The Gaurdian leads with new allegations about Ian Blair.

Embattled Blair faces new armed police allegations says the paper

Scotland Yard yesterday faced fresh controversy after it emerged that the man accidentally shot by police during an anti-terrorism raid in east London last year has claimed armed officers again threatened to shoot him and subjected him to racist abuse during a second recent incident.
Mohammed Abdul Kahar, 23, who was shot in the shoulder during a raid by police on his home in Forest Gate in 2006, says he and his brother Abul Koyair, 20, were stopped by armed police with one officer shouting "shoot him, shoot him".

Met chief fights for his job as critics force showdown says the Independent.

Sir Ian Blair, Britain's most senior police officer, was fighting for his job last night after opponents declared they will seek a vote of no confidence at a crucial meeting in the next 10 days following the conviction of the Metropolitan Police for "fundamental failures" in the operation that led to the shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes. adding

The future of Sir Ian as Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police is likely to be decided at an extraordinary meeting of the force's governing watchdog after he issued a robust defence of his record and pointedly ruled out resignation in the aftermath of this week's guilty verdict at the Old Bailey against his force for 19 "catastrophic errors" in the events surrounding the death of Mr de Menezes.

Met chief undermining UK security, Tories say reports the Telegraph

In the most damning verdict yet on the leadership of Sir Ian Blair, David Davis urged the Home Secretary to sack the Commissioner of the Metropolitan police after his force was found guilty over the shooting of innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes.
In a letter to the minister, he wrote: "I put it to you in the strongest terms that the most important and immediate action that the Home Secretary can and should take, in these circumstances, is to replace Sir Ian Blair with a Commissioner who can command the force's confidence, restore the public's trust and protect the nation's security."

The broadsheets go with differnt leads this morning

National Trust to block green belt desecration for new homes says the front page of the Times

The National Trust is to put itself on a collision course with the Government over Gordon Brown’s plans to start the biggest house-building programme in 30 years.
The trust, one of Britain’s largest landowners with 700 miles of coastline and 250,000 hectares of countryside, has threatened to buy up greenfield land earmarked for development to stop new housing. It is also preparing to intervene in planning inquiries and challenge new developments, even if it has no direct involvement with the land under threat.

Lesbian parents can both be called mother is the main story in the Telegraph

The Human Tissues and Embryos Bill, to be announced in the Queen's Speech next week, will give both women in a lesbian relationship the legal status of parents when one of them gives birth following fertility treatment.
Experts say this marks a historic change in how a family is legally defined.

The story shares the front page with

Policewoman 'critical' after crash

An undercover police officer is fighting for her life in hospital after being run over by a fleeing suspect in a sting operation that went wrong.Det Con Catherine Corbett, 39, who has won honours for her "outstanding" police work, suffered critical head injuries in the hit-and-run incident outside a west London hotel.
She was in a team of detectives who had been watching a suspect wanted by police for large-scale fraud for the past 12 months. They had been tracking him for two days and believed he was on his way to Heathrow airport.

The Mail leads with

Exchange trip murder: Ex-public school girl found with throat cut after party in Italy

A former public school girl studying in Italy was found with her throat cut in her bedroom yesterday.
Meredith Kercher was discovered semi-naked in a pool of blood hours after she had left a party.
A mattress or duvet had been used to conceal the body of the 21-year-old postgraduate exchange student.

Maniac cuts throat of exchange student says the Mirror

The foreign exchange student had been in Italy for three months after finishing her degree at Leeds University.
She shared the apartment where her body was found in Perugia with three other girl students - an American and two Italians.
A police source said: "The victim and her housemates had been to a party the night before.
"She was the only one to return to the house. Her housemates spent the night elsewhere."


City fears second bank is heading for credit crisis reports the Guardian

The City was swept by rumours yesterday that another British bank was in trouble after Northern Rock indicated it was not the only bank borrowing from the Bank of England's rescue fund.
Northern Rock has borrowed only £18bn of the £23bn lent by the Bank of England from its emergency loan fund, leading to speculation that other British banks need £5bn of extra funds to cope with the global credit crunch.

Citigroup calls emergency board meeting says the Telegraph

Citigroup is seen as a bellwether for the health of the financial system but has been rocked in recent days over concerns that its exposure to America’s sub-prime mortgage crisis is bigger than previously thought. News of the board meeting came after the US stock market closed so investors could not react immediately.


Maddy is the main topic in the other tabloids as it is six months since the toddler went missing,the Sun leads with

KATE and Gerry McCann today faced the heartache of marking six months since their daughter’s disappearance – shattered by FRESH claims that they were involved.
The anguished couple were last night rocked by leaked DNA results from a UK forensics lab, which were said to show: Four-year-old Madeleine’s body WAS in a car they hired 25 days after she vanished in Portugal.

Kate McCann's anniversary plea is the lead in the Mirror

Kate McCann today marks the six-month anniversary of Madeleine's disappearance by reaffirming her belief that she is still alive - and issuing a heartfelt plea for her release.

The Express meanwhile claims

WE’RE CLOSING IN ON MOROCCO HIDEAWAY

Detectives are closing in on the secret hideaway where they are convinced Madeleine McCann is being held.
The Daily Express can reveal that the private investigators are concentrating their search on a remote region in the north of Morocco.
A highly placed source close to the team said last night: "We are confident we are near to finding Madeleine alive _ we're on our way to get her."

Outcasts: Italy turns on its immigrants in wake of a murder
is the front page of the Indy

The paper asks

These are the first victims of a brutal Italian crackdown on immigrants. As thousands await deportation without trial, are we entering a new era of intolerance across Europe?

Staying abroad and the Times reports that

Iraq surge brings hope for a day without death

It is whispered about at the margins of meetings and discussed in Washington parties where rumour is passed around with the wine and canapés. It even appears, fleetingly, to be fact.
“The day nobody died from violence in Iraq” is a date that has been much anticipated in the White House — where President Bush is desperate to hail the success of his surge of 30,000 troops this year. But no one can quite say when this event, longed for by most, if not all, people on the street corners of Baghdad, occurred.
“It was some time this week, wasn’t it?” says a senior military source. “Or maybe last week.” Another diplomatic official confidently asserted that there were “at least two such days this month”. When, exactly? “Not sure,” he replied.

The Guardian reports that

US increases pressure on diplomats to serve in Iraq

The Bush administration took a hard line yesterday on US diplomats resisting postings to Iraq, when secretary of state Condoleezza Rice and the US ambassador in Baghdad issued blunt reminders of their duty to serve anywhere in the world.
In an escalating dispute over the first forced deployment of diplomats since the Vietnam war, the ambassador, Ryan Crocker, made the thinly veiled threat that officials who put their own personal safety before the interests of their country were "in the wrong line of business".

Tamil Tigers' deputy leader dies in air strike by government forces reports the Indy

A senior leader of Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels and five of his colleagues were killed in an air strike by government forces yesterday.
S P Thamilselvan, who led the political wing of the separatist movement and is believed to have been its second-in-command, died when military aircraft bombed a meeting of the Tigers' hierarchy in their northern stronghold of Kilinochchi.

Many of the papers report on

'Wicked' lesbian tennis coach jailed for nearly three years over affair with 13-year-old pupil

The Mail says

A tennis coach who molested a 13-year-old girl pupil was condemned as "wicked" yesterday as she was jailed for almost three years.
Claire Lyte, 29, was entrusted with helping to develop the next generation of young stars, but instead took advantage of the infatuated teenager.
Her breach of trust was exposed when the girl's mother discovered them naked in bed together, but such was the hold Lyte had on the youngster that the abuse continued for months afterwards.

The Sun has a MUCCA EXCLUSIVE

SHOCKED Sir Paul McCartney was last night “deeply concerned” about the impact of wife Heather Mills’ bizarre TV rants on their daughter.
Heather was also warned she could lose custody of Beatrice, four, as a result of her outbursts.
And Sir Paul’s close cousin, comedian Kate Robbins, told of her outrage at Mucca’s vitriolic remarks.
She said: “I’m livid about what she has said. Paul adores Beatrice, he is a fabulous father.”
Kate was furious at Heather’s claim that Sir Paul’s daughter Stella was “evil”. She said: “Stella is a lovely person. She is kind, generous and absolutely peaceful.”

One of those stories that would only appear in the Express

PRISON OFFERS INMATES POLE-VAULTING LESSONS

Inmates at the young offenders’ institution are learning how to vault 13ft high bars.
But the governor insists that their new skills will not be put to use for escape bids – because the jail walls are 20ft high and topped with razor wire.

Meanwhile the Mail reports on

Goodbye to the hug: How modern life is killing off embracing

For the touchy-feely among you it may come as something of a shock, but doctors are claiming that hectic modern life has killed off the hug.
Psychologists believe everyone needs at least one cuddle a day to help them cope with the stresses of 21st century living. But our manic lifestyles - and political correctness - now apparently mean we are either too nervous or too busy to put our arms around someone we care about.
A survey found that a third of people received no daily hugs, while three-quarters yearned to be hugged more than they were.

I prefer real people to Cyberspace reports the Telegraph

He has friends on Facebook, baby sits for his grandchildren and has a baseball cap in his hall. But the chief rabbi also peppers his conversation with Old Testament quotes, believes everyone should have a day of rest and calls himself a fundamentalist.This balancing of old and new is what he wants to achieve for Britain. In his latest book, The Home We Build Together, Sir Jonathan Sacks says we must modernise and rediscover traditional values. His theme has struck a chord with Gordon Brown who regularly seeks his advice.

Lover's gun fury at sex txts to girl reports the Mirror

A jealous boyfriend was yesterday found guilty of attacking a love rival after seeing a text on his girlfriend's mobile saying: "I want to have rampant sex with you."
Furious Wayne Knight, 28, secretly used Kelly Day's phone to send a reply to Philip Coombes asking to meet up.
Mr Coombes drove to an unlit industrial estate hoping to see Miss Day, 23.
But he came face to face with Knight armed with a shotgun.


Many of the papers report on

Home Office minister fined for using his mobile while driving

The Times reports that

Liam Byrne, the Immigration Minister, said that he had answered an important telephone call about a deportation issue when he was stopped by the police. Mr Byrne, the Labour MP for Birmingham Hodge Hill, did not attend the hearing but wrote a letter apologising for the offence



Mother watched son's cremation - then found out he was still alive reports the Independent

A mother who thought she had cremated her missing son was told the next day that he was alive and well.
Gina Partington spent nearly an hour bidding a tearful farewell to her son, Tommy Dennison, at what she thought was his funeral on Tuesday. But Ms Partington, 58, from Urmston, Greater Manchester, had mistakenly identified a dead man as Tommy – a 39-year-old rough sleeper who has mental health problems.
Police called the next day to say they had found Mr Dennison in Nottingham. Detectives now believe they know the name of the man who died on 12 October in Rusholme, Manchester. The 37-year-old was also living rough and efforts to trace his father, who lives in Ireland, are under way.

Finally from the Guardian

Holy tipple may take priests over limit

It may sound like a plot from the cult Channel 4 comedy Father Ted, but it's an issue giving increasing concern to the diligent clergy of Ireland.
One of the most high-profile priests has warned that clergymen are concerned that two masses or more in a day could push them over the legal limit for drink driving. As the Vatican forbids the use of non-alcoholic wine in the communion service, priests have no choice but to consume wine from the chalice on the altar.

















Darkness is falling in Vladimir Putin's Russia reports the Telegraph,its feature asking

Soaring oil prices have made the country a power again - but its ruler's grip on politics, the media and economy has sinister implications for democracy