Many and varied headlines in this morning's papers.

The Mail's lead follows up on a lot of yesterday's headlines

Betrayal of the Wounded

Injured troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are suffering scandalous neglect on NHS wards.
They are going without pain relief for up to 14 hours and are enduring appalling conditions in hospital.
Thousands more have serious mental problems - but find themselves placed on lengthy waiting lists.

The 'shocking' NHS neglect that betrays our injured soldiers says the Express

THE “betrayal” of British soldiers who suffered disgraceful treatment after returning home injured from Iraq and Afghanistan left the Government facing an angry backlash last night.Reports that wounded and mentally-ill troops are neglected and left to suffer in inadequate hospitals caused outrage among their families – and politicians.The “shocking picture” of poor medical treatment for the wounded unfolded after more than 21,000 full-time servicemen and women, as well as army reservists, were claimed to have developed anxiety and depression.

But the others have moved on.

The Guardian reports that

10,000 acres of greenbelt under threat

The Queen, British Aerospace and BP will make billions of pounds from developing the greenbelt under proposals to meet government housing targets. Research by the Guardian and the Campaign to Protect Rural England shows at least 10,000 acres of greenbelt land are likely to be sacrificed to build some of the biggest developments in Britain in the past 30 years.
In addition, speculators have bought large areas of greenbelt land, which protects the countryside from urban sprawl, in expectation that the forthcoming government white paper on planning will relax rural protection rules.

Politicians step up the battle to secure the green vote says the Independent

A frantic race to play the winning "green card" will take place in Westminster this week, as Britain's three main political parties focus on the environment and global warming as the main battleground of the next general election
Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, David Miliband and David Cameron are all placing unprecedented emphasis on the environment as they set out their plans to combat global warming.
The manoeuvring over green issues suggests the political elite believes success or failure in the ballot box depends on their ability to convince a sceptical electorate they can tackle the biggest issue of the day.

According to the Telegraph

Brown and Cameron battle over the climate

Gordon Brown will today seek to capitalise on a backlash against Conservative plans to use "green" taxes on air travel to target frequent fliers and the most-polluting aircraft.
With the environment set to be a vital battleground at the next election, the Chancellor is expected to stress the importance of working in a co-ordinated fashion within Europe to tackle global warming.

The Mirror reports on another Tory's contribution to the green debate

EXCLUSIVE: VULCAN: GLOBAL WARMING IS GOOD

The Telegraph leads with the story that

Angry Charles attacks Channel 4 claims that he is unfit to be King

The Prince of Wales yesterday launched an unprecedented and pre-emptive assault on claims in a TV documentary suggesting he is "unfit to rule" as his aides stressed he would carry out his role as King in a completely different way to his role as heir-in-waiting.
In a detailed dossier his most senior official set about systematically demolishing controversial claims in a Channel 4 programme to be aired tonight that Prince Charles's political "meddling" and "abuse" of power threatened the future of the monarchy.

Whereas the Mail reports

Prince Charles comes out fighting in row over his political role

In an unprecedented 33-page statement, the heir to the throne definitely insisted he has a right to share his views on issues of national importance with Government ministers and revealed that he will not sit around 'just waiting to be king'

The Times leads with

Thousands face pay cut under new equality law the paper reporting that

Hundreds of thousands of men working in the the public sector are facing salary cuts of up to £15,000 a year as equal pay agreements take effect, The Times has learnt.
Compensation claims for up to 1.5 million workers could cost the taxpayer more than £10 billion and mean that male staff lose up to 40 per cent of their salary.
Up to 700,000 female council workers, a similar number of NHS workers and tens of thousands of teaching assistants and Ministry of Defence staff are now eligible for equal pay settlements stretching back over six years.

The future of Trident and the widening rifts that its renewal is causing are highlightd by a number of the papers

Blair forced to rely on Tories for victory in Trident vote reports the Guardian

Labour MPs opposed to early modernisation of Britain's Trident fleet will this week force Tony Blair to rely on Conservative support to push the policy through a divided House of Commons.
Anti-Trident rebels will join forces with Liberal Democrats, most Nationalist MPs and a few Tories in voting either to delay a decision to build three or four new submarines until after 2014 or to abandon the UK's nuclear arm completely.
Most Labour and Conservative MPs will back the government, with Tory defence spokesmen urging ministers to proceed faster with a replacement.

Minister 'to quit' as Trident rebellion grows reports the Telegraph

A Minister says he expects to leave the Government this week in the row over Trident, as a poll showed that almost two-thirds of Labour backbenchers are against replacing the nuclear deterrent.
Nigel Griffiths, the Deputy Leader of the Commons, told a meeting of his constituents last week that he would not back plans to renew the ageing nuclear weapons system. Mr Griffiths could not be contacted last night but people at the meeting said he told them he expected to lose his job.

There is also more speculation about the forthcomimg leadership race in the Labour party

Clarke urges Miliband to stand for PM while giving Brown scant support says the Independent

Charles Clarke has become the first senior Labour figure to call explicitly for David Miliband to stand against Gordon Brown for 10 Downing Street.
The former home secretary spoke out as pressure mounts on the Environment Secretary to intervene to prevent a "coronation" for the Chancellor after Tony Blair steps down.
Mr Miliband has consistently ruled out opposing Mr Brown, but Blairites believe he can be persuaded and argue that several serving and former cabinet ministers would back him. Mr Clarke breaks cover in "You Ask the Questions' in today's Independent and implies he would support Mr Miliband.

The Times is amongst a number of papers that report from Zimbabwe

Mugabe opposition leaders seized as riot police break up township rally

Police in Zimbabwe arrested Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara, the opposition leaders, as they tried to attend a rally in a volatile Harare township.
A protester was shot and killed and at least 40 other people were arrested, including senior figures of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), churchmen and civil rights activists.
Police seized the officials around midday as they arrived in convoy at Highfields suburb, to the south of Harare, the scene of violent street clashes last month. “Mr Tsvangirai and a number of his colleagues have been arrested. They were severely assaulted by police,” Eliphas Mukonoweshuro, an MDC official, said in a telephone interview.

Police shoot man dead in Mugabe crackdown says the Telegraph

The leaders of the Zimbabwean opposition movement and more than 100 of their supporters were arrested yesterday as President Robert Mugabe ordered police to enforce a ban on political rallies.
A young activist was also shot dead by riot police in the capital, Harare, during a day of tension as members of the Movement for Democratic Change were joined by church leaders and civil rights activists in defying a ban on a prayer rally held in the Highfield district of the city.

The express takes up the cause of Bank charges on its front page,declaring

THE GREAT BANKS REVOLT BEGINS

Banks are facing open revolt, with the vast majority of customers ready to switch accounts if traditional free banking is ended.Eight in 10 Britons say they are not prepared to pay a fee just for running a normal current account without an overdraft.But it is feared that the big banks are planning such a move because they are being forced to slash – and in many cases repay – other charges.One expert predicted customers could be in line to reclaim more than £2billion they have been made to pay in unfair penalty charges, such as for going overdrawn. Others said the total could be three times that figure

Whilst the Mirror has a front page exclusive this morning

EXCLUSIVE: LADY MACCA IN A MINK the paper revealing

VIDEO footage has today emerged of anti-fur campaigner Heather Mills wearing a mink coat.
Heather, 39, will be horrified to be seen in the outfit, which she wore to a wedding. Her former sister-in-law Dianna Karmal said last night: "She loved that coat. When I see her anti-fur campaigns, I always chuckle."
The fur coat would have been made from up to 40 dead animals, it was revealed yesterday.
An expert identified how the mink garment was produced within seconds of watching the video footage of her wearing it.

The Independent reports on the retirement of a French icon

Emotional Chirac rules out third term bid the paper reporting

The French President, 74, bowed to his advancing years, and low poll ratings and announced on television that he would not be a candidate in the elections on 22 April and 6 May.
In a 10-minute oration, M. Chirac proclaimed his "love for France", which he said he had "served every minute of my life". He urged the French to reject all forms of "racism and extremism, which have once already almost taken us into the abyss".
He also pleaded with the French to reconsider their rejection of the EU constitution in 2005 - perhaps the most humiliating moment of his 12 years in the Elysée Palace. The future prosperity of France, and the survival of the French "social model", depended on the "construction of Europe", M. Chirac said.

The Sun on the same story headlines

France's Le Worm slides off

FRENCH president Jacques Chirac — dubbed Le Worm by The Sun for his slippery diplomacy — announced his retirement last night.
He promised that he would continue to serve France - "a country which I love profoundly with all my heart" - in other ways.

The Guardian reports that

Gunman ties up and robs woman given £48m divorce payout

A woman awarded a record £48m divorce payout has been tied up and robbed of jewellery worth £300,000 at her home, in an incident police believe could have been motivated by news reports of her wealth.
Beverley Charman, 54, the former wife of Lloyd's insurance tycoon John Charman, was confronted by a balaclava-clad gunman in dark clothing at her £3m mansion in Sevenoaks, Kent, on Friday night.

The Times says that

Detectives are certain to examine whether the publicity surrounding Beverley Charman’s legal case made her a target. Her £2.75 million house, in the most expensive street in Sevenoaks, was the family home until her husband, an insurance magnate, moved out.
The house figured in the case and was mentioned in press reports on the settlement. The case was in the news again last week during three days of appeal hearings.

Finally the Guardian reveals the location of Phillip Green's birthday party

Pack your shorts, it's time for Sir Philip Green's birthday party

From toga parties with hired rock stars to delivering metre-high birthday cakes to rival executives, Sir Philip Green is fond of displaying his wealth with a flourish, but his latest grand gesture promises to be the most spectacular yet. The billionaire Top Shop boss will celebrate his 55th birthday by flying 100 of his closest friends in two private jets to the exclusive Maldives resort of Soneva Fushi, an eco-spa on a private Indian Ocean island.