Millions more classed as danger drinkers headlines the Telegraph

Almost 13 million adults are risking their health by drinking too much because of a failure to appreciate both the increasing strength of alcoholic drinks and the trend for larger measures, Government statisticians have revealed.Wine drinkers, and women in particular, may be at risk as the strength of the average bottle has increased from nine per cent in 1978 to 12.5 per cent today. Wine glasses have also increased in size.

The papers though have a variety of headlines

Al Gore: The world can't wait for George Bush says the Independent as it reports on the breakdown on the climate talks.gore,writing in the paper says

We, the human species, face a planetary emergency. That phrase still sounds shrill to some ears but it is deadly accurate as a description of the situation that we now confront.
The accumulation of greenhouse gases continues to trap more and more heat from the sun in our atmosphere threatening the stable climate balance that has been an unappreciated but crucial assumption for the development of human civilisation.

US proposal threatens climate change deal says the Guardian

The US was accused last night of trying to derail a global agreement on climate change by proposing that it becomes a voluntary agreement where countries set their own targets and timetables for reduction of greenhouse gases, rather than a legally binding one.
With just one day left of the 14-day talks between representatives from more than 180countries in Bali, it looks increasingly likely that no agreement will be reached by ministers.

Many of the papers report from Lisbon

Gordon Brown's absence leaves David Miliband to greet new era – with an usher reports the Times

Gordon Brown arrived bizarrely late for the EU treaty signing ceremony in Lisbon and signed the document alone, in an extraordinary diplomatic episode that was part snub, part standard mess-up and entirely embarrassing.
How the Prime Minister managed to get himself into that humiliating position is a mystery. By pleading a prior engagement with the Commons Liaison Committee, he seems to have been trying to distance himself from the treaty, but by turning up anyway, when the ceremony was already over, he managed to shoot himself in both feet: annoying anti-Europeans by signing the thing, and annoying pro-Europeans by appearing not to want to.

Brown dithers over EU treaty says the Telegraph

Mr Brown signed the controversial document in a coach museum, having arrived late and missed a ceremony in the city's 500-year old Jeronimos monastery, which was attended by all of the other 26 EU leaders. As Mr Brown put pen to paper, most of the other leaders were still eating lunch.adding

Some - including the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the Italian prime minister, Romano Prodi - had already left the summit by the time Mr Brown arrived.

The front page of the Express is a little blunter

MR BEAN SIGNS AWAY OUR FREEDOM

GRINNING Gordon Brown sold Britain out to Europe last night by agreeing to a massive expansion of Brussels power.
Despite having promised the British people a referendum, the Prime Minister put his signature to a new EU treaty without seeking the consent of the public

Ministers prepare plan to nationalise Northern Rock is the lead in the Guardian

Ministers have reluctantly concluded that temporary state ownership may prove the only way to prevent a final collapse of the Newcastle-based lender.
In a bid to keep the private sector option alive, they agreed last night to give the bid from former Abbey National boss Luqman Arnold equal status to preferred bidder Virgin, amid fears that Richard Branson has been struggling to finalise a deal

Many of the papers report on the Diana enquiry

Letters show how Diana turned to Duke of Edinburgh as marriage counsellor reports the Times

The Duke of Edinburgh tried to act as a marriage counsellor to Diana, Princess of Wales, before her relationship with the Prince of Wales broke down, according to previously unpublished letters shown yesterday at the High Court.
Extracts from the Duke’s correspondence with the Princess over the summer of 1992 suggest a growing understanding and even tenderness between the pair in the final months before she left the Royal Family.

Diana's letters to Duke of Edinburgh reveal her 'fondest love' for 'Dearest Pa' says the Mail

She called him "Dearest Pa" - and repeatedly thanked him for his "marriage guidance" when she and Prince Charles were about to part.
Philip responded with an assurance that he would "always do my utmost" to help the couple.

Meanwhile staying on the royal front the Mirror reveals

Exclusive: Princes' night with erotic dancers

Princes William and Harry went for a night out they won't forget in a hurry...at a raunchy club where erotic dancers performed just feet from their table.
The young royals stared in amazement as US act the Wau Wau sisters dangled from trapezes and writhed around while wearing skimpy hot pants and crop tops


The front page of the Sun announces a new England football manager

FABIO Capello was finally handed the England manager’s job last night.
The FA board rubber-stamped the appointment of the Italian although contract negotiations were still set to be thrashed out today. Capello, 61, has yet to sign his £4 million-a-year Three Lions contract but the FA was at pains to insist there were NO problems.
Some observers put the figure at £6.5million – but that could include salaries for back-room staff such as current Under 21 boss Stuart Pearce.

The Times also announces the news on its front page

The Football Association board last night approved Fabio Capello’s appointment as England head coach, even though it has already received first-hand evidence of the uncompromising attitude that made him its top target. Capello will not sign his contract until he is satisfied by the terms offered to the four Italian members of his backroom staff, an early indication of the firm approach that he will bring to the job.

Staying with the Times it reports on the

Red tape and funding shortfalls ‘have left flood repairs in chaos’

Funding paid out by the Government to the areas worst hit by the summer floods was badly targeted, inconsistent and will cover only half of local costs, the public spending watchdog says.
In a damning report, the Audit Commission says that four different funds were set up to pay for rescue services and the costs of water damage but the Government had so far pledged to meet only £60 million out of an estimated overall bill of £250 million.

The Mail reports that

Christmas is NOT a good time to visit the family, warn rail bosses

Christmas is a time for families to get together.
But it seems no one has told train bosses - because last night they warned us not to travel over the festive season.
The reason is that rail users face "severe disruption" because of repair work to tracks, particularly on the two major routes between London and Scotland.

More Xmas cheer in the Telegraph which tells us

Millions to start the Christmas 'non-work week'

One in three employees - an estimated nine million people - will ''mentally switch off'' for Christmas at 5pm on Friday and do virtually no work next week.
Instead they will pass the nine to five routine on office gossip, long lunches, shopping trips and looking for holiday destinations for next year.

Big rise in cocaine use among soldiers reports the Independent

The number of soldiers caught using cocaine has risen fourfold since the start of operations in Iraq.
At a time when the military is overstretched on two fronts, the British Army is discharging almost the equivalent of a battalion a year because of illegal drug use, figures published today by the Journal of the Royal United Services Institute.

Not a good news day for soldiers as the Telegraph reports

Soldiers charged with embezzling jungle funds

Six soldiers, reportedly members of the SAS, were arrested yesterday and charged with embezzling thousands of pounds earmarked for jungle training.It is alleged that more than £250,000 was taken from a budget for exercises in Brunei and Borneo between 2003 and 2006.

Another inbstitution under the spotlight in the Guardian

Drug abuse rife in US baseball, report finds

The reputation of baseball, America's emblematic sport, was tarnished yesterday by an independent report that found widespread drug abuse in the game, naming scores of present and former stars.
It found that even children who play the sport have been using steroids.
Some of the biggest names in the sport were linked to the use of performance-enhancing drugs, including Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, Andy Pettitte and Miguel Tejada. The report, which runs to 311 pages, is the biggest-ever investigation into the sport's drug scandals. Its findings will prompt a revaluation of the sport's heroes and a fresh look at long-established records

Staying in America and the Telegraph reports

Hillary Clinton fires aide over Obama remark

Hillary Clinton fired a senior aide and apologised to Barack Obama in a desperate attempt to limit the damage after the adviser stated that her Democratic rival might have been a drug dealerIn a dramatic 10-minute encounter at Washington's Reagan airport as the two candidates flew to Iowa for last night's Democratic debate, Mrs Clinton, sinking in the polls, disowned the controversial comment.

Huckabee took thousands in gifts, records show reports the Guardian

A $1,000 pair of cufflinks from a supporter, tens of thousands of dollars of clothing from a wealthy Little Rock businessman and thousands in gift certificates and cash from staff and appointees were among the lavish gifts given to Republican presidential candidate and unexpected frontrunner Mike Huckabee while he was governor of Arkansas.
The gifts fell within Arkansas's ethics rules but have raised questions among the governor's political opponents and ethics analysts at a time when scrutiny of the candidate is intensifying, and are at odds with the humble persona Huckabee has adopted on the campaign trail.


The Times reports that

Robert Mugabe is made 'leader for life' at rubber-stamp party gathering

A carefully orchestrated special congress passed without a vote or a single word of debate, all but assuring Mr Mugabe, 83, another five-year term as President. Senior party officials lavished praise on the leader as thousands of supporters wearing shirts bearing his image brandished banners denouncing Gordon Brown, whom Mr Mugabe regularly accuses of trying to foment opposition. Possible challengers from the two main factions within the ruling party were sidelined by the stage-managed congress. Mr Mugabe, who has been Zimbabwe’s supreme leader since independence in 1980, has spent much of the past year manoeuvring to block the ambitions of Joyce Mujuru, one of two vice-presidents, and her husband Solomon, a former general who is regarded as a major party power broker. The “extraordinary” congress was called to rubber-stamp Mr Mugabe’s candidacy.

Europe's big four raise stakes on Kosovo says the Guardian

The EU's biggest four countries are pushing to impose and oversee independence in Kosovo without a fresh UN mandate, risking a showdown with a resurgent Russia and fierce resistance from Serbia, which vows no surrender of Kosovo.
In a letter to European leaders at today's EU summit in Brussels, David Miliband, the foreign secretary, and his counterparts from Germany, France and Italy, have demanded that the 27 EU governments "send a clear message on Kosovo" by agreeing to dispatch an 1,800-strong EU nation-building mission to implement the independence plan drafted this year by the Finnish UN envoy, Martti Ahtisaari.

Cop: I'll get Madeleine back by Christmas reports the Mirror

The private detective agency boss who claims he may be just days from finding Madeleine McCann told yesterday how his own children keep him obsessively battling away at the case.
Francisco Marco said: "It's the highest pressure case I've ever had to deal with because of the press and because of my own family. When I get home at night, my children ask me, 'Have you found Madeleine yet daddy?'"

'We know who took Madeleine - and she'll be home by Christmas' says the Mail

Anger at sick Maddie artist reports the Sun

A CRUEL artist is cashing in on missing Madeleine McCann by peddling pictures of her in a Spanish gallery.Enrique Marty, 38, has five twisted paintings on show in Barcelona at £4,300 each.
They include the haunting image of Maddie clutching tennis balls, one of the last photos of the four-year-old.


The Express reports that

HOME INFORMATION PACKS ROLLED OUT

Controversial Home Information Packs (HIPs) are being rolled out to cover all properties in England and Wales.
The extension of the scheme means that anyone selling a home will now need to ensure that they have a pack in place containing, among other documents, an energy performance certificate and standards searches.


Finally the Independent reports that

White House video shows Blair has gone to the dogs

Just when you thought you couldn't stand to watch another second of this year's Christmas video from the George Bush White House starring, as usual, his Scottish terriers, Barney and Miss Beazley, the directors throw in a surprise celebrity guest. Three Kings alive, it's Tony Blair!
It is not clear whether the Blair cameo will be enough to ensure consideration of the six-minute film by the Oscar judges this year. A Golden Boneo nomination would probably be more fitting. Other leading cast members with doubtful acting abilities include the First Lady Laura and the Bush twins Jenna and Barbara.