FREE THEM is the headline in the Sun as the paper reports on the capture of 15 British sailors by the Iranians.
THE fifteen Britons dramatically kidnapped in the Gulf were being held captive last night by members of Iran’s extremist Revolutionary Guard.
The elite troops — loyal only to the nation’s ayatollahs — surrounded the Royal Navy group in six powerful gunboats yesterday after the British seamen boarded a small Arab craft they suspected of smuggling cars in Iraqi waters.
The eight sailors, including a Wren, and seven Royal Marines from HMS Cornwall swiftly realised any resistance against the armoured vessels mounted with heavy machine guns would have been pointless, defence sources said.
Instead they were “arrested” and taken to a nearby Iranian base.
The elite troops — loyal only to the nation’s ayatollahs — surrounded the Royal Navy group in six powerful gunboats yesterday after the British seamen boarded a small Arab craft they suspected of smuggling cars in Iraqi waters.
The eight sailors, including a Wren, and seven Royal Marines from HMS Cornwall swiftly realised any resistance against the armoured vessels mounted with heavy machine guns would have been pointless, defence sources said.
Instead they were “arrested” and taken to a nearby Iranian base.
Fifteen Royal Marines and sailors taken hostage by Iran headlines the Mail
Britain has demanded the immediate release of 15 sailors and marines captured by Iranian forces.
Their seizure at gunpoint in disputed waters between Iraq and Iran sparked a diplomatic crisis.
There are fears the group could be used as pawns in Tehran's battles with the West, especially efforts to free five Iranians held by U.S. forces in Iraq in January.
Their seizure at gunpoint in disputed waters between Iraq and Iran sparked a diplomatic crisis.
There are fears the group could be used as pawns in Tehran's battles with the West, especially efforts to free five Iranians held by U.S. forces in Iraq in January.
Free our sailors, UK tells Iran is the front page of the Guardian
Iran's ambassador to London, Rasoul Movahedian, was summoned to the Foreign Office and asked for an explanation of the incident, in which a British patrol conducting a routine search of traffic in the Shatt al-Arab waterway was surrounded by Iranian vessels and detained.
Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, said the British patrol had been inside Iraqi waters "in support of the government of Iraq to stop smuggling" and that the Iranian envoy "was left in no doubt that we want them back".
Margaret Beckett, the foreign secretary, said the British patrol had been inside Iraqi waters "in support of the government of Iraq to stop smuggling" and that the Iranian envoy "was left in no doubt that we want them back".
The Telegraph continues to lead on the Bob Woolmer story
Woolmer 'poisoned and strangled'
Police believe food or alcohol delivered to Mr Woolmer's hotel room in Jamaica after Pakistan's shock World Cup exit might have been poisoned to incapacitate him before he was killed.
Speculation that he was murdered to silence him before he blew the whistle on match-fixing in the game intensified yesterday.
The Daily Telegraph can disclose that Mr Woolmer was planning to write a book about cricket which would include a chapter on the issue.
Speculation that he was murdered to silence him before he blew the whistle on match-fixing in the game intensified yesterday.
The Daily Telegraph can disclose that Mr Woolmer was planning to write a book about cricket which would include a chapter on the issue.
WHY BOB? asks the Mirror
THE heartbroken family of murdered cricket legend Bob Woolmer told last night of their bafflement at his death.
Widow Gill and sons Russell, 24, and Dale, 27, spoke out as police became increasingly convinced that Woolmer was killed by a person or persons he knew - possibly by mistake.
It is believed the 58-year-old Pakistan coach and former England star may have been drugged before being strangled.
It is also feared he was murdered to prevent him publishing a book lifting the lid on cricket match-fixing.
A report suggested that a manuscript was missing from the hotel room where he was killed.
Widow Gill and sons Russell, 24, and Dale, 27, spoke out as police became increasingly convinced that Woolmer was killed by a person or persons he knew - possibly by mistake.
It is believed the 58-year-old Pakistan coach and former England star may have been drugged before being strangled.
It is also feared he was murdered to prevent him publishing a book lifting the lid on cricket match-fixing.
A report suggested that a manuscript was missing from the hotel room where he was killed.
Bob Woolmer and 14 missing hours: the riddle of what happened behind hotel door 374,reports the Times saying
As the enraged Pakistani fans burnt his effigy in the streets of Multan, screaming “Death to Bob Woolmer”, even the most maniacal would have been repulsed to know that at that moment, in a slightly shabby Caribbean hotel room, their wishes were being brutally granted.
With shouts for his death 8,000 miles away, Woolmer, the Pakistani cricket coach, was being throttled during a struggle of such violence that, when he finally lay lifeless on the white-tiled bathroom floor, the walls were splattered high and wide with vomit, his body was surrounded by pools of blood and excrement, and a bone in his neck had snapped.
With shouts for his death 8,000 miles away, Woolmer, the Pakistani cricket coach, was being throttled during a struggle of such violence that, when he finally lay lifeless on the white-tiled bathroom floor, the walls were splattered high and wide with vomit, his body was surrounded by pools of blood and excrement, and a bone in his neck had snapped.
Vaughan: Cricket is corrupt is the Sun's exclusive
ENGLAND captain Michael Vaughan last night claimed cricket is still corrupt as police probed a match-fixing link to the murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer.
Vaughan believes some international players take money to perform erratically.
Asked yesterday whether he believes match-rigging still exists, Vaughan said: “If I’m honest, yes, I think it does.”
Vaughan believes some international players take money to perform erratically.
Asked yesterday whether he believes match-rigging still exists, Vaughan said: “If I’m honest, yes, I think it does.”
Many of the papers report on the Internet suicide
Get on with it, said net audience as man hanged himself on webcam reports the Times
Kevin Whitrick logged on to an internet chat room and announced that he was going to commit suicide. He then switched on his webcam, stood on a chair, smashed through his ceiling to expose a joist, tied a rope around his neck and hanged himself.
Several visitors to the site thought that it was a hoax and egged him on, but one dialled 999. By the time police arrived at his flat, he was dead. The case is believed to be the first of its kind in Britain.
Several visitors to the site thought that it was a hoax and egged him on, but one dialled 999. By the time police arrived at his flat, he was dead. The case is believed to be the first of its kind in Britain.
Chatroom users 'egged on father to kill himself live on webcam' headlines the Mail
Officers rushed to the electrician's home in the Wellington area of Shropshire within minutes, smashing down the door to try to save him. But despite their efforts to save him, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Last night it emerged that Mr Whitrick had been suffering from depression after being badly injured in a car crash last year.
Friends said that the breakdown of his marriage with wife, Paula - with whom he had 12-year-old twins - and the recent death of his father had also been causing him some distress.
Last night it emerged that Mr Whitrick had been suffering from depression after being badly injured in a car crash last year.
Friends said that the breakdown of his marriage with wife, Paula - with whom he had 12-year-old twins - and the recent death of his father had also been causing him some distress.
According to the Mirror
DAVE'S BLOWN IT
DAVID Cameron might have to pull down his roof-top wind turbine after just one week.
The Tory leader's bid to go "green" has backfired because he has broken the original planning application and put the windmill in the wrong place.
Council bosses warn "enforcement action" may now be taken.
Diagrams show the wind turbine was meant to be attached to the left side of the chimney at Mr Cameron's home in Kensington, West London. Instead the turbine was put up one metre away from the agreed spot.
The Tory leader's bid to go "green" has backfired because he has broken the original planning application and put the windmill in the wrong place.
Council bosses warn "enforcement action" may now be taken.
Diagrams show the wind turbine was meant to be attached to the left side of the chimney at Mr Cameron's home in Kensington, West London. Instead the turbine was put up one metre away from the agreed spot.
Better news for the Tory leader in the Times though
Final Budget backfires for Brown as poll rating slumps
Gordon Brown’s public standing as the likely next prime minister has fallen sharply, according to a new poll for The Times.
The Populus poll, undertaken on Wednesday evening and Thursday as voters digested the Budget measures, shows that more than twice as many people think that they will pay higher rather than lower taxes than before.
The most worrying finding for Mr Brown is that the number of voters thinking that he will be a good prime minister has dropped from 40 to 30 per cent since last December. Over the same three months, the number believing that he will not be a good prime minister has risen by eight points to 57 per cent.
The Populus poll, undertaken on Wednesday evening and Thursday as voters digested the Budget measures, shows that more than twice as many people think that they will pay higher rather than lower taxes than before.
The most worrying finding for Mr Brown is that the number of voters thinking that he will be a good prime minister has dropped from 40 to 30 per cent since last December. Over the same three months, the number believing that he will not be a good prime minister has risen by eight points to 57 per cent.
Whilst the Express continues its attack on the Chancellor
40 NEW STEALTH TAXES
GORDON Brown brought in 40 new stealth taxes in his Budget, raising an extra £15billion a year.
Victims of the sneaky mugging range from charities to first-time home buyers, it emerged yesterday.After two days spent analysing the Budget report in detail, the Tories revealed that they had identified the 40 tax rises buried in the fine print.
Victims of the sneaky mugging range from charities to first-time home buyers, it emerged yesterday.After two days spent analysing the Budget report in detail, the Tories revealed that they had identified the 40 tax rises buried in the fine print.
The Independent has an African theme on its front page
Writers attack EU failure to end Darfur violence
A coalition of Europe's most eminent intellectuals today delivers a devastating critique of the failure to end the violence in Darfur by the European Union, as its politicians embark on a weekend of lavish 50th birthday celebrations.
In a letter to the 27 leaders of EU states gathering in Berlin and published by The Independent, 10 of the continent's leading writers and thinkers evoke the atrocities of Auschwitz and Srebrenica in their call for immediate action against the Sudanese regime.
The signatories - Sir Tom Stoppard, Seamus Heaney, Sir Harold Pinter, Dario Fo, Günter Grass, Umberto Eco, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Franca Rame and Václav Havel - demand that the EU imposes the "most stringent sanctions" on the leaders of Sudan.
In a letter to the 27 leaders of EU states gathering in Berlin and published by The Independent, 10 of the continent's leading writers and thinkers evoke the atrocities of Auschwitz and Srebrenica in their call for immediate action against the Sudanese regime.
The signatories - Sir Tom Stoppard, Seamus Heaney, Sir Harold Pinter, Dario Fo, Günter Grass, Umberto Eco, Bernard-Henri Lévy, Franca Rame and Václav Havel - demand that the EU imposes the "most stringent sanctions" on the leaders of Sudan.
Whilst also reporting on the latest developments in Zimbabwe
Mugabe's deputy arrives in South Africa for crisis talks
Amid widespread speculation about President Robert Mugabe's future, his deputy and potential successor arrived in South Africa for crisis talks yesterday.
Joice Mujuru, vice-president of the ruling Zanu-PF party, who has fallen out with Mr Mugabe, arrived in Johannesburg to hold emergency talks with her South African counterpart, Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, and possibly President Thabo Mbeki, The Independent has learnt.
The South African government played down the secretive meetings. Ronnie Mmoepa, the South African foreign affairs spokesman, said Mrs Mujuru was on a private visit so he could not reveal who she would be meeting.
Joice Mujuru, vice-president of the ruling Zanu-PF party, who has fallen out with Mr Mugabe, arrived in Johannesburg to hold emergency talks with her South African counterpart, Phumzile Mlambo Ngcuka, and possibly President Thabo Mbeki, The Independent has learnt.
The South African government played down the secretive meetings. Ronnie Mmoepa, the South African foreign affairs spokesman, said Mrs Mujuru was on a private visit so he could not reveal who she would be meeting.
It is the 50th Anniversary of the Treaty of Rome and the Guardian asks
Prosperity, peace and unity - and a midlife crisis
For decades Samy Swasebard has been wandering around Europe, peddling pots and pans. He always returns to Strasbourg where he has lived for 40 years. "This is my favourite place, the place I call home," says the 72-year-old, a retired Teflon salesman. "And if it wasn't for Europe, between them the Germans and the French would have destroyed this place."
Fought over for centuries, the city changed hands between the warring French and Germans four times within three generations until 1945. That a re-run of such horrors now appears inconceivable is due, at least in part, to the birth of the European Union 50 years ago this week.
Fought over for centuries, the city changed hands between the warring French and Germans four times within three generations until 1945. That a re-run of such horrors now appears inconceivable is due, at least in part, to the birth of the European Union 50 years ago this week.
Europe's leaders to announce new treaty reports the Telegraph
Tony Blair will join Europe's leaders today to declare, amid great pomp and ceremony, that "we the citizens" are ready for an EU Constitution Mark II within two years.
A "Berlin declaration" is the centrepiece of a weekend of grand and lavish celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the EU's original Treaty of Rome.
A "Berlin declaration" is the centrepiece of a weekend of grand and lavish celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the EU's original Treaty of Rome.
Not suprisingly the Mail reports on
50 years of surrender to the EU
Tonight the city of Berlin will be the scene for a very special party. A giant all-night 'rave'.
Thousands of young Berliners will be able to dance at 35 nightclubs across the German capital, to music played by 100 disc jockeys.
Special buses will be laid on to allow them to roam around the city until dawn. And all those happy teenagers will be treated to free beer and bratwurst.
The bad news is that the £1 million bill for all this fun and games is to be picked up by you and me.
Thousands of young Berliners will be able to dance at 35 nightclubs across the German capital, to music played by 100 disc jockeys.
Special buses will be laid on to allow them to roam around the city until dawn. And all those happy teenagers will be treated to free beer and bratwurst.
The bad news is that the £1 million bill for all this fun and games is to be picked up by you and me.
HALF OF EU HATE EURO says the Express
NEARLY half the people in countries using the euro want their old money back.
A poll also showed most European Union citizens want a referendum on any future treaty for a EU constitution.It comes as leaders prepare for a summit in Berlin where they will mark the 50th anniversary of the EU’s founding Treaty of Rome. They will also aim to revive institutional reforms.The survey of 17,000 people for British think-tank Open Europe showed 49 per cent of people in the 13 euro countries want to get rid of it.
Finally it is not just the Tory leader whose green credentials are being challenged,the Mail reports that
Prince Charles helps save the planet - with his chauffeur-driven Jaguar and Range Rover
He has been accused of failing to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to staking his claim as the country's greenest royal.
So when Prince Charles decided to let the train take the strain as he attended a series of engagements yesterday to highlight climate change, it appeared to be the answer to his critics.
Commuters on the 10.20am South West Trains service from London Waterloo to Woking were astonished to see the future king hop on board with his bodyguards and a secretary - although he did, admittedly, head for the First Class Carriage.
So when Prince Charles decided to let the train take the strain as he attended a series of engagements yesterday to highlight climate change, it appeared to be the answer to his critics.
Commuters on the 10.20am South West Trains service from London Waterloo to Woking were astonished to see the future king hop on board with his bodyguards and a secretary - although he did, admittedly, head for the First Class Carriage.
But the paper continues
Unfortunately the stunt backfired spectacularly, however, it emerged that while Charles was busy saving the planet, his chauffeur-driven bio-diesel Jaguar XJ, accompanied by a Range Rover full of bodyguards, were busy making the same 31-mile journey from London to meet him.
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