24th November

The death of the former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko last night is the top story in the Times and the Telegraph.

According to the former

“The poisoned Russian spy breathed defiance at the Kremlin as the effects of a mystery cocktail pushed him towards his death last night.

“I want to survive, just to show them,” Alexander Litvinenko said in an exclusive interview given just hours before he died.

Too weak to move his limbs and visibly in great pain, the former Russian intelligence officer suggested that he knew he may not win his struggle against the lethal chemicals destroying his vital organs. But he said the campaign for truth would go on with or without him.

“The bastards got me,” he whispered. “But they won’t get everybody.”

The Telegraph says that this now will be the start of an investigation by Scotland Yard.

“Senior anti-terrorist detectives from Scotland Yard will be involved in one of the most extraordinary suspicious death inquiries in recent years, a case that revives memories of the chilliest days of the Cold War.
To do so, the first step will be a detailed post mortem conducted by poisons experts from the Home Office. “

The Story is also the lead in the Mirror and the Sun

Poisoned Spy Dies

Says the Sun

The Guardian reflects on another bad day in Iraq.

Baghdad's day of sectarian death: five car bombs, 160 killed

“An indefinite curfew was imposed on Baghdad last night and its international airport closed after the city was convulsed by the deadliest sectarian violence since the US led war began in March 2003.

Suspected Sunni-Arab militants launched a salvo of five car bombs and two mortar rounds on one of the capital's poorest neighbourhoods, the densely populated Shia slum of Sadr City.

The car bomb and mortars exploded in rapid succession leaving carnage in their wake in three street markets. At least 160 people were killed and over 257 injured.
Shia militias responded immediately by launching 10 mortar rounds on Baghdad's main Sunni mosque, the Abu Hanifa mosque, blowing a hole in the dome, killing one person and wounding 14 others. Rounds were also fired at the headquarters of the country's top Sunni organisation, the Association of Muslim Scholars, which has close contacts with the insurgents”


It leads however with the story

Blair plans new social contract

“A new contract between the state and the citizen setting out what individuals must do in return for quality services from hospitals, schools and the police is one of the key proposals emerging from a Downing Street initiated policy review.”

An example of which is given as

“an expectation that a local health authority will only offer a hip replacement if the patient undertakes to keep their weight down. Parents might also be asked to sign individually tailored contracts with a school setting out what the parents must do at home to advance their child's publicly-funded education.”

The Independent leads with

Hewitt under pressure over mixed wards chaos

Ms Hewitt was forced to admit yesterday that the experiences of patients on mixed-sex wards did not tally with what trusts were telling her own department.
She has asked the Strategic Health Authorities, which oversee NHS trusts, to carry out checks and admitted that the use of partitioned areas to divide men and women on wards was "not good enough".

The Times has reported that

“Iran vowed yesterday to press ahead with a controversial nuclear reactor after the United Nations atomic watchdog refused to offer any technical aid in its construction.
In the latest round of the battle between the West and Tehran over its nuclear ambitions, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said that it would not help the Iranians to complete the Arak heavy water reactor, where they have asked for help in “security” expertise.”

The Guardian reports on our own nuclear ambitions

Cabinet unites behind decision to seek Trident replacement

“The decision, expected to be finalised in a fortnight, is backed by Gordon Brown and Tony Blair.
“Ministers have been told "the patch and mend option" might be more expensive in the medium term and would merely defer a necessary decision by a decade. The new system will be a submarine-based missile system, like Trident, since that is safer than having the missiles deployed on a land or air system.”

The Telegraph continues to promote the new David Cameron agenda,earlier this week it reports on his visit to Darfur today he will

“denounce the continued existence of poverty as a "moral disgrace" and pledge a future Conservative government to take action to tackle it.

In a speech to mark the 25th anniversary of the Scarman Report into the Brixton riots, the Conservative leader will argue that help should be extended not just to people who are poor in absolute terms but also those who are relatively less well off than the rest of society. “

The Independent reports from France where the Jacques Chirac

“has convinced himself that he is the only politician on the French right who can defeat the Socialist candidate, Ségolène Royal, in next year's presidential election.
Although he has not yet decided whether to run for a third term,M. Chirac, who is 74 next week, believes that only a "grandfather figure" can take on and deflate the pretensions of the "mother figure", Mme Royal.”

TheExpress’ front page is devoted to the controversy of the wearing of a religious cross by a British airways employee,a story that the paper has followed for some time.Now it has a cabinet minister on its side

“THE right of Christians to wear the cross was defended last night by the Leader of the House of Commons.The row over the British Airways’ ban grew as MPs heard that all Britons should be able to display their faith.Jack Straw, the Commons Leader, said the airline’s controversial dress policy was “inexplicable”. And he demanded fair and equal treatment for all religions.”

The same paper appears for once happy with a decision by the European court

EU saves booze cruise

THE booze cruise was saved yesterday as judges rejected a bid to allow internet shoppers to order cheap cigarettes and alcohol from overseas.The ruling was a blow for online bargain-hunters.But if the decision had gone the other way it would have cost Gordon Brown up to £10billion in lost excise duty, experts said.
Perhaps because“The fear was that he would have slapped an extra 3p on the basic rate of income tax to recoup the money.”

The Mirror reports that the Queen

“proved yesterday she really is in touch with the nation - as she put the boot into football's ego-mad superstars.

Her Majesty told Premier League chairman Sir David Richards that she loves the beautiful game - but made it clear she is as irritated as the rest of us by the diving and childish antics of the overpaid whingers.”

A story picked up by a number of the papers.

The Star quotes the words of Oasis star Noel Gallagher on its front page

Gum might say

“Luckily, a certain Mr Noel Gallagher isn’t shy when it comes to talking about the illicit produce that helped fuel his most creative years.And – despite being off the naughty stuff for more than eight years – the big Manc only has good things to say about narcotics. Even though his teeth started falling out and he found people he hated sitting in his front room.In fact, he takes great pleasure in ripping the mickey out of today’s crop of rockers for failing to handle their nose candy without seeking out help.”

Finally the Sun has an exclusive


It's the dog of the bay

“A KINKY businesswoman had sex on a beach with twin brothers in front of her hubby — and 14 other naked men.
Blonde Sharon Bull, 45, romped with 40-year-olds Peter and Richard Avella in turn — having sex with one while pleasuring the other.
The afternoon “dogging” show in an open-fronted tent was watched by her husband Simon and the other excited nudists, a court heard.”