Grim Brown warns of a bleak year for Britain says the front page of the Observer this morning

In a strong warning, which sets the backdrop for a campaign to revive his premiership, Brown tells Britain to prepare for 'global financial turbulence' in 2008. 'Our strong economy is the foundation,' Brown writes in his new year message. 'With unbending determination in 2008, we will steer a course of stability through global financial turbulence. The global credit problem that started in America is now the most immediate challenge for every economy.'

Time to deliver, leading Blairites tell Brown says the Telegraph

Tessa Jowell calls on the Prime Minister to show humility and authenticity, and relate to the "core values" of voters.In an exclusive interview with The Sunday Telegraph, Ms Jowell, the Olympics minister, said that a "faultline" had opened up in Mr Brown's performance since his decision not to call an autumn election.

The paper leads with the story that

Sex education failing to halt teen pregnancy

Every year, almost 50,000 girls under 18 fall pregnant, leading critics to claim that government-led efforts to encourage safer sex are backfiring. The number who conceive is at its highest level since a multi-million-pound teenage pregnancy crackdown almost a decade ago.

Scandal of assaults on children in custody is the lead in the Independent

Thousands of assaults are being carried out each year on children in custody by the people employed to look after them. Hundreds suffer cuts and bruises and some require hospital treatment for dislocated or broken bones.
Professor Sir Al Aynsley-Green, the Children's Commissioner for England, has highlighted the "over-use of restraint and force" in Young Offender Institutions and Secure Training Centres, and is calling for an immediate ban on the practice of painful restraint, which includes hitting children in the face, twisting their thumbs and limbs, and pinning them down in painful stress positions as a form of punishment or to ensure compliance.

Many of the papers concentrate on one of the tragedies of the past few days

Toddler snatched from child's arms says the news of the world

A ROTTWEILER who savaged a one-year-old boy to death RIPPED him from the arms of a seven-year-old girl, it has emerged.The horrific snatch happened as the youngster cradled little Archie-Lee Hirst while she went to stroke the devil dog kept in a back yard.As the crazed pet carried off the screaming child, his 16-year-old aunt, who was babysitting, made several brave attempts to free him by hitting the rottweiler.

Meanwhile the Telegraph carries an interview with the parents of the girl killed on a quad bike

Quad bike girl's parents 'to face consequences'

Elizabeth Cooke, known to her family as Lizzie, and her brother, Jack, 10, were following their father's car in the dark along an unlit lane at around 7pm on Boxing Day when she was in a collision with a Range Rover travelling in the opposite direction.Speaking exclusively to The Sunday Telegraph, Gary Cooke and his partner Claire Batt paid tribute to their daughter, who her parents described as "perfect in every way". Mr Cooke said: "No one could begin to imagine how much it has devastated the village and our close family.

The Observer reports on a football tragedy

Motherwell captain dies after collapsing on pitch

Politicians, team-mates and senior figures in Scottish football paid tribute to the Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell, who died yesterday after collapsing during his team's Scottish Premier League match against Dundee United.
O'Donnell, who was 35, was set to be replaced in the closing stages of the game by substitute Marc Fitzpatrick, but fell to the ground before the substitution could take place. Players on the field, including his team-mate and nephew David Clarkson, were visibly shocked by the incident and O'Donnell received treatment for about five minutes before being carried from the pitch on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance outside Fir Park where he was taken to Wishaw General Hospital.

There is much coverage of Pakistan,the same paper reports

Fury at claims on Bhutto killing

The hunt for the killers of Benazir Bhutto became mired in bitter controversy yesterday over a dispute between her supporters and political opponents about how she met her death.
The two sides cannot agree whether she was shot or suffered fatal blast injuries. The dispute could influence the future direction of two inquiries announced yesterday by the Pakistani government.
Any evidence that a lone suicide bomber carried out the attack would support the government's assertion that al-Qaeda was responsible; proof that shots were fired would fuel the suspicion of many within Bhutto's Pakistan People's

A face in the crowd: Benazir Bhutto's assassin says the Telegraph

"Long live Bhutto," Benazir Bhutto shouted, waving to the crowd surging around her car. They were her last words before three gunshots rang out and she slumped back on to her seat.In the first eyewitness account from inside the car, Dr Abbassi told The Sunday Telegraph: "All of a sudden there was the sound of firing. I heard the sound of a bullet."I saw her: she looked as though she ducked in when she heard the firing. We did not realise that she had been hit by a bullet."



Election in jeopardy as search starts for Benazir's heir says the Independent


Riots and vote-rigging claims as Kenyan polls go to the wire reports the Observer

Kenya's leadership race was on a knife-edge last night as President Mwai Kibaki appeared to claw his way back from a huge deficit amid allegations of vote-rigging and violent protests by opposition supporters.
With nearly 90 per cent of the votes counted, the election commission gave Raila Odinga, an outspoken former political prisoner, a tiny lead: 3,880,053 votes compared to Kibaki's 3,842,051. Kibaki, 76, who has consistently lagged behind Odinga in opinion polls, had been trailing by nearly a million votes overnight and the rapid closure of the gap led to claims by the opposition Orange Democratic Movement that his government was trying the steal the election

With the start of the primaries days away,the Independent reports

Iowa or bust for Romney

Mitt Romney, the former governor of Massachusetts hoping to become the first Mormon in the White House, was this weekend embroiled in a two-front battle, where defeat would almost certainly end his quest for the Republican presidential nomination.
The first moment of reckoning comes at Thursday's caucuses in Iowa. Here, Mr Romney has lost a commanding lead to Mike Huckabee, the ex-governor of Arkansas. Five days later, New Hampshire holds its traditional first-in-the-nation primary, where Mr Romney must contend with the reinvigorated Arizona Senator John McCain

Showdown for Hillary in John Wayne country says the Telegraph

He was arguably the greatest hero in the history of American cinema, a leader of men who beat the bad guys and symbolised patriotic values.But here in the birthplace of John Wayne, in the snowy wilds of an Iowa winter, the US is picking another leader - a president to command the respect of modern America and deal with the world's villains, who have swapped Stetsons and Colt 45s for suicide bomb belts.

According to the Express this morning

A 'FINE' IF YOU MISS HOSPITAL DATE

PATIENTS who miss doctors’ appointments could face fines because they are costing the NHS £1billion a year, it was revealed last night.
A Commons committee is being urged to impose up to a £20 deposit before an appointment can be booked – as it emerged that one in 10 people fails to turn up for hospital outpatient appointments without warning. The figures were compiled by Grant Shapps, Conservative MP for Welwyn Hatfield, who asked 264 NHS Trusts for details of missed appointments for 2005-2006.

The Mail on Sunday leads with the news that

'Curse of Camilla' cruise ship struck by winter vomiting bug

A luxury liner launched by the Duchess of Cornwall has been hit by a potentially fatal stomach bug, which has struck down nearly 80 passengers.
When Cunard's £300million MS Queen Victoria was officially launched by Camilla in Southampton three weeks ago, the bottle of champagne failed to smash against the bow, prompting superstitious speculation that the ship was cursed.
Now, 78 passengers have been confined to their cabins after being hit with Norovirus, the "winter sickness bug", which causes severe vomiting and diarrhoea.

More royal news in the Telegraph which reports

Rings for Prince William and Kate Middleton?

April now seems a long time ago. Yesterday a travel-weary and rumpled Miss Middleton arrived at Heathrow after an eight-hour flight home from her Christmas break in the Caribbean. She will see in the New Year with the royal prince who is once again her boyfriend.
William and Kate are back firmly as "an item" and, say friends, happier and closer than ever. Many royal observers are predicting that 2008 will be the year that the couple cement their five-year, on-off relationship with the announcement of their engagement.

Meanwhile the Mail carries

The making of the Middletons: How Kate's family rose from a condemned flat in London to the verge of royalty

with the help of her extended family, many of whom had not even realised they were related to a girl who might be a Princess, The Mail on Sunday has pieced together the extraordinary details of the social odyssey that eventually led to the birth of Kate Middleton.
Through a fascinating series of personal recollections and family photographs, they reveal a remarkable journey from the grimy back streets of Southall, West London, to the apartment in Clarence House where Kate now spends most of her time.

The news of the world reveals

A Man U £1M Party rape fine

LIVID Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson has punished up to 30 players—and torn into them EVERY day since their disgraceful Christmas party climaxed in rape claims and a "roasting" scandal.
He has really turned on the heat by fining EVERY big-earning first team star who took part in the £4,000-a-head 15-hour booze binge on December 17. He has also BANNED any more parties and WARNED his pampered millionaire players there will NEVER be a repeat performance.
A senior club insider revealed: "Fergie is absolutely livid. This is the angriest anyone's ever seen him. He's lectured the boys every day in training since it happened."

Meanwhile the Sunday Mirror reports

Jail peril for Joey

Football star Joey Barton was under close guard in prison last night after being threatened.
The Newcastle United and England midfielder, 25, is on remand in Liverpool's Walton Prison, accused of assault.
Officers have been told to watch his back after being briefed that Barton is a target because of hatred for his half-brother.

The paper leads with

SARAH BROWN 'GRANDPA' WAS VICTIM OF 50s NUCLEAR TESTS

A close relative of Gordon Brown's wife Sarah died from cancer after witnessing a British nuclear explosion in the South Pacific.
Squadron Leader Stephen Pooley, then 43, escorted Britain's first hydrogen bomb to Christmas Island in 1957.
He then flew in a Canberra bomber through the nuclear mushroom cloud moments after the blast to collect fallout samples.
Afterwards he wrote a top-secret report on the mission, codenamed Operation Grapple, in which he described how it was "quite impossible to contain the radiation".

Finally the Mail reports

JK Rowling drops hints of possible eighth Harry Potter book

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has strongly hinted for the first time that she could write an eighth book in the series.
Rowling, 42, admits she has 'weak moments' when she feels she will pen another novel about the boy wizard.
One of her biggest fans – her 14-year-old daughter Jessica – has already put pressure on her to revisit the character.

They don't blame al-Qa'ida. They blame Musharraf says the front page of the Independent this morning.In an article by Robert Fisk,the paper reports

So let's run through this logic in the way that Inspector Ian Blair might have done in his policeman's notebook before he became the top cop in London.
Question: Who forced Benazir Bhutto to stay in London and tried to prevent her return to Pakistan? Answer: General Musharraf.
Question: Who ordered the arrest of thousands of Benazir's supporters this month? Answer: General Musharraf.
Question: Who placed Benazir under temporary house arrest this month? Answer: General Musharraf.
Question: Who declared martial law this month? Answer General Musharraf.
Question: who killed Benazir Bhutto?
Er. Yes. Well quite.

Benazir buried beside her father as mourners promise revenge says the Guardian,

Benazir Bhutto's last moments were spent, like much of her life, as a lone woman among men. A sea of male hands bore her from her country home in Naudero inside a simple wooden coffin decked with the red, green and black flag of her Pakistan People's party. Wails rang out from the women's enclosure inside the house.
The cortege continued down a road lined with silver-barked eucalyptus trees and pools of bathing water buffalo before reaching the family mausoleum at Gahri Khuda Baksh, a towering Mughal-style structure topped with onion-shaped domes. Tens of thousands of men, many draped in the party colours or brandishing photos of the fallen heroine, followed



Whilst the Times says

Al Qaeda blamed as Pakistan burns

Bhutto's masked butcher says the Sun

FANATICAL al-Qaeda warlord Baitullah Mehsud was last night named as the mastermind behind the murder of Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto.
Officials released a transcript of a phone call in which the bloodthirsty Islamic militant can be heard gloating about Thursday’s suicide bomb horror in Rawalpindi.
Evil Mehsud, 34, who always masks his face, calls the atrocity “spectacular” and praises the “very brave boys” behind the attack.

Away from Pakistan and the papers have a variety of topics

HOUSE PRICES RISING AGAIN reports the Express

Home owners are breathing a sigh of relief after new figures revealed house prices are rising again in many areas.
A predicted slump in the housing market has not arisen, despite the credit crunch.
Latest research by the building society Nationwide yesterday revealed prices nationally were up 4.8 per cent year on year.

Thugs are trying to silence me says the front page of the Mail

The widow of murdered headmaster Philip Lawrence says she is the target of an intimidation campaign.
Frances Lawrence, 60, has made astonishing claims of death threats from men on her front doorstep, a burglary at her home and being rammed off the road in her car in the past five months.
The mother of four is convinced the incidents are linked to 27-year-old Learco Chindamo's application for parole after serving 12 years for her husband's murder.

Doctors say no to abortions in their surgeries reports the Telegraph

Family doctors are threatening a revolt against Government plans to allow them to perform abortions in their surgeries, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.Four out of five GPs do not want to carry out terminations even though the idea is being tested in NHS pilot schemes, a survey has revealed.
The findings will throw doubt on Government trials to provide medical abortions - using drugs in the early stage of pregnancy - outside hospitals.

Much speculation about the New Year's honours,the Indy reports that

Brown spurns chance to choose new peers

Gordon Brown has, in effect, ended the Prime Minister's right to nominate people for peerages and issued a New Year honours list that sticks with recommendations made by committee.
In releasing the first such list of his premiership, Mr Brown sent a signal that he aims to clean up the honours system and party funding after the "cash for honours" allegations.
The list saw "unsung heroes" of British society honoured, alongside a host of celebrities and civil servants. And the Prime Minister's allies said he would use a White Paper on constitutional reform in the new year to formalise changes to the way the system functions.

I should OBE lucky reports the Sun meanwhile

KYLIE Minogue said she was “deeply touched” last night after her brave comeback from cancer was crowned with an OBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List.
The Aussie singer, 39, is joined by retiring chat show maestro MICHAEL PARKINSON, who gets a knighthood — as revealed by The Sun

Honours recognise the public says the Mirror

Everyday heroes were also honoured with four out of five awards going to people involved in charity and voluntary work.
Those who went out of their way to help others during the devastating summer floods were also recognised.
Nina Dawes, chief executive of Lichfield District Council, Staffs, headed the flood honours with an OBE.
The area was the worst hit in Britain with 250 families left homeless during 40 days of flooding.


Both it and the Sun lead with Maddy

Murat's Maddie alibi blown says the Sun

TWO British sisters have revealed they saw oddball Robert Murat lurking by the Portuguese holiday apartment from which Madeleine McCann vanished.
Annie Wiltshire, 58, and Jayne Jensen, 53, told cops they spotted the 34-year-old ex-pat smoking a cigarette outside the Ocean Club moments after the search for Maddie was launched.

We saw Murat at Maddy flat says the Mirror

Sisters Jayne Jensen and Annie Wiltshire say they are 100 per cent sure they saw Robert Murat nearby minutes after Madeleine McCann vanished.
A friend said last night: "Jayne and Annie know what they saw and that is that."
Annie, 58, and Jayne, 54, holidayed at the same resort complex and got to know Kate and Gerry McCann and their three children.


The Mail reports that

New super-cameras will mean no hiding place for drivers who smoke, eat or use a phone

Digital speed cameras which capture drivers smoking or eating at the wheel are being introduced nationwide in a new move to hammer motorists.
Drivers will also face fines, bans and even jail for infringements such as driving without a seatbelt, using a hand-held mobile phone or overtaking across double white lines.
The hi-tech DVD cameras, which have instant playback, will also be used to provide photographic evidence against those eating sandwiches or rolling-up cigarettes at the wheel.

CRACKDOWN TARGETS TEENAGE DRINKING says the Express

Police seized the equivalent of 6,500 pints of alcohol from teenagers during a month-long crackdown on underage drinking in public places, the Home Office said.
Officers from 21 forces across England and Wales confiscated more than 3,700 litres of beer, wine, cider, spirits and alcopops during the autumn blitz.
They also used new powers under the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006 to disperse groups suspected of alcohol-related crime or disorder.

One-year-old boy killed by pet rottweiler reports the Guardian

A one-year-old boy has died after being attacked by a rottweiler while playing outside a relative's home, police said last night.
The boy, who has not been named, was in the back garden of the home in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, when his mother discovered he had been mauled by the pet yesterday afternoon. He was taken by ambulance to Pinderfields general hospital but died hours later.
A police spokesman said last night: "After the dog released the child and he was taken to hospital a police marksman who was in the vicinity destroyed the dog to ensure the safety of others."



Barton to spend New Year in jail says the Telegraph

Joey Barton, the Newcastle United footballer, will spend New Year in prison after being refused bail on charges of assault and affray.He made a 45-minute court appearance yesterday at which magistrates rejected a defence application and remanded him in custody for six days.The £5.8 million midfielder, who has one England cap, was arrested with his brother Andrew, 19, and 27-year-old Nadine Wilson at 5.30am on Thursday after an alleged incident in Liverpool city centre.
The trio are claimed to have been involved in a confrontation inside a 24-hour McDonald's restaurant.

Foreign news and the Guardian reports that

China abandons plans for huge dam on Yangtze

China has abandoned controversial plans to build a huge dam which would have submerged one of the country's most renowned tourist areas and forced the relocation of 100,000 residents in the south-western province of Yunnan.
In a rare and high-profile victory for China's environmental movement, the project at Tiger Leaping Gorge on the upper reaches of the Yangtze river was scrapped during a meeting in the provincial capital, Kunming.

Old guard crumbles as votes counted in Kenya says the Independent

Senior members of Kenya's political old guard were swept from power last night and the opposition challenger Raila Odinga threatened to complete the rout by unseating President Mwai Kibaki.
At least 12 cabinet ministers lost their seats, many of them mzees – old men who have dominated politics in Kenya since the country won independence from the United Kingdom in 1963. The high-profile casualties included Vice-President Moody Awori, 80, the Defence minister James Njenga Karume, 78, and the Roads minister Simon Nyachae, 75. In the race for the presidency, unofficial tallies gathered by the main television stations showed Mr Odinga ahead by more than a million votes with more than half of the ballots counted.




Finally according to the Guardian

Branson offers £100,000 ticket to the heart of a space spectacle

It looks like a cut-price version of the set of a Bond movie. Blocky, 60s-style white consoles face a large wall-mounted video screen, each covered in dials and buttons with words like "pump on", "fire" and "liftoff" written on them. Only the slightly shabby appearance of the place and the metre-high inflatable rocket in the corner indicate that this is not the home of cat-stroking villains but a place of academic study.
The operations room of the Esrange space centre near Kiruna in the far north of Sweden is one of a handful of places in the world that perform space launches. The facility, 200 kilometres north of the Arctic circle, is used by the European Space Agency and others to launch rockets and balloons for studying the upper atmosphere and the effects of microgravity. It also serves as a monitoring station for numerous satellites that orbit between the north and south poles.

Don't let them kill Democracy says the front of the Mirror

The day democracy died says the Sun

Thirty seconds from death says the Mail with a final picture of the former Pakistani Prime Minister.

All the papers carry the same front page news as Benazir Bhutto is assassinated

The assassination of the Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto last night triggered violent convulsions across the country, casting grave doubts on elections scheduled for January 8 as well as marking a dark finale to a tragedy-strewn life.
Angry scenes erupted in cities across the country, where enraged supporters torched businesses and trains, attacked police and blocked roads with burning tyres. Gunfire rang out on the streets of Karachi, the port city where Bhutto spent much of her life. reports the Guardian

The Telegraph reports that

Miss Bhutto, 54, an iconic politician who had twice served as prime minister, was killed as she left an election rally in the city of Rawalpindi.
Witnesses described how a man opened fire on Miss Bhutto as she stood through the sunroof of a car, hitting her in the throat and chest.
Seconds later, he detonated a bomb, leaving Miss Bhutto critically injured and dozens of her followers killed or wounded. Police said that 16 others died in the blast

The Independent says

Pakistan is not new to political assassinations, a red vein of violence runs through its brief history. Yet, there was a cruel symmetry about Ms Bhutto's death coming in the same garrison town where her father was executed nearly three decades ago.

Benazir Bhutto: Oxford party girl cursed by blood-soaked family dynasty says the Mail

She was glamorous, clever and undeniably brave, though to her many critics she was also "the diva of corruption".
As a jet- setting, western- educated woman and a democrat, Benazir Bhutto was certainly an affront to the radical Islamists who prefer bombs to ballot boxes. But there were other, powerful enemies too.

World mourns Mum and Martyr says the Sun

GORDON Brown yesterday led a horrified world in condemning the bloody murder of charismatic Benazir Bhutto.
The PM was echoed by US President George W Bush as he saluted the bravery of the charismatic lipstick-wearing Muslim mum.
Both slammed the terrorists behind the assassination of the former Pakistani Prime Minister as “cowards”.

List of suspects but few clues says the Guardian

The most obvious suspects must be religious militants. The very nature of the attack, death by shooting and a suicide bombing in a public place with many casualties, seems to point the finger. There were death threats before Bhutto touched down in Pakistan in mid-October. One Taliban commander threatened to send a squad of suicide bombers to kill her. Other militants made similar threats, saying she was a target because of her perceived close relationship with the west and with the US in particular.

The Independent in its leading article says

There was an appalling sense of inevitability about the death of Benazir Bhutto at an election rally in Rawalpindi. The risk she had taken in returning to Pakistan was brutally apparent from the moment her plane touched down. The failed attempt on her life during the interminable procession that day showed how inadequate her protection would be if she continued her campaign. That she did so nonetheless showed admirable, if perhaps foolhardy, courage. An accursed symmetry had it that she died yesterday in the same garrison city where her deposed father was executed. Her quest to avenge his death and return elected government to Pakistan came to naught.

Elsewhere in the papers dominated by the news,the Telegraph reports that

Credit crunch set to push up bankruptcies

With banks increasingly unwilling to lend to any consumer with a poor credit history, 10,000 people every month will find themselves unable to make ends meet.The prediction comes from the accountancy firm KPMG, which forecasts that 130,000 people will next year either be declared bankrupt or take out an individual voluntary arrangement - a less stringent form of bankruptcy.

According to the Times

Teachers 'quitting profession in droves'

Teachers are leaving the profession in increasing numbers, with a quarter of a million no longer working in schools, according to figures published by the Conservatives yesterday.
More than twice as many teachers aged under 60 quit their jobs between 2000 and 2005 than in the previous five years.

Double-death couple let down by system, say their children reports the Guardian

The family of a woman who was stabbed to death by her mentally ill husband, who then killed himself by driving his car into a tree, said yesterday that their parents had been let down by the system.

Wife killed by mentally ill husband told police days earlier she feared for her life reports the Mail

A pensioner who was stabbed and bludgeoned to death by her mentally ill husband told police she feared for her safety days before the attack.
Susan Goswell, 63, told officers of her grave concerns after her husband Roger was released from the private Priory Hospital on December 17th.

The cancer life saver reports the Express

BRITISH scientists have discovered how to stop cancer cells spreading around the body.
The breakthrough could lead to new drugs which will prevent secondary tumours developing.
Cancer is responsible for a quarter of all deaths in the UK – more than 150,000 a year.
For the first time researchers have identified a protein which can keep cancer cells anchored in one place.


Many of the papers report on the latest Footy scandal.

The Sun reports

NEWCASTLE star Joey Barton was in custody early this morning after being charged over a Boxing Day booze session which ended in an alleged assault.
The England midfielder had been quizzed with another man and a woman after two men were left injured following a 5am attack.
One alleged victim, a 20-year-old, was initially said to be unconscious and not breathing as he lay slumped in Liverpool city centre. But his condition improved before paramedics arrived and took him to hospital.

Christmas quad bike girl, 7, killed in head-on crash with Range Rover reports the Mail

A girl of seven died after being allowed on to the road driving a quad bike her parents gave her for Christmas.
Elizabeth Cooke was following behind her father's Range Rover in the dark when she lost control and swerved into the path of another Range Rover.

Paris Hilton's inheritance goes to charity reports the Telegraph

The future fortune of Paris Hilton, the hotel heiress, has taken a hit after her grandfather said that he would give 97 per cent of his $2.3 billion (£1.15 billion) wealth to charity.Barron Hilton, 80, whose father Conrad founded the Hilton Hotel chain in 1919, will donate most of his fortune to the Conrad N Hilton Foundation. Only three per cent - $69 million - will be left to his heirs.

Other news from abroad and the Indy reports

Kenyans vote amid fears of rigging

Chaos at polling stations and small pockets of violence failed to dampen enthusiasm across Kenya yesterday as the country went to the polls in one of the closest elections Africa has ever witnessed.
Opinion polls have put the incumbent President Mwai Kibaki and his challenger, the former political prisoner, Raila Odinga neck and neck – with most just giving Mr Odinga the edge and predicting that Mr Kibaki will be the first president to be ousted at the ballot box in the east African country.

Daughter held over Christmas murders of six of her family reports the Times

A woman and her boyfriend have been arrested in the American Pacific Northwest after the Christmas Eve killings of three generations of her family.
Six people were shot in an apparent row over money at a single-storey wooden house at the end of an untarred road in Carnation, a rural town of 2,000 about 20 miles from Seattle.



National Archives release secret files of 1977 reports the Telegraph

The Queen's private secretary intervened in the publication of a minister's diaries, fearing his disclosures could embarrass the monarch.The diaries of Richard Crossman, covering his time in Harold Wilson's first government, were a recurring headache for officialdom in the 1970s. His exposure of Whitehall incompetence inspired fear and loathing, not to mention the BBC series Yes Minister

Finally from the same files,the Mirror reports on

Thatcher's hell in 'Fawlty Towers'

Margaret Thatcher kept getting locked in a US hotel room loo.
Husband Denis also suffered the indignity of being trapped by a door handle that did not work.
She had no hairdresser or dress presser. And poor laundry facilities saw her secretary doing her washing at the home of British Consul General Roy Fox.
But Maggie, then the leader of the opposition, treated her Fawlty Towers-style stay in Houston, Texas, in October 1977 "as a joke", says Mr Fox in National Archives papers made public for the first time yesterday under the 30-year rule.

Sales surge masks growing gloom over New Year slump is the headline in this morning's Guardian

Consumers are defying fears of an economic slowdown and say they remain confident about their personal financial circumstances, according to a Guardian/ICM poll published today. It comes as retailers reported a strong start to the sales, with millions of customers seeking bargains amid heavy discounting online and on the high street.
The poll findings and the shopping frenzy suggest that City concerns about the economic outlook have not yet filtered through to voters, despite the credit squeeze and worries over falling house prices.

The sales feature on the front page of the Mirror under the headline

£1m a minute

Britain was gripped by sales fever yesterday as bargain-hunters spent a record £1million a minute.
Millions of shoppers cashed in on some of the biggest discounts ever seen - with prices slashed by up to 80 per cent.
Thousands started queuing before dawn on a day that saw frantic buyers splash out a record £500MILLION.

Buy now, sell later - how Britain spent Boxing Day says the Independent

Major high street stores were offering price cuts of up to 70 per cent to try to attract shoppers fearful of an economic downturn in the new year. More than 3.6 million shoppers took to the high streets to take advantage of the record price cuts. Kevin Hawkins, the director general of the British Retail Consortium, said that despite better than average sales over Christmas, fuelled by early discounts, retailers were desperate to recoup disappointingly low Christmas profits, especially on white goods.

festive buyers face payback time says the Times

Debt charities are gearing up for the busiest January on record as the financial hangover from an expensive Christmas kicks in. The Consumer Credit Counselling Service and Credit Action, two leading debt charities, predicted that they would receive more calls from borrowers worried about their finances this January than in previous years.

Both the Telegraph and the Independent lead with bad news for Gordon Brown

Donorgate police 'to press criminal charges' says the former

The scandal over the Labour Party's £670,000 illegal donations will return to haunt Gordon Brown in the New Year as criminal charges may be imminent, according to an authoritative Whitehall source.
The Daily Telegraph can disclose that those leading the investigation into the so-called "donorgate" affair will complete their inquiries as early as the end of next month.
The source has said that Peter Watt, who resigned as Labour's general secretary, may be facing criminal charges over his role in the worst fundraising controversy since Labour took power in 1997.

Whilst the Independent leads with

Labour revolts against Brown

Gordon Brown faces a humiliating parliamentary defeat over plans to allow police to hold terror suspects for up to 42 days without charge.
A survey of Labour MPs by The Independent has uncovered a growing insurrection. Only 34 votes are needed to defeat the detention plans and at least 38 MPs – enough to wipe out Mr Brown's Commons majority of 67 – are vowing to oppose controversial moves to extend the existing 28-day maximum detention period.

Only third of MPs back tougher anti-terror law reports the Guardian

The findings indicate Brown may have badly misread the mood of parliament by tabling plans to extend the period of detention in terrorist cases to 42 days, subject to stronger judicial and parliamentary oversight.

Both the Times and the Express lead with the news that

Allergy to medicines 'is killing thousands'

Nearly 3,000 patients have died in the past three years as a result of taking medicines intended to help them, official figures show.
Thousands more have been hospitalised after suffering harmful side-effects or serious allergic reactions to prescription drugs and other medications.
Almost half of the deaths occurred last year, while the number of reported adverse drug reactions has increased by 45 per cent over a decade. Growing numbers of patients taking aspirin and other medications for chronic illness such as heart disease could be fuelling the trend, experts suggest.

Driving age 'rising to 18' reports the front page of the Mail

The driving age will effectively rise to 18 in a major overhaul of how young people are prepared for the road.
Learners will still be granted their provisional licence from 17, but will need a year to pass a beefed-up test.
It means the minimum age at which a new driver could realistically go out on his or her own will be 18. adding

The move follows a Daily Mail campaign, backed by the insurance industry, road safety campaigners and motoring groups, to raise the formal driving age to 18 to help cut accidents caused by young drivers.

Meanwhile the paper reports

What ban? 300,000 hunt supporters turn out to say tally-ho!

A record number of hunt supporters attended Boxing Day meets across the country, rural campaigners claimed last night.
More than 300,000 turned out for the start of 314 registered hunts on the busiest day in the calendar.
The continuing popularity of the 400-year tradition highlights the Government's spectacular failure to kill it off when it banned hunting with dogs three years ago.

Hunt supporters claim legislation has backfired says the Guardian

Three years after the Hunting Act was introduced - supposedly signalling the end of hunting with hounds - supporters claimed that more than 250,000 people attended Britain's 314 meets. The Countryside Alliance said the level of support, which was disputed by animal welfare campaigners, proved the ban had become irrelevant

Police officer dies attending domestic incident says the Telegraph

The 48-year-old collapsed outside the property in Brinkburn Gardens, Wembley and was rushed to hospital by ambulance but was pronounced dead on arrival.
It is understood that the married father-of-three collapsed after another officer was allegedly assaulted inside the house around 5.45pm yesterday afternoon.

COP BEATEN TO DEATH says the Sun

HORRIFIED neighbours told last night how police officers wept after a colleague was beaten to death at a suburban home.
The uniformed cop was attacked after he answered a 999 call to a domestic row between a man and a woman.
He staggered out of the semi-detached home in a quiet cul-de-sac in North London and collapsed on the pavement.

Gran stabbed to death over Xmas dinner reports the Mirror

A caring gran was stabbed to death with her carving knife as she prepared to slice turkey for dinner on Christmas Day.
Valerie Twyman, 62, was cooking for her 24-year-old grandson Maxwell when viciously attacked.
Horrified relatives found her in a pool of blood in the kitchen after they called round because she did not answer their phone calls. Maxwell, who lived with Valerie after being kicked out by his parents in August, was last night being quizzed by police over the bloodbath

Anguish of Lord Ahmed after M1 death crash horror reports the Mail

Labour peer Lord Ahmed was in shock last night after a head-on crash in the fast lane of a motorway that left a man dead.
He was driving his gold Jaguar X-type on the M1 on Christmas Day when he smashed into a car that had spun out of control and come to rest facing the wrong way.
Other vehicles following behind him crashed as they tried to take evasive action in the darkness

The Sun leads with

MADDIE BLITZ ON MOROCCO

GERRY and Kate McCann hope their blitz on Morocco will provide the breakthrough they have been praying for in their hunt for missing Madeleine.
Despite a massive campaign highlighting the seven-month search for their daughter, experts believe many in the north African country still lack the crucial information they need to help trace her.

Madeleine: Private detectives hunt for British barman known as DJ Shifty, accused of grooming an under-age girl for sex reports the Mail

Part-time barman and disc jockey Christian Ridout, 32, allegedly sent the British girl obscene text messages when he worked in an expats' pub 200 yards from where Madeleine disappeared.
When the 12-year-old's mother discovered the explicit messages, Ridout - also known as DJ Shifty - left Portugal in a hurry.

News from abroad and the Indy reports that

Villagers buried alive by landslides in Java

Villagers on Indonesia's main island of Java had just finished cleaning up after floods caused by days of torrential rain when a landslide struck. Sixty-one people were buried alive, in the worst incident of its kind in the area for a quarter of a century

After 52 hours alone in jungle, girl calls to say: 'Hi, dad, see you soon' reports the Guardian

For 52 hours Francesca Lewis was alone, her arm and neck broken or fractured, lost in the jungle with no food and lying amid the debris of a plane which had crashed into the side of a remote volcano, killing the three other people on board.
Yesterday the 12-year-old had been reunited with her family - injured and somewhat confused, but "miraculously" healthy after her incredible ordeal in Panama. It appears that she had escaped death only by leaping or being thrown from the plane as it crashed; while recovering in hospital she was wearing a neck brace and had one arm bandaged.

The Telegraph reports from where

old presents go to die

The Chinese town of Guiyu is the graveyard of Christmas past.
It is where presents - game consoles, laptops, mobile phones - come to die.
It is also where they are reborn. In this giant scrap-yard, so dangerously polluted that its children are being clinically poisoned, the electronic objects of desire, a million tons of them a year, are broken apart, melted down, and washed in acid to be recycled into a new flood of imports for Christmas future.

Finally

BBC wins Christmas Day ratings battle says the Telegraph

EastEnders was the biggest draw with 13.9 million people tuning in for the second half of a double bill, making it the most watched show of the year so far.
The programme, which focused on the discovery of Stacey Branning’s affair with her father-in-law, attracted 55.3 per cent of the total audience share, according to overnight viewing figures.
The Dr Who Christmas special starring Kylie Minogue as a waitress on the Titanic came second with 12.2 million viewers compared with 8.7 million last year.

A nation online says the front page of the Times this Boxing day morning

Internet shopping signalled its growing domination of Britain’s consumer habits yesterday as millions began their annual sales hunt from their armchairs.
More than 3.5 million shoppers – 770,000 more than attended Anglican church services – racked up total online sales of around £53 million in what was retailers’ busiest Christmas Day ever.
The maturing online market-place even prompted high street retailers, who year-on-year are losing a greater share of pre-Christmas sales to internet ventures, to join the festive fray.

Shopping frenzy as store discounts hit 70pc says the Telegraph

Shoppers are expected to flock to the high street as a host of big-name shops open their doors with record price cuts, averaging 54 per cent, industry experts say.

Holiday price war bonanza says the front page of the Express

The papers as usual report on yesterday's speeches

Human greed is a threat to the planet, warns Williams says the Independent

A stark warning that human greed is threatening to destroy the environment was issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his Christmas message, while the leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales appealed to people to be more welcoming to immigrants.
Dr Rowan Williams appealed to Christians to do more to safeguard the planet, saying it should not be used "as a warehouse of resources to serve humanity's selfishness".

Forces tribute in Queen's Christmas message says the Telegraph

In my experience, the positive value of a happy family is one of the factors of human existence that has not changed,” the Queen said.
“The immediate family of grandparents, parents and children, together with their extended family, is still the core of a thriving community.
“When Prince Philip and I celebrated our Diamond Wedding last month, we were much aware of the affection and support of our own family as they gathered round us for the occasion.”

IT'S ABOUT TIME WE STARTED CARING says the Express

With a Christian theme, the head of the Church of England spoke of how Mary, Joseph and the newborn Jesus were a family who were shut out. The Queen urged people to take care of those cut off from society.
“The Christmas story also draws attention to all those people who are on the edge of society - people who feel cut off and disadvantaged; people who, for one reason or another, are not able to enjoy the full benefits of living in a civilised and law-abiding community,” she said.
“For these people, the modern world can seem a distant and hostile place. “It is all too easy to ’turn a blind eye’, ’to pass by on the other side’, and leave it to experts and professionals.


Britain should be more welcoming to immigrants, says head of UK Roman Catholic Church says the Mail

Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Archbishop of Westminster, used his Christmas Homily to highlight the needs of the excluded and the importance of Christian compassion towards the less fortunate.
He delivered his message at Westminster Cathedral, London during Midnight Mass and broadcast live on BBC Radio 4.

The Telegraph leads with the report that

Britain in secret talks with the Taliban

Agents from MI6 entered secret talks with Taliban leaders despite Gordon Brown's pledge that Britain would not negotiate with terrorists, The Daily Telegraph can disclose.An intelligence source said: "The SIS officers were understood to have sought peace directly with the Taliban with them coming across as some sort of armed militia. The British would also provide 'mentoring' for the Taliban." adding that

The disclosure comes only a fortnight after the Prime Minister told the House of Commons: "We will not enter into any negotiations with these people."

Western diplomats expelled from Kabul reports the Independent

Michael Semple, the acting head of the European Union mission in Afghanistan and a close confidant of Britain's ambassador, Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, and Mervin Patterson, the third-ranking United Nations official in the country.They were accused of threatening Afghanistan's national security. President Hamid Karzai's spokesman, Humayun Hamidzada, said the two were " involved in some activities that were not their jobs".
The men were ordered out of Afghanistan after allegedly offering aid and development incentives to tribal elders in the Taliban heartlands. Diplomats say they were given until Thursday to leave, although there were hopes last night that a negotiated solution could be found as officials spoke of a " misunderstanding".

Royal Marines fight Christmas Day battle with Taliban - then march back to base wearing Santa hats reports the Mail

Royal Marines won a dawn firefight with Taliban on a Christmas Day sortie yesterday - then marched back to base in Santa hats.
The men of 40 Commando left their Afghan base at 4.30am - midnight in Britain - to probe rebel lines a few hundred yards from their camp.
It was only a matter of time before the insurgents attacked. As shots rang out, one commando joked: "Merry Christmas!"

The Telegraph reports that

Christians pack out Bethlehem for Christmas

Between 30-40,000 tourists were expected to visit the Church of the Nativity, built on the spot where Christians believe Jesus was born, over the holiday season, which stretches until the Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on Jan 7.
All of the town's 5,000 hotel rooms were booked for Christmas Eve and many hotels said they would be at capacity until the New Year.

Maddy coverage in the tabloids,the Mirror's front page

Hundreds call hotline after Maddy appeal

'We'll NEVER give up looking for Maddie,' say McCanns after saying Christmas Day prayers for her says the Mail

The couple and their two-year-old twins spent Christmas Day with relatives in North Yorkshire but their thoughts remained with Madeleine.
They took Sean and Amelie to Mass at St Stephen's Church in Skipton where they said special prayers for their little girl.

The Independent leads with

Drug promises end to migraine misery

A British doctor is leading a drugs trial that could spell the end of the misery endured by thousands of migraine sufferers. John Chambers, a consultant cardiologist at Guy's Hospital London, says that when, on a mere hunch, he tested clopidogrel, a simple clot-busting drug, on five patients plagued by migraines, it worked, in some cases, "spectacularly well

£1-a-day slimming pill that promises to make women drop a dress size will go on sale in months says the Mail's front page

A slimmming pill said to help women drop a dress size could be available over the counter within months.
Taking an Alli tablet with every meal is claimed to cause 50 per cent more weight loss than willpower alone.
The £1-a-day drug - the first of its kind to be sold without prescription - promises to cut the weight of men and women by between 5 and 10 per cent in four months

The Mirror reports on a Xmas tragedy

Killer husband's car horror

A husband bludgeoned his wife to death and left her body under the Christmas tree - then committed suicide by deliberately crashing his car.
Police found the blood-covered body of 63-year-old Susan Goswell lying among the presents and tinsel after arriving at her house to break the news of husband Roger's death.
He had been discovered critically injured behind the wheel of a Smart car that had smashed into a tree less than a mile away.

Secretary dies on dual carriageway 'after yobs pelt her car with stones' reports the Mail

The sister of a woman who died when her car careered off the road has said that her death was caused by stone-throwing yobs.
Suzanne Singer, 40, suffered multiple injuries when she lost control of her Vauxhall Corsa and smashed into a tree days before Christmas.
Police are investigating reports that teenagers were spotted on a bridge hurling stones and branches at the traffic below.

More Xmas cheer in most of the tabloids

Machette horror of sugarbabe

SUGABABE Amelle Berrabah’s boyfriend was last night seriously ill in hospital after his arm was almost hacked off in a savage machete attack.
Hardman Freddie Fuller, 25, was found lying in a pool of blood with his left arm “hanging by a thread” after the vicious Christmas Eve assault.

Arise Sir Parky says the front page of the Sun

TELLY legend Michael Parkinson will become a Sir after chatting his way through thousands of interviews with some of the world’s biggest stars.
Guests on his long-running show ranged from sporting greats like Muhammad Ali and George Best to political giants like Nelson Mandela.
His easy manner and relaxed style of questioning made him the top choice of interviewer among a host of global mega-stars during more than 3½ decades on TV. Parky’s knighthood will be revealed in Saturday’s New Year Honours list.

Finally the Sun reports that

A 50-STRONG gang of rampaging drunken Santas ransacked a cinema frightening customers, damaging property and swearing.
Police believe the Santas, who went on the rampage in New Zealand, were a group of university students.
They ran amok for through Hoyts Cinema complex in the South Island city of Christchurch on Saturday, manager Derek Rive said.
“As they ran through the complex they wrecked everything they could, the Christmas tree - they bowled everything over ... (they were) just absolute fools,” he said.

The Mail throws in some festive cheer on this Xmas eve with its front page claiming

The yule log jam: Thousands of gifts bought online won't arrive in time for Christmas Day

Hundreds of thousands of families face bitter disappointment tomorrow because presents bought online have not been delivered.
Failures by internet firms, Royal Mail and private delivery companies have affected a huge range of Christmas gifts including computer consoles, designer goods and children's toys.
More than two million parcels and letters are estimated to have been lost or delayed by Royal Mail alone.

Meanwhile the Telegraph reports that

Shoppers set to spend £2bn on Christmas Eve

Shoppers are set to spend more than £2 billion on Monday as almost half of all adults take to the high street for a last-minute spending spree.
Many people plan to take advantage of having Christmas Eve off work, while others have been forced into the shops after their internet orders failed to materialise because delivery companies are struggling to cope with the enormous demand.

Meanwhile

Fog causes chaos at airports and on roads

Fog blighted the Christmas travel plans of more than 17,000 air passengers yesterday as nearly 140 flights to and from Britain's two busiest airports were cancelled.
Roads in the east Midlands, northern England and Scotland were also affected. A pile-up involving 15 cars and a coach caused gridlock on the M5 near Bristol last night. The motorway was closed in both directions while fire crews cut a passenger free from the wreckage of a car. A woman was said to have suffered spinal injuries.


The dailies have a variety of headlines.According to the Times

Patients admitted to hospital simply to hit targets

Targets intended to cut long waits in hospital Accident and Emergency units have cost the NHS in England £2 billion over the past five years, an assessment of healthcare information has concluded.
The extra costs come from patients who are in danger of having to wait more than four hours in A&E – the target limit – and are admitted to hospital “just in case”. Many are later discharged the same day, suggesting they had no real need to be admitted, with today – Christmas Eve – having the highest proportion of patients sent out on the day of admission

The Guardian reports on

Iraq cover-up claims: MPs call for inquiry

MPs called yesterday for a full parliamentary inquiry into the British security company ArmorGroup after allegations made about its operations in Iraq by former employees. Two MPs have issued the call in response to claims that an employee had been told to withhold intelligence from the British armed forces and that the company had exaggerated the numbers of its employees on the ground

The Telegraph says that

Billions of pounds are being spent on schools in deprived districts in Labour strongholds at the expense of pupils in more affluent areas, new figures show.Over the past decade, inner-city boroughs have benefited most from a huge surge in spending on books, staff, teaching resources and facilities - with mixed results.
Almost all the local authorities that have seen the biggest increases in spending since 1997 are dominated by Labour councillors and MPs.

Familiar themes in the Mirror and the Express,

Presents from Madeleine with love says the front page of the former

Thousands of toys left for Madeleine McCann have been donated to orphans for Christmas by her brave parents.
The toys, placed on a war memorial in the McCanns' home village, have been parceled up and sent to needy youngsters in Eastern Europe.
A family friend said: "It would have been a shame if the toys had gone to waste. They've helped brighten the Christmas of a child who might have nothing."

Whilst the Express reports on the mystery of the Dad's missing gym bag

News of foreign elections in the qualities

Election triumph could herald Thaksin's return says the Guardian

The successor party of deposed Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra claimed victory last night in the first election since the military coup 15 months ago, fuelling fears of further political uncertainty.
The Thai election authority's unofficial tally with most votes counted showed that the People Power party (PPP) won 228 seats, less than an outright majority in the 480-seat parliament, but well ahead of its key rival, the Democrat party, which was headed for just 166.

Ousted leader to return in triumph after voters humiliate the generals says the Times

Race for Kenya's presidency splits along tribal lines reports the Independent

With just three days to go until Kenya's presidential election, the race is too close to call. One-time allies President Mwai Kibaki and Raila Odinga are neck and neck in a campaign that has been dominated by questions of tribal allegiances.
The two front-runners put ethnicity aside five years ago, uniting to break Kanu's monopoly on power since Kenya won independence from Britain in 1963. But the spirit of co-operation survived just three years. Mr Odinga was incensed that Mr Kibaki failed to keep an alleged promise to create a prime minister position for him. He left the cabinet and hit the campaign trail.

The Telegraph reports

UK troops prepare for Christmas in Afghanistan

Christmas morning will start early for British soldiers facing the Taliban in the First World War-style trenches that criss-cross southern Afghanistan.About 7am at Garmser, the most southerly British frontline positions in Helmand province, the sandbagged fighting positions are likely to receive their first incoming fire of the day.



nine NHS trusts admit security breaches says the Times

At least 168,000 patients have been affected by the breaches, which came to light during a data security review by the Government.
The Department of Health said that patients had been told of the losses and that there was no evidence that data had fallen into the wrong hands.

Now they've managed to lose the health records of hundreds of thousands of NHS patients says the Mail

The Sun carries a front page exclusive

Alesha-Strictly saved my life

JOYFUL Alesha Dixon told yesterday how she transformed herself from suicidal wreck to dancing queen in 12 extraordinary months.
The gorgeous Strictly Come Dancing winner was in the depths of despair last Christmas.
The former Mis-Teeq singer had discovered her husband, ex-So Solid Crew member MC Harvey, was cheating on her with pop pal Javine Hylton. And days later, her record company dumped her.

Another reality winner in the Telegraph

Leon Jackson claims Christmas number one

X Factor winner Leon Jackson has fought off competition from The Pogues festive classic to claim the Christmas number one.The Scottish star's debut single When You Believe out-sold its rivals when 275,000 copies were snapped up this week - more than the rest of the top ten combined.

Police doubt Manchester United 'rape' reports the Mirror

The model at the centre of the Manchester United rape claim may have wrongly identified defender Jonny Evans as the alleged attacker, police said last night.
Detectives quizzing the 26-year-old believe "serious inconsistencies" have cropped up in her account of the 4am incident at the team's Christmas party last week.

Soccer lies in the gutter says the Sun

SEX-shame England star Micah Richards was yesterday facing a grilling after dragging soccer back into the gutter.
A video shows the footballer and an unnamed Premier league pal romping with a teenage fan in a disabled TOILET.
In the 87-second clip the Manchester City star is seen having sex with the girl while she pleasures his friend.

Staying with the Sun,it reports that

HATED Yorkshire Ripper Peter Sutcliffe screamed in terror as a knifeman tried to gouge out his only eye.
Evil Sutcliffe, who had lost his left eye in a previous attack, was told: “I’ll blind your f****** other one.”
Crazed killer Patrick Sureda, 41, leapt at him in a dining hall at Broadmoor top security hospital on Saturday, yelling: “You f****** raping, murdering bastard.”

According to the Times

Ivy League generosity is luring brightest away from Oxbridge

A record number of talented British teenagers are snubbing Oxbridge and applying to Ivy League universities, lured by more substantial American bursaries. Students from families whose household income is £90,000 qualify for financial assistance at Harvard. It also recently raised its threshold for free tuition and board for the poorest students.

To politics and the Guardian reports

Blair's Respect agenda ditched, claim Tories

Ministers are accused by the Tories of airbrushing out of existence Tony Blair's Respect agenda, once seen as the spearhead of the government campaign against antisocial behaviour.
In a significant change since Gordon Brown took over from Blair, the government has closed down its Respect taskforce, and its head, the high-profile civil servant Louise Casey, has moved to a job inside the Cabinet Office looking at community policing.

The Mail claims

Gordon Brown's £144bn spending spree could land each household with £5,500 more tax

Gordon Brown is on a collision course with the Treasury after racking up spending commitments of more than £140billion since he came to power.
Senior officials are anxiously tracking the impact of more than 130 promises made by the Prime Minister that will test the public finances to the limit.

Poll shock for Brown as voters say it's time for change says the Indy

Voters believe it is "time for change" and that the next government should be a Conservative one, according to an opinion poll for The Independent.
The survey by ComRes shows that David Cameron is seen as the best Prime Minister for Britain, as more likeable than Gordon Brown and as having the best frontbench team. But Mr Brown is ahead on the economy.
The most striking finding is that 48 per cent of the public agree with the statement that "it's time for change and the next government should be a Conservative one", while only 36 per cent would prefer a Labour administration to a Tory one.



The Telegraph has an interview with the new Lib Dem leader

How Nick Clegg plans to shake up Westminster

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, his first as leader, he set out his strategy and policies for the new year.
Mr Clegg repeatedly attacked the Tory leader - while hardly mentioning Gordon Brown - and his major policies on family and tax appear aimed squarely at wooing traditional Conservative voters.

Finally the Telegraph tells us

Real Scrooge 'was Dutch gravedigger'

According to Sjef de Jong, a Dutch academic, the Charles Dickens character may have been inspired by the real life of Gabriel de Graaf, a 19th century gravedigger who lived in Holland.
De Graaf, a drunken curmudgeon obsessed with money, was said to have disappeared one Christmas Eve, only to emerge years later as a reformed character

Pay rises and Catholisism are the topics on this last Sunday before Xmas.

The Mail leads with the news that

MPs demand inflation-busting 10 per cent pay rise

A political furore erupted last night after it was revealed that MPs are demanding an inflation-busting wage increase of up to £6,000 a year.
The Mail on Sunday has learned that Labour and Tory MPs have formed a secret pact which makes a mockery of Gordon Brown's call for wage restraint by forcing through a record pay deal for themselves in the New Year.
One reason for the big claim is that many Labour MPs fear they will lose their seats at the next Election - and want to boost their Commons pension rights before it is too late.

The Express meanwhile reports on the

POLICE PAY REBEL’S COLD SHOULDER

HOME Secretary Jacqui Smith has been accused of freezing out a bodyguard who wrote a cheeky message about pay on the frosty windscreen of her ministerial car.
Well-placed sources say the officer wrote “2.5 per cent” on the Jaguar’s glass – a pointed reference to the police pay demand that she has reduced to 1.9 per cent.

Meanwhile the papers are full of Tony Blair's conversion

Here comes trouble, Father says the Times

John Prescott had a barbed response yesterday when he heard that his old boss Tony Blair had at last converted to Catholicism.
“Well, it doesn’t come as any surprise to me,” said the former deputy prime minister. “Good luck to him and his family. Of course, there was a point when Tony was walking around with a Koran and a Bible. It looks like Catholicism has won out in the end.”
Some Catholics were not smiling, however. There have long been objections among some of the faithful to the welcoming into their church of a prime minister who pushed through legislation that was at odds with its teaching.

Blair's plan to convert started in No 10 says the Observer

Tony Blair began formal instructions to convert officially to Roman Catholicism four months before leaving office, it emerged last night, after it was confirmed that the former Prime Minister had achieved his long-held desire to leave the Anglican church and adopt the Catholic faith.
He was formally accepted into the church during a Mass led by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, head of Catholics in England and Wales, at Archbishop's House, Westminster, on Friday night. Before receiving full communion, Blair, now a Middle East peace envoy, would have had to confess all his sins.


Britain has become a 'Catholic country' is the top story in the Telegraph

Roman Catholics have overtaken Anglicans as the country's dominant religious group. More people attend Mass every Sunday than worship with the Church of England, figures seen by The Sunday Telegraph show.Last night, leading figures gave warning that the Church of England could become a minority faith and that the findings should act as a wake-up call.

The Times leads with the news that

Royal Mail loses 2m presents

ROYAL MAIL faces an angry consumer backlash this weekend over more than 2m parcels and letters lost or delayed in the Christmas post.
Customers across the country are in danger of being left without their presents as postal workers are overwhelmed by the £10 billion boom in online shopping. The backlog has allegedly been compounded by postal workers deliberately failing to deliver presents to save time on their rounds.

Xmas dominates the Independent

Britons seek greener Christmas and a planet-friendly new year

Britain is embarking on its greenest Christmas, according to an astonishing series of studies.
Four separate surveys show that most people are promising to make their celebrations more environmentally friendly to reduce the impact of what are traditionally the most polluting three days of the year – and to make green resolutions for the new year.

adding

Three-quarters say that they are actively trying to reduce the amount of waste they generate over the holiday, four in five mean to dispose of their Christmas tree in an environmentally responsible way, and nine out of 10 intend to recycle their Christmas cards and wrapping paper. More than 80 per cent say they have decided to live greener lives in 2008.

Meanwhile the paper reports that

On Santa Claus's trail: one billion people will log on to track his progress

When Santa Claus leaves the North Pole to begin his epic delivery tomorrow, he will be tracked closely by radar and satellite, and by jet fighters following the sleigh. And this Christmas Eve there will be more men and women and boys and girls watching than ever, as the website showing his progress around the world in real time expects a billion hits.
"Norad Tracks Santa" – run by the deadly serious North American Aerospace Defense Command – has become a massive festive phenomenon. For one night only each year, the organisation set up to defend the US from incoming missiles sets its sights on Santa.

Many of the papers report

YouTube to air Queen's Christmas message

Fifty years after her first televised Christmas broadcast, the Queen today embraces the technology of the 21st century by launching her own channel on YouTube, the global video-sharing website.says the Telegraph

How the Queen became very well connected reports the Observer

While aides were utterly convinced it was the way forward, the 81-year-old Queen - who only recently mastered emailing and had never used a personal computer until two years ago - was not immediately acquainted with the YouTube phenomenon. But after the concept was explained to her by, among others, her granddaughters Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie - both avid Facebook fans - she personally approved the channel's go-ahead after viewing its contents.

The Mail reports that

Binmen lose their Christmas tips as householders fume over fortnightly collections

growing resentment over fortnightly rubbish collections and complex recycling arrangements have sapped public goodwill so much that a Christmas present for the dustman is now a rarity.
Binmen say the worst areas for tips this year are parts of the country where there have been the strongest protests against misguided attempts by town halls to push up recycling rates, usually by forcing residents to put out different material on different days in different coloured bags.


Millions head for warmer shores as Christmas begins reports the Observer

Airports were struggling to recover from the effects of heavy fog yesterday, the busiest travel day of the Christmas holiday. Thousands of passengers had been stranded on Friday by a 'white out' that prevented planes from flying at either Gatwick or Southampton airports and caused diversions away from London's easterly terminals, Stansted and City. More fog was predicted to move in last night, and there were warnings of dangerous driving conditions.

Whilst the Telegraph reports on

The eCard vs the traditional Christmas card

Britain is falling out of love with the Christmas card. The number of festive cards bought in High Street shops has dropped by 20 million in the past two years.The fall has been blamed on the rise of the "eCard" - an electronic greeting sent over the Internet or by mobile phone and increasingly popular with young people who say it is easier, cheaper and more environmentally-friendly than traditional cards.






It leads with a report that

Crackdown urged on rip-off web ticket touts

Internet auction sites such as eBay are colluding with ticket touting gangs to obtain seats for top sports events and concerts, which are then sold to fans at rip-off prices, an inquiry by MPs has found.
Web-based black market ticket agencies collaborate with rings of touts who obtain large numbers of seats then sell them online, the Culture, Media and Sport select committee will claim next month

The Express reports on

FILTH OF ‘THIRD WORLD’ HOSPITAL

BLOODY bandages encrusted with deadly MRSA have been used repeatedly in a hospital – threatening 21,000 patients.
Politicians have demanded an inquiry after a study found two thirds of tourniquets were never washed, most were soiled or bloodied, and some were re-used for four years.

It was no suprise that the tabloids would follow up on the football sex allegations and the News of the World claims an exclusive

England ace in sex roast shame

ENGLAND ace Micah Richards has been caught ‘roasting' a young girl fan in a sick sex video passed to the News of the World.The Manchester City star and a Premier League pal filmed themselves on a mobile phone during the depraved hotel toilet romp in the latest scandal to rock English soccer.
Richards is today exposed as a vile animal captured on video "roasting" a teenage fan in a toilet with a pal.
The star player and his Premier League friend, grinning broadly with debauched pleasure, have sex with the girl at the same time while filming themselves on a mobile phone.

The Mirror meanwhile reports on

COLEEN'S WEDDING THREAT

Coleen McLoughlin has threatened to call off her wedding to Wayne Rooney over his antics at the notorious Manchester United Christmas party.
She was furious when she heard about the sordid bash where girls had orgies with first-team players - and fiance Roo asked two girls if they had ever had a threesome.
A pal said: "She started screaming and shouting, 'How could you do this to me? Don't ever, ever do this again. If you do, the wedding's off'.

Back to more normal matters and the Times reports that

Branson gets £24m for running late trains

SIR RICHARD BRANSON has pocketed a £24m payout from Virgin Rail as his passengers face fare rises of up to 9% and some of the worst punctuality rates in the country.
Branson and Virgin Rail’s other main shareholder, Stagecoach, are sharing a dividend of nearly £48m, more than double the firm’s profits.
Virgin Rail says the payout reflects its success in attracting more passengers. However, Branson has been accused of exploiting government handouts for the railways. “He is stripping the company of cash while saying at the same time I need more public subsidy,” said Richard Murphy, director of Tax Research, an independent consultancy.

The Telegraph reports that

Labour's Keith Vaz in inquiry over Tamil rally

A senior Labour MP has become embroiled in an investigation by anti-terrorism police after speaking at a rally in which suicide bombers were praised, The Sunday Telegraph has learnt.News of the inquiry has put pressure on Keith Vaz, the former Labour minister who heads the all-party home affairs select committee, to defend his decision to speak at last month's rally at London's ExCeL exhibition centre in support of the Sri Lankan breakaway movement, the Tamil Tigers.

Watchdog called in over Tory donors says the Independent

The Electoral Commission is to be asked to investigate the Conservatives' network of financial supporters. The Labour MP Kevan Jones, who has been investigating Tory finances, said he would be writing to the elections watchdog to request more information after it emerged that the son of a controversial Guernsey-based donor has handed the party more than £500,000.


Alarmed allies warn Brown of defeat and call for fightback says the Observer

One of Gordon Brown's closest allies, the Fabian Society, has said that the Conservatives are the favourite to win the next general election and called on the embattled leader to begin the fightback.
'The government's autumn horribilis has made Gordon Brown the underdog,' Sunder Katwala, the society's general secretary, wrote in an article to be published in next month's Fabian Review. 'The country must now hear his public argument for a Labour government.'

Lebanon's new low as leader talks fail reports the same paper

Lebanon's political crisis deepened this weekend after the failure for the 10th time by rival parties to agree on a way to elect a President. Some say the latest postponement meant that the opportunity to find a replacement for Emile Lahoud, who stood down on 23 November, had been lost forever.

The Times reports that

Iraqi villagers battle to hold off Al-Qaeda

THIS is the front line of the war with Al-Qaeda. In other parts of Iraq their fighters are like ghosts, using car bombs and remotely triggered mines to deadly effect but rarely revealing themselves. In Diyala, Al-Qaeda troops are seizing villages in house-to-house battles that have plunged the province into an unacknowledged war.
Last week, about 200 Al-Qaeda fighters overran the neighbouring Shi’ite village of Sufayet and refugees streamed into Dojama with terrible tales. “An Al-Qaeda man shot my uncle in the street in front of our house,” said 10-year-old Abdullah Khaled, illustrating his point with his toy machinegun.

France fears arrival of cigarette-smoking ban reports the Telegraph

The authentic French bistro-dweller's look of perpetual anguish requires that the eyes be directed upwards, the corners of the mouth drawn downwards, and a crumpled cigarette balanced vaguely on the horizontal.The day of reckoning has arrived for Europe's most incorrigible smokers. On January 1, it will become illegal to light up in bars, restaurants or nightclubs, and as the deadline nears, a palpable sense of panic is taking hold.

The Mail reports on

Downsizing Jordan: How Katie Price shrank her assets in time for Christmas

Some may consider it a strange Christmas present to receive from your loved one, but then so little appears to be normal in the world of model Katie Price and her husband Peter Andre.
Mr Andre has paid for his wife, more famously known as Jordan, to have a breast reduction in time for the festive period.

Jordan boob reduction says the Mirror

And the same paper reports on

Kate's Xmas fun

Kate Middleton is spending Christmas away from Prince William - on the celebrity island of Mustique.
While William, 25, tucks into turkey at Sandringham, Kate will be enjoying the sunshine and luxurious surroundings of the Caribbean hideaway.
The island - made famous by the late Princess Margaret who owned a villa there - is now a hotspot for the rich and famous.

Pay £100,000 or we kidnap Amy reports the News of the world

GANGLAND mobsters are threatening to KIDNAP troubled rock star Amy Winehouse unless they get a ransom of £100,000.
Jailbird villains put the squeeze on the singer's terrified hubby Blake Fielder-Civil as he languishes in prison awaiting trial.
Now he has sent Amy a frantic warning: Be on your guard and stay safe.


Finally back to the Xmas theme and the Sindy reports from

Christmas in Bethlehem (Bethlehem, Carmarthenshire, that is)

Away on a playmat, no crib for a bed, the little lad Emyr lays down his sweet head. The stars in the bright sky look down on a baby in Bethlehem again this Christmas ... but the shepherds are more likely to be watching telly by night than their flocks.
The sheep are safe enough because this Bethlehem is a tiny farming village in Carmarthenshire, west Wales, not the one on the West Bank. There are only 16 settlements of that name on the planet, and the one where little Emyr McCrae Jones lies gurgling is among the smallest: just a cluster of homes and surrounding farms. It is, however, the second most famous.

Strikes to bring ten days of flights chaos reports the Times this morning

More than a million airline passengers face cancelled flights in the new year after a union announced strikes that could force seven airports, including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted, to close.
Additional cabin crew strikes on Virgin Atlantic mean that passengers face more than a week of disruption from January 7 to 17.

The Telegraph reports that

The travel plans of more than a million people have been thrown into disarray by a planned walkout by workers at seven of the country’s largest airports.The difficulties will be heightened thanks to a walkout on the same days by PCS, which represents white collar managerial staff at the airports.

The Guardian leads with

Ministers ordered to assess climate cost of all decisions

Coal-fired power stations, airport expansions and new road schemes could all be put on hold following a decision by Gordon Brown that ministers must in future take account of the true economic cost of climate change damage.
Ministers have been instructed to factor into their calculations a notional "carbon price" when making all policy and investment decisions covering transport, construction, housing, planning and energy.

The Independent's front page announces

London, capital of the world

London has topped the most exhaustive comparison ever compiled of the world's great cities in a finding that sees Britain's capital outstrip global rivals as a centre of economic performance and cultural significance.
Following months of research of population figures, financial markets, tourism trends, transport facilities and data relating to sports and arts events and transport, the study comes to a dramatic conclusion: London is the world's capital city.

The Tabloids all lead with the same story and the same headline

'Be brave sweetheart'

The Mail reporting that

Kate McCann sent her missing daughter a heart-rending Christmas message last night, telling her: "Be brave sweetheart.
"Our only Christmas wish is for you to be back with us again and we're hoping and praying that that will happen. Love you Madeleine."
Her face lined with exhaustion and despair, 39-year-old Mrs McCann also made an extraordinary appeal to any abductor holding the four-year-old girl, begging them to end "all this despair and anguish".
She struggled to control her emotions as she said: "You hold the key. At this time of year, when so many families are coming together, we beg you to help us be reunited with Madeleine.

The Sun adding that

Filming stopped several times as Kate struggled to hold back her tears.

Omagh acquittal prompts review of DNA cases reports the Independent

An urgent review into thousands of criminal cases was launched by the Crown Prosecution Service yesterday after the credibility of an advanced form of DNA testing was called into question by the judge in the collapsed Omagh bomb trial.
All current cases in which Low Copy Number (LCN) DNA testing forms part of the evidence will be immediately scrutinised after the acquittal on all charges of Sean Hoey, the only man brought to trial for the 1998 attack in which 29 people died.

The Guardian reporting that

Tony Lake, chief constable of Lincolnshire who speaks for the Association of Chief Police Officers on forensic science matters, said the police were studying the implications of the Omagh case which was thrown out over doubts about the low copy number evidence. "Whilst this is being considered, the police are operating an interim suspension of the use of the LCN DNA testing service," he said.

Ian Blair 'never considered resigning' over de Menezes says the Telegraph adding

The family of Mr de Menezes, 22, who was shot dead by police marksmen the day after a series of failed suicide bomb attempts on London underground, said Sir Ian's remarks were "deeply offensive".

The Times reports that

First-time buyers are scarcer than at any time for 30 years

The number of first-time buyers has fallen to its lowest since 1980 as rising house prices have forced prospective homeowners to rent properties or live with their parents.
About 300,000 people bought their first home this year, down from 532,000 in 2002, a report from Halifax, the UK’s biggest mortgage lender, shows.

High Street stores slash prices in attempt to lure Christmas shoppers says the Mail

Prices have been slashed by up to 75 per cent at some of the country's biggest chains in a last-ditch effort to get consumers spending.
Many families have been squeezed by the impact of higher interest rates and household bills, particularly for food and transport.
Retail analysts say desperate measures are needed to counter the fact that shopper numbers this week have been running below last year.

ELBOWS AT THE READY FOR SALES OF THE CENTURY says the Express

STRUGGLING stores are resorting to “brutal” price cuts in an attempt to boost dismal pre-Christmas sales.
Shoppers heading out for last-minute presents over the next three days will enjoy a bargain bonanza.

Meanwhile the Telegraph reports that

Two-week break to cost economy £21bn

The financial blow will be £3 billion worse than last year because many bosses plan to give their employees all or part of Christmas Eve off, even though it would normally be a working day.
The Christmas exodus gets under way today amid warnings the country's groaning infrastructure will grind to a halt.

The Independent reports that

Japan abandons humpback whale hunt after international outcry

Japan dropped the planned taking of 50 humpbacks at the behest of the United States, which chairs the International Whaling Commission (IWC), said Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura. He said the suspension would last a year or two but that there would be "no changes" to Japan's stance on research whaling itself.

Songbirds fly free as China turns its back on 2,000 years of history reports the Times

A new law banning the trade in seven species of wild birds takes effect on January 1. The aim is to try to save China's dwindling numbers of birds. It will also undermine the bustling local markets that are a familiar sight across Chinese cities and towns.
The change in rules signals the likely demise of an integral aspect of Chinese life that dates back to the Han dynasty. Anyone who already has a bird will be allowed to keep it.

50 killed in suicide bombing at mosque reports the Guardian

More than 50 people were killed yesterday when a suicide attacker detonated a bomb at a crowded mosque near the home of Pakistan's former interior minister on one of Islam's major holidays.
The bomber blew himself up as worshippers held prayers on the holy day of Eid al-Adha at the mosque inside Aftab Khan Sherpao's compound in Sherpao, a village 20 miles from Peshawar, in Pakistan's North-West Frontier province. The holiday marks the end of the annual hajj pilgrimage in the city of Mecca.

$40bn Putin 'is now Europe's richest man' says the Telegraph

President Vladimir Putin of Russia has been likened to an African plutocrat after a controversial political scientist claimed that he had acquired control of £20 billion in energy assets - enough to make him Europe's richest man.

Staying with the paper it tells

All heart transplants suspended in Scotland

after mortality rates more than doubled. Four patients out of 11 who have received transplants at the Glasgow Royal Infirmary - the only heart transplant unit in the Scotland - this year died within a month of the operation.

Queen is poorly educated and philistine, says Starkey reports the Guardian

in a week in which the Queen overtook Victoria as Britain's longest-lived monarch, Starkey has delivered a less than rose-tinted verdict on the head of state, accusing her of philistinism and being uninterested in her predecessors, largely due to being poorly educated.
"I think she's got elements a bit like Goebbels in her attitude to culture," the historian told the Guardian. "You remember: 'Every time I hear the word culture I reach for my revolver.' "

The Sun continues to rack up the Man United party

3 Man U stars roasted girl No 2

THE girl “roasted” by Manchester United players at their Christmas party bragged drunkenly afterwards: They said I was great in bed.
The pretty reveller, aged around 19, had just had sex with five or six men, including three United players.
Their jeers and her moans were overheard by a sickened party guest.

Staying on the football front the Mail reports

Lineker clinches £10m TV deal - and is caught in a clinch with stunning girlfriend half his age

As you shiver into the weekend, facing travel chaos and festive frenzy, spare a thought for Gary Lineker.
Having just signed a new deal with the BBC for about £10million, he's been strolling in the Florida sunshine with a stunning model nearly half his age on his arm.
Yes, it's tough – but someone has to do it.

Finally many of the papers carry the story of

REAL-LIFE FAWLTY IS FLOORED BY A GUEST the Express reporting

A REAL-life Basil Fawlty was beaten up by a hotel guest in an attack that mirrored an episode of the TV sitcom.
Eccentric Andy Hageman was punched and kneed in the groin by the man who complained of late-night noise.
Magistrates heard how he was wrestled to the floor at the reception by the man who said a wedding party had turned the Mortons House Hotel into “bedlam”.

Both the Times and the Guardian lead with the release of 3 britons from Guantánamo bay

Guantánamo three held on return to UK says the Guardian

Three men released from Guantánamo Bay after five years yesterday were being held by British police last night, even though, according to counter-terrorism sources, they are unlikely to face criminal charges in the UK.
Last night it emerged Spanish authorities have told British police they will seek to extradite two of the men - Jamil el-Banna and Omar Deghayes - who could face terrorism charges in Spain. El-Banna was last night arrested on behalf of the Spanish authorities. He was being questioned at a Luton police station and will appear before magistrates today.

three freed – and detained says the Times

Mr Deghayes and Mr Sameur are thought to have been arrested because of evidence that they had been in Afghanistan and Pakistan at the time of the fall of the Taleban in 2001. Mr el-Banna was treated more leniently because he had not been near the combat zone at that time. The British authorities are thought to be content to release all three after interview, but security sources told The Times that Mr el-Banna and Mr Deghayes could face a fast-track extradition to Madrid on terrorist charges. Lawyers for the men, who were allegedly tortured in Guantanamo, deny the allegations made by Spain and said they would fight extradition.

Another release from a US prison in the Independent

Scotsman free after 20 years on US death row

Kenny Richey, the Scottish national whose 20 years on Ohio's death row made him a cause célèbre for death penalty opponents, will walk free from prison today after the collapse of the murder case against him.
Mr Richey, now 42, has spent more than half his life insisting he had no responsibility for the death of his ex-girlfriend's two-year-old daughter, who perished in a fire in the tiny Ohio town of Columbus Grove in June 1986.

Kenny Richey to walk free after plea deal says the Telegraph

Kenny Richey, 43, whose conviction was overturned earlier this year, will be sentenced to time he has already served and could be back in Scotland on Saturday.
He has agreed to plead “no contest” to involuntary manslaughter, child endangering and breaking and entering.
The plea is a statement that no defence will be presented and does not amount to an admission of guilt, but is treated like a guilty plea by the courts.

The paper leads with

Drivers who use mobile phones face jail

Motorists caught using a hand-held mobile phone while driving could be jailed for two years under tough new guidelines issued today by prosecutors.Prosecutions will be brought if by using the equipment a motorist is judged to have posed a danger to other drivers, such as causing another car to swerve.

The fall out form the Man United Xmas party continues to take many column inches

I'm no rapist says the Sun

MANCHESTER United ace Jonny Evans insisted “I didn’t do it” after he was accused of rape.
The 19-year-old Northern Ireland international protested his innocence in a series of calls to close friends.
He rang round after a girl accused him of raping her at the club’s Christmas party.
Last night it was revealed a male pal of the alleged victim was headbutted by a Man U player on the dance floor at the ill-fated hotel bash.

The Mirror announces that

Man Utd boss bans Christmas

Furious United boss Sir Alex Ferguson banned all Christmas parties for his stars. The fiery Scot read the riot act to the players as they turned up to training yesterday morning.
A club source said: "He was seething when he heard what had supposedly gone on... and can you blame him? As far as Sir Alex is concerned the sort of night they had on Monday will be a thing of the past.
"There were a few shame-faced players who arrived at training... dreading coming face to face with the boss."

Don't panic, says Brown as he seeks to reassure voters reports the Guardian

Gordon Brown yesterday urged voters and anxious Labour MPs not to panic in the face of threats to the economy and a series of blunders that have questioned the competence of the government.
For the last monthly press conference of the year Brown brought along Alistair Darling, the chancellor, to reassure the public they were tackling the fallout from the run on Northern Rock, and dealing with the errors that the Labour donor and data loss problems had thrown up.

Brown defends handling of banking crisis says the Indpendent

Gordon Brown hinted at further cuts in interest rates yesterday after announcing he had consulted world leaders, including the US President George Bush, over the global banking crisis.


Meanwhile the Mail reports that

Shoppers get £1bn Christmas present after EU tells Mastercard to scrap illegal fees

Credit card companies have been told to slash the fees they charge shops for authorising sales.
The EU ruling should mean a fall in prices of up to £1billion a year in the UK.
Tesco alone pays £100million a year to the banks for processing credit and debit cards.
Brussels Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said she was delivering "an early Christmas present to consumers".

Luxury car prices to soar as EU cracks down on exhaust fumes reports the Times

Drivers face steep price rises for luxury cars under measures to force manufacturers to meet strict CO2 targets. Those who go green by buying a car with low emissions will be rewarded with savings on fuel over the lifetime of the vehicle, according to plans unveiled yesterday.
With several commissioners dissenting, the European Commission set a four-year phase-in period from 2012 for fines on manufacturers whose fleets exceed an average of 120 g/km of the main greenhouse gas blamed for global warming.

A common market for health reports the Independent

Europe stands on the brink of a historic decision to open its borders to medical tourism, casting a dramatic spotlight on the performance of the UK's health system against that of neighbouring countries.
Cancer treatment, heart surgery and hip replacements could be available, in certain circumstances, to UK citizens in any of the EU's 27 countries. Under the plans, they would have the right to seek treatment anywhere which offered quicker access to care than was available on the NHS, with the NHS picking up the bill.

GPs offered £150m for longer opening times says the Guardian

GPs in England will today be offered a £150m sweetener to persuade them to back Gordon Brown's plan for extending surgery opening hours into evenings and weekends, the Guardian has learned.
The Department of Health is understood to have approved a package of rewards for doctors who are prepared to provide a more flexible service.
However, some may feel the deal is not attractive because it involves redirecting existing bonus payments rather than new money. The offer will be presented to the British Medical Association's GP committee today, and talks continued last night between BMA chiefs and NHS Employers, representing local health trusts.

Many of the papers focus on the Diana inquest,the Express leads with

Charles plans to murder me

The first page, written in Diana’s distinctive large, rounded hand, was made public after it was discussed at the inquest into the deaths of the Princess and her lover Dodi Fayed.
It shows that at the time the letter was written, apparently in October 1996 – 10 months before her death – the Princess feared she was to be bumped off to clear the path for Prince Charles to marry their children’s nanny, Tiggy Legge-Bourke.


The Sun reports that

A SENSATIONAL handwritten letter by Princess Diana claiming Charles wanted to kill her in a car crash was revealed in full for the first time yesterday.
Diana scribbled the letter on headed paper in October 1996 warning her husband wanted her murdered so he could marry their children’s nanny.

Meanwhile the Mirror announces that

Diana 'was on Pill'

Princess Diana was on the Pill during her affair with Dodi Fayed, the inquest into their deaths heard yesterday.
Debbie Gribble, chief stewardess on the Faye downed yacht on which Di had three trips, said she saw packets of the contraceptive in her cabin.
Ms Gribble said: "They were clearly having a relationship and they were on board as a couple."

Betrayal of stay-at-home mothers: 8m women lose state pensions after Government u-turn reports the Mail

More than eight million women who took time out of work to care for their children have lost their chance of a full state pension after a Christmas u-turn by the Government.
Ministers have dropped plans to give women with a partial pension entitlement the chance to make up the shortfall before they retire, it emerged last night

The Telegraph carries an interview with David Cameron and George Osbourne

How Osborne gave David Cameron a free run

David Cameron and George Osborne reached a secret pact over who should run for the Tory Party leadership but ruled out any deal over the succession.The agreement will draw inevitable comparisons with the Granita pact made between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown over the Labour leadership at a north London restaurant.
But unlike the Blair Brown deal there was no agreement on who the succession and Mr Cameron pointedly refused to endorse Mr Osborne as his successor.

Meanwhile the Independent reports

I don't believe in God, says Clegg

Nick Clegg revealed that he does not believe in God as he sketched out his policy priorities on his first full day as leader of the Liberal Democrats. Asked: "Do you believe in God?" during a BBC Radio Five interview, Mr Clegg replied simply: "No." Later he issued a statement in an attempt to ensure that his answer did not offend people with religious beliefs.
Mr Clegg, whose Spanish wife, Miriam, is Catholic, said later: "I have enormous respect for people who have religious faith. I'm married to a Catholic and am committed to bringing my children up as Catholics... the last thing I would do when talking or thinking about religion is approach it with a closed heart or mind."

Archbishop says nativity 'a legend'says the Telegraph

The Archbishop of Canterbury said yesterday that the Christmas story of the Three Wise Men was nothing but a 'legend'.
Dr Rowan Williams has claimed there was little evidence that the Magi even existed and there was certainly nothing to prove there were three of them or that they were kings.

The Mirror reports that

BNP ballerina to marry BNP boss

BNP-supporting ballerina Simone Clarke is to wed Richard Barnbrook, one of the leaders of the racist party.
And all we can say is that the rabidly right wing pair deserve one another.
Their relationship began after Clarke, a 37-year-old principal dancer with the English National Ballet, was unmasked as a BNP member last December

News from abroad and the Times reports that

Top prosecutor says Zuma will face corruption charges soon

South Africa’s top prosecutor said today that there is enough evidence to prosecute Jacob Zuma, the new head of the ruling ANC, on allegations of corruption.
Hours before Mr Zuma was due to address the party in his first keynote speech as leader, the acting director of prosecutions said that he believed charges would be filed soon.
“We have enough of a case to bring to court,” Mokotedi Mpshe told 702 Talk Radio. Asked whether charges would be filed soon, Mr Mpshe replied: “Yes, that’s my impression".

In about turn, Bush signs climate change bill reports the Guardian

President George Bush, after years of holding out against proposals to combat climate change, yesterday signed into law an energy bill establishing higher fuel-economy standards for new cars and other conservation measures.
Bush described the bill as "a major step toward energy independence and easing global warming". The White House claimed it went part of the way to fulfilling promises made at the environmental conference in Bali last week.

Many of the papers report that

Putin is Time magazine's Person of the Year

He pipped four others to the title. Al Gore, the former US vice president who shared the Nobel Peace prize this year, was runner-up followed by JK Rowling, the Harry Potter author, President Hu Jintao of China and Gen David Petraeus, the commander of US forces in Iraq.
The award, often made to stoke controversy and supposed to be a recognition of influence rather than an honour, was given to the Russian president because he had reshaped a country that had "fallen off our mental map", according to Richard Stengel, Time's managing editor. says the Telegraph

Finally many of the papers report

Plaster of disguise: Bandaged Michael Jackson goes shopping in Las Vegas

Hat jammed on head, a shawl around the neck, those ever present sunglasses and a face covered in sticking plasters.
Yes, it's Michael Jackson on another "incognito" shopping trip.
Accompanied by his children Prince, 10; Paris, nine; and five-year-old Blanket, the troubled 49-year-old star enjoyed a late-night visit to a bookshop in Las Vegas. says the Mail

Sticko Jacko says the Sun

MICHAEL JACKSON goes Christmas shopping looking as if his face is held together with Post-it notes.
The one-time King of Pop resembled a horror movie extra - prompting fresh speculation he’s gone under the knife AGAIN.