The front pages are dominated by the death of the chief constable of Manchester and speculation about it.

Top officer leaps to his death says the Telegraph

One of Britain's most senior policemen has been found dead after apparently throwing himself off a cliff in Snowdonia.Michael Todd, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester, had written notes to members of his family which indicated an intent to commit suicide, sources said.

Police chief's suicide mystery says the Mail

Michael Todd, who led Greater Manchester Police and was tipped to take over at Scotland Yard, is believed to have killed himself following troubles in his private life.
The married father of three made a series of telephone calls to friends and family in the run-up to his death.

Why did the cop leap off the Mountain asks the Mirror

The Greater Manchester police chief was reported missing on Monday by friends who said he had "personal problems" that made them concerned about his mental state.
One source said: "He spoke to a number of people in the 24 hours before his death about his state of mind. We knew this was on his mind but no one believed this could happen."

The Guardian leads with budget speculation

Recession fear cuts Darling's budget options

Alistair Darling's first budget today will be overshadowed by growing fears for the economy after the world's central banks resorted to large-scale intervention in money markets yesterday in an attempt to head off a dangerous escalation of the global credit crunch.
Amid warnings that the world could be heading into its worst recession for decades, and as oil prices leapt to another record, the chancellor is likely to reduce his growth forecasts for this year and next, which could deepen the budget deficit.

The Times says

Surging prices force Darling to defer 2p a litre ‘green’ fuel tax in budget

Despite signals over the weekend that he would go ahead with the increase, record oil prices and a determined last-ditch campaign by the motoring organisations have persuaded him to show consumers that he is aware of their concerns.
The move will damage Mr Darling’s claim to be introducing a “green” Budget, but he will tell MPs that duty rises planned for the next two years will go ahead and that there are good environmental reasons for them

Tax rise on middle class 'highest in the West' says the Telegraph

Middle-class families are paying an extra £1,250 a year after suffering the sharpest rise in their tax bill of any leading Western country over the past five years, figures show

Bank of England forced to pump £10bn into money markets on eve of today's Budget says the Mail

Leading central banks yesterday announced plans to pump hundreds of billions of dollars into stricken financial markets to prevent a worldwide recession.
The Bank of England joined forces with the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank to pledge an injection of cash into the struggling banking system in the wake of the global credit crunch.

Hutton's call to 'celebrate' millionaires receives an icy response from the TUC reports the Independent.

The Labour Party should accept that Britain needs more rather than fewer millionaires, the Business Secretary John Hutton has declared.Mr Hutton, a prominent Blairite, sparked a debate about Labour's future direction by urging the party not to attack huge salaries and bonuses in the City. "Rather than questioning whether high salaries are morally justified, we should celebrate the fact that people can be enormously successful in this country," he said. "Rather than placing a cap on that success, we should be questioning why it is not available to more people."

The paper leads though with

Darfur's return to hell

The conflict in Darfur has entered a violent and deadly new phase. Another "scorched earth" policy is being unleashed, reminiscent of the worst waves of government-backed violence that brought the Sudanese region to world attention five years ago and led the US to declare that what was happening there constituted genocide.
Internal reports by humanitarian agencies operating in the region, and seen by The Independent, reveal that the active Sudanese government-backed military phase of the conflict, thought to have ended early in 2005, has resumed, with horrifying consequences

Obama sweeps to comprehensive Mississippi victory reports the Times

Barack Obama last night easily won Mississippi's Democratic primary, his latest victory in a string of racially polarised contests in America's Deep South and after a day when a new race row erupted in his nomination battle with Hillary Clinton.
Mr Obama won the Magnolia State with over 90 per cent support from African Americans, but with only about one-quarter of the white vote, extending a pattern that bought him him resounding victories in earlier primaries in South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Louisiana.

The Guardian reports that

US Middle East commander quits

The top US military commander in the Middle East is stepping down days after a magazine profile reported he was trying to block US military action against Iran.
Admiral William Fallon, the head of US Central Command, was described in an Esquire article published last week as a lone voice within the administration arguing for restraint.
The article's author, Thomas Barnett, had predicted that if Admiral Fallon was pushed out of his job "it may well mean that the president and vice-president intend to take military action against Iran before the end of this year and don't want a commander standing in their way".

Meanwhile the Telegraph reports

Eliot Spitzer pressured to quit over sex scandal

Mr Spitzer, one of America's most prominent politicians, was given 48 hours to quit or face impeachment by members of the New York state assembly. He was ensconced in his Manhattan apartment with his advisers.Mr Spitzer, one of America's most prominent politicians, was given 48 hours to quit or face impeachment by members of the New York state assembly. He was ensconced in his Manhattan apartment with his advisers.

Back to home news and the Sun leads with

Mothers in arms as the paper tells us

THE Sun today brings together three brave women – each one a tragic symbol of Broken Britain.
Helen Newlove, Linda Bowman and Kerry Nicol lost loved ones to vicious killers. Their grief moved the nation.
They passionately believe their ten-point manifesto shown below should be brought in to end the cult of violence that takes lives – and wrecks others.

The Mail reports

Teenage mugger rips off his electronic tag before murdering student in savage attack

A convicted mugger ripped off his electronic security tag before he and a schoolboy murdered an innocent student in a savage attack.
Joseph Booth, 18, who was being monitored after being convicted of a string of violent incidents, managed to get the tag off his ankle.
Minutes later, fuelled by alcohol and cannabis, Booth and the 15-year-old beat, kicked and stamped on the victim, who was left so badly disfigured his family could not recognise him.

National holiday to celebrate Britishness could be on it's way reports the Mirror

A national holiday to celebrate the glories of Britishness moved a step closer yesterday.
A report commissioned by Gordon Brown called for an extra day off from 2012, which would coincide with the Olympics and the 60th anniversary of the Queen's reign.
The holiday would mirror Australia Day, which features citizenship ceremonies, firework displays and celebration of their flag.

On the same theme the Telegraph says

'Good citizens' may get tax rebate

Council tax rebates and help with university fees could be offered in return for volunteer work in an attempt to encourage good citizenship under plans being considered by the Government.A report to the Prime Minister proposed offering a "small" council tax return to those who help out in their local neighbourhood by organising recycling projects, helping children to learn to read in schools or setting up a residents' association.

State schools demanding payments from parents to secure places says the Guardian

The government has discovered that "significant" numbers of schools are flouting admissions laws, with some state schools demanding parents promise to pay hundreds of pounds to secure their child a place.
Ministers said they were shocked to discover schools in three local authorities breaking admissions rules by interviewing pupils, demanding information about parents' professions and incomes, and giving priority to children whose parents attended the school while ignoring children in care

Parents in bribes scandal says the Sun

PARENTS are being forced to pay cash bungs to win their kids a place at popular schools.
Scores of heads broke the law this year by demanding “donations” – up to hundreds of pounds

The Times reports

Landing charges push up the cost of flying

Airline passengers are likely to see ticket costs rise by about £10 over the next five years after the Civil Aviation Authority said yesterday that BAA would be allowed almost to double landing charges at Heathrow and raise them by 50 per cent at Gatwick.
But athletes and spectators attending the London Olympics in 2012 will still be forced to travel through a dilapidated and overcrowded airport terminal because a £1 billion upgrade of Heathrow will not be finished in time

The Indpependent reports on the

African adventure: Inside story of the wonga coup

The wonga coup, the perfect plot, meticulously planned, audacious and hugely lucrative, the takeover, no less, of a small country with massive oil riches. And the perfect leader for the battle-hardened soldiers of fortune who would make it happen, Simon Mann, Old Etonian, bon viveur and former officer in the SAS.
But the operation collapsed even as it got under way amid recriminations and charges of betrayal with the plotters scattered across prisons in Africa. Now after four years of hard captivity Simon Mann, 55, is prepared to make public his account of what really took place in the failed mercenary mission to Equatorial Guinea

.

The Guardian adds

In his first interview since his arrest in Zimbabwe in 2004, Simon Mann also claimed that Mark Thatcher was "part of the team". Thatcher pleaded guilty in South Africa in 2005 to helping charter a helicopter which he agreed "might be used for mercenary activity".

Finally with storms battering Britain again the Sun reports

CELEBRITY chef Jamie Oliver’s famous Fifteen restaurant narrowly escaped yesterday as its building was battered by giant waves.
A beachfront cafe and surfing centre in the same complex were badly damaged by the storm-tossed waves.