free following a story in yesterday's Mail the paper says

Senior figures from politics, education and the arts leapt to defend free admission to Britain's most famous museums and galleries after a senior Tory suggested that charges could be reintroduced.
The campaigners hailed the success of free access to museums, which has attracted an extra 30 million people to the nation's great artistic and cultural collections since admission charges were scrapped six years ago. It followed a campaign by The Independent to end charges.
Hugo Swire, the shadow Culture Secretary, faced a storm of criticism after suggesting that the proceeds of charges at museums and galleries could be used to fund new facilities.

The Express returns to Diana on its front page this time,

DIANA'S LIFE COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED SAYS DOCTOR

PRINCESS Diana’s life could have been saved if French doctors had acted differently after her Paris crash, a close friend claims.
Dr James Colthurst, 50, an independent medical practitioner, believes delays in getting her to hospital played a crucial part in her death.Dr Colthurst, who has more than 25 years medical experience, has questioned whether the French medical team could have done more to save the Princess. “My belief is that had Diana been moved more quickly, the surgeons may have had a better chance,” he said. “Her injuries of course were very serious, but there were delays in addressing those injuries that, to my mind, could have been critical.”

Caroline: I will save Barrymore reports the Sun

ROYLE Family funnygirl Caroline Aherne has told The Sun how she is plotting Michael Barrymore’s TV comeback — despite his arrest as a murder suspect last week.
Reclusive Caroline revealed she is writing a Channel 4 quiz show called Bolero for Barrymore to host.
She said the 55-year-old jetted back to the UK from New Zealand for an “informal” read-through just a day before being held over the swimming pool death of partygoer Stuart Lubbock. He was released without charge on Friday night.
Caroline, who like Barrymore has battled booze and depression, said: “Bolero is due to be filmed. We had a great night drawing it all out and practising with him. A day later, he was arrested.”

Finally the Express reports on the end of at least one reality show

SINGER PAUL IS THE BEST OF BRITISH

OPERA-LOVING mobile phone salesman Paul Potts sang his heart out to win Britain’s Got Talent last night.
Thirteen million viewers tuned in to see the shy 36-year-old from Port Talbot give a spine-tingling rendition of Nessun Dorma.It is the song associated with his idol Luciano Pavarotti, but last night his heartfelt performance stole the show – and picked up £100,000.The self-effacing man dubbed “Pavarpotti” by his friends will perform for the Queen at the Royal Variety Show.