Friday's papers

Mixed headlines in the papers this morning.

The Times concentrates on the upgrading of swine flu to pandemic status

As the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the first flu pandemic for 40 years officially under way, the Government’s Chief Medical Officer said that “several million” Britons would fall ill with the H1N1 virus.

and adds that

Thousands of schools could be forced to close for weeks on end to stem the spread of swine flu, scientists say.

The economy is the main subject for the Guardian which says that after the Nationwide hiked the cost of its most popular mortgage deals

Homebuyers are facing their first rise in mortgage rates for a year in a move by banks and building societies that could extinguish the nascent recovery in the housing market.

The FT carries an interview with the Chancellor in which he warns on economic recovery which

could be held back by rising oil prices and a failure by other European countries to clean up their banks.

The Express says that Treasury minister Liam Byrne let slip yesterday that Labour will have to force through huge tax rises if it wins the next election,

The conviction of three people for the murder last year of Ben Kinsells is the main story in the Mail as it reports that

The father of a talented schoolboy stabbed to death after a trivial row said yesterday that the knife crime epidemic sweeping Britain had made life cheap.
Ben Kinsella, the brother of former EastEnders actress Brooke Kinsella, was stabbed 11 times in a five-second frenzy after being chased by a gang of 'feral' youths.

Juress Kika, 19, Jade Braithwaite, 20, and 18-year-old Michael Alleyne chased the 16-year-old down a street in Islington, north London, to restore “respect” after one of them was humiliated by a group of younger teenagers in a fight.

says the Telegraph

The Independent carries pictures of a suspected war criminal enjoying homself at a party.Ratko Mladic,who ordered the worst massacre in modern Europe, is pictured enjoying life in Serbia

The paper says that

He is held responsible for the longest and bloodiest siege since the Second World War and the most pitiless massacre since the defeat of the Nazis, but that has not prevented the former commander of the Bosnian Serb army, Ratko Mladic, from enjoying a long and placid retirement.

Finally it is hard to escape from pictures of Ronaldo and several of the papers report of a diversion whilst on the way to Madrid.

The Sun's front page saying that

CHAMPAGNE-swilling RONALDO celebrates his £80million transfer by sharing a raunchy night with PARIS HILTON.

adding that

The winking winger, 24, kissed and cuddled the 28- year-old socialite in a Hollywood club before they headed to her sister's home.