A mixed bag of stories today across the front pages but the inside pages have a number of similar themes.

The story of the case at Woolwich crown court is covered in most of the papers

The Guardian headlines

Buried inside a Bruce Willis video, the evidence of a plot to kill thousands

Before listing Dhiren Barots proposed attacks

There was to be an explosion on a tube train under the Thames and bombs in limousines in underground carparks. A gas attack on the Heathrow Express and a radioactive dirty bomb to cause pandemonium were other chilling schemes, the court heard. In the US he had equally deadly plans for destruction and he filmed major financial buildings, including the World Trade Centre, during reconnaissance missions before the 9/11 attacks.

It leads though on the American mid term elections with the latest polls showing the Republicans clawing back some of the Democrat games ensuring a tight finish especially in the battle for control of the Senate

The Republicans were deploying their legendary machine last night to rouse the faithful and drive up turnout for midterm elections today, with activists buoyed by polls suggesting the party had recovered some lost ground in the final hours of the campaign.

In a contest that will help write the legacy of George Bush - as well as that of the man called his brain, the political strategist Karl Rove - thousands of party activists fanned out to battleground states, immersed in a $30m (£15.8m) drive to retain Republican control of Congress.

The Times though still continues to look at the meltdown situation for Bush saying that

America votes today in congressional elections that could turn George Bush into a “lame duck” President for his final two years of office, as well as having profound consequences for the future course of US foreign policy in Iraq and beyond.

The news that a Conservative Party candidate has been suspended following the emailing of a racist joke is featured heavily

The Times reports

A Conservative councillor has been suspended from the party after a racist e-mail was sent from her account that instructed foreigners to “P*** off — we’re full”.
Ellenor Bland, who stood as a parliamentary candidate in last year’s election, was reported to race relations watchdogs by Liberal Democrats who branded the message as offensive and deeply unpleasant.

The mail, sent from Ms Bland’s address, included a poem about Pakistani immigrants coming to Britain to claim benefits, along with a cartoon of the white cliffs of Dover bearing the offensive phrase. The text, entitled Illegal Immigrants Poem, describes how a
migrant comes to Britain “poor and broke” and makes money by claiming welfare benefits before inviting friends from his home country to join him. They take over the area after white neighbours move out.

The Guardian headlines

'I have Asian friends' - Tory councillor defends racist poem

Saying that Councillor Bland described the poem as lighhearted.

The Mirror describes it as

TORY CANDIDATE'S RACIST EMAIL SHAME

The Independent headlines with another racism story

An experienced Muslim firearms officer has begun race and religious discrimination proceedings against the Metropolitan Police after he was removed from a close-protection unit guarding senior dignitaries, including Tony Blair. Amjad Farooq, 39, a father of five, was told he was a threat to national security because his children had attended a mosque associated with a Muslim cleric linked to a suspected terrorist group.

The ramifications of Saddam Hussein’s death sentence continue to reverberate.

The Sun says

PM won't back Saddam hanging

But defended the right of Iraq to carry out the sentence.

The Mirror’s lead is

“A FATHER was being held on suspicion of murder last night after his two young children drowned in their bath.
Caitlin Samuel, five, and her three-year-old brother Aidan were found dead after their father Perry Samuel, 35, made a 999 call to police. Mr Samuel, who is separated from the children's mother Sarah”

The Star meanwhile returns to Big Brother with news that
BB Pete: I'll wed up a tree!

The Daily Mail has a differing lead story
Millions of children will become gambling addicts because ministers are 'naive' about the dangers posed by their casino reforms, one of the world's leading experts warned.
Prof Mark Griffiths hit out at Labour's refusal to ban children from using fruit machines, branding ministers 'extremely short-sighted' about the threat to the under 18s.