A mixed bag of headlines this morning in the papers.

The Independent leads with the story that

'Now we have the technology that can make a cloned child'

A new form of cloning has been developed that is easier to carry out than the technique used to create Dolly the sheep, raising fears that it may one day be used on human embryos to produce "designer" babies.
Scientists who used the procedure to create baby mice from the skin cells of adult animals have found it to be far more efficient than the Dolly technique, with fewer side effects, which makes it more acceptable for human use.

Staying with science the Guardian leads with

Rich states failing to lead on emissions, says UN climate chief

Developing countries, including China and India, are unwilling to sign up to a new global climate change pact to replace the Kyoto protocol in 2012 because the rich world has failed to set a clear example on cutting carbon emissions, according to the UN's top climate official.
Rajendra Pachauri, head of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), said too many rich countries, including the US, had failed to take the action needed to convince the developing nations to sign up to a deal in Copenhagen next year that could help to stabilise global emissions.

Women at risk of assault failed by new law, say judges reports the Times

Thousands of women are at risk of assault because new laws to curb domestic violence have backfired, deterring victims from seeking help,The Times has learnt.
Since legislation was introduced in July to criminalise domestic abuse at least 5,000 women have failed to report violent partners, judges have claimed. Under the Domestic Violence Act 2007 a breach of a non-molestation order is now a criminal offence and not dealt with in the civil courts.

Two tragedies dominate the tabloids,the Mail leads with

Tragedy of the gap-year girls: Five killed in horror bus crash on South America trip of a lifetime

They were full of excitement as they left on the £6,000 adventure holiday of a lifetime.
Now their parents must fly out to identify their bodies.
Five young British women were killed and 12 of their friends injured in a horrific crash in Ecuador. Four gap-year students and a tour guide died instantly when their chartered coach was hit by a lorry laden with sand

The Telegraph says

The victims have been named as Becci Logie, 19, Indira Swann, 18, Lizzie Pincock, 19, Emily Sadler, 19 - all students taking a year out between school and university - and Sarah Howard, 26, a freelance trip leader on her first expedition for VentureCo.
The group were just 30 minutes from the end of an eight-hour drive from the capital Quito to the fishing village of Puerto Lopez, where they were due to start a volunteer project building school facilities in the Machalilla National Park for two weeks.

Meanwhile both the Mirror and the Sun lead with

Tormented TV star Mark Speight found hanged by rail station

Tragic Mark Speight died six days before his body was found at a busy train station, police said last night.
Shocked railway staff at Paddington in West London discovered the children's TV star. It is believed he hanged himself.
Mark, 42, vanished last week. He was in turmoil over fiancee Natasha Collins who died in a scalding bath after a drugs binge. A friend said: "This is devastating

reports the Mirror

It was all too much for him says the Sun

A pal said: “It was all too much. He couldn’t cope.”
Tragic Mark went missing last Monday after telling shocked pals: “I want to end it all.”
Cops believe he carried out his threat the same day – as worried officers launched a massive hunt.

The credit crunch attracts a great deal of interest

Darling urges banks to ease mortgage costs says the Guardian

Alistair Darling, the chancellor, has called a meeting with the country's biggest banks to urge them to pass on lower interest rates to squeezed mortgage holders in return for the billions of pounds of extra funds that have been pumped into the financial system.
Gordon Brown disclosed yesterday the planned summit between mortgage lenders and Darling as he ratcheted up pressure on the banks, calling for them to ease mortgage costs and come clean about any nasty shocks on their balance sheets. The prime minister will host a breakfast with banks tomorrow to discuss the wider issues of global market turmoil and regulation before a trip to the US where the credit crunch will be high up the agenda.

Gordon Brown and banks in credit crunch blame game reports the Telegraph

Lenders have criticised attempts by the Prime Minister and Alistair Darling to suggest that the banks were responsible for the financial difficulties facing millions of homeowners.They described a Downing Street meeting to attempt to solve the crisis as "a stunt".

The Independent reports that

Gordon Brown suffers a damaging new setback to his faltering authority today, with a poll showing that he is less trusted with the economy than any other leader of a major Western nation.
The further evidence of collapsing public confidence in Mr Brown comes amid growing signs that his ministers are manoeuvring for position and that there is deepening gloom in Labour ranks about the party's prospects in next month's local elections.

There is much comment about Zimbabwe

Gordon Brown believes Zimbabwe fate must be left to its neighbours reports the Times

Gordon Brown will continue to put his faith in Zimbabwe’s neighbours to help to resolve the crisis there, despite growing international condemnation of President Mugabe.
Mr Brown began preparing yesterday for meetings at the United Nations on Wednesday with President Mbeki of South Africa and Ban Ki Moon, the UN Secretary-General. He is unlikely to push for a resolution authorising mediation in Zimbabwe.

Election recount allows Mugabe to step up violence, says opposition says the Guardian

Zimbabwe's official presidential election results may remain secret for at least another week while substantial numbers of votes are recounted in a move the opposition says is designed to fraudulently overturn Robert Mugabe's defeat and his Zanu-PF party's defeat in parliament.
The Movement for Democratic Change says that the continuing delay in making public the results of the ballot held more than two weeks ago, and the breathing space given to Mugabe by a weekend summit of regional leaders, is permitting Zanu-PF to widen its campaign of violent intimidation in rural areas.

The Independent reports that

Nepal's Maoists head for election victory

Less than two years after they ended their armed struggle and entered mainstream politics, Nepal's Maoists are heading towards a shock victory in the country's election.
Results from last week's vote for a national assembly give the former rebels 61 of the 108 seats counted so far. A total of 601 seats are being fought, with complete results not expected for at least another week

The Telegraph leads with a report that


Communities declining at 'fastest rate ever'

Nearly half of all neighbourhoods have lost key amenities such as surgeries, post offices, shops and schools in the past four years, figures from Oxford University show.The report suggests that towns and villages across England are losing basic services at "their fastest rate ever", prompting claims that Labour is overseeing "the slow death of community life".

The Express tells us that

BRITAIN is at the centre of a massive international trade in babies.
Thousands of children are being bought and smuggled into this country to help benefits cheats claim council housing and other handouts illegally.
The racket was uncovered when a woman arrived from Nigeria and went straight to council offices to demand a home, cradling a baby boy, whom she had bought for £150.

Meanwhile the Mail tells us

Foreigners carry out one in every five killings, police figures reveal

One in every five murders or manslaughters in England and Wales is committed by a foreigner, police figures revealed.
In one area of London, the figure is one in three.
This is despite the fact that foreigners represent only around one in 16 of the general population.
The statistics are so alarming that Home Secretary Jacqui Smith will hold a migrant crime summit on Thursday amid worries that police are struggling to cope.

'Go back to school' to avoid speeding fines reports the Telegraph

The course, costing between £70 and £120, will involve classroom lessons giving tips on how to stick to the speed limit, such as saying 30mph out loud when passing a sign. Motorists will also be given driving simulator tuition where they will learn how to judge speed and spot hazards.

Finally as many of the papers report on the London marathon,the Times reports

Marathon man, 'Buster' Martin, may be up to some old tricks

With “Buster” Martin’s straggly beard, dry wit, and advanced years, his attempt to run the London Marathon was always going to present the PR people with an irresistible feel-good tale. At 101 years old, he would be the oldest man to complete the 26-mile course. But as he hobbled his way through the London drizzle yesterday, his story was beginning to unravel.
On Saturday The Times disclosed that Guinness World Records had refused to verify his claim to be the oldest marathon runner. Now it has emerged why the world record guardians will not be featuring Mr Martin in its celebrated publication. Internal correspondence between senior officials at the organisation, obtained by The Times, shows that Guinness has evidence that Mr Martin is a mere spring chicken of just 94