Wednesday's papers

The Telegraph continues the Afghanistan theme leading with the comments of Sir Richard Dannatt who

has called for more resources in Afghanistan after the Government admitted key staff shortages are undermining operations to protect troops from roadside bombs.

The Sun reports on the day the raw suffering of an innocent generation was laid bare before the world.

In Catterick, North Yorks, a funeral congregation heard a touching poem penned by the ten-year-old son of hero Warrant Officer Class 2 Sean Upton

The Guardian reports the comments of David Cameron who it says

today wil raise the stakes in the pre-election battle over government borrowing when he warned that Gordon Brown's anti-recessionary spending could lead to Britain defaulting on its debt.

adding that

the opposition leader branded Labour's plans to more than double the national debt to £1.4tn in the next five years as a "disgrace" that could lead to a boycott of the UK by overseas investors.

The Times reveals that More than 45,000 NHS workers call in sick each day — one and a half times the rate of absence seen in the private sector.

The paper carries the results of the first national audit of staff habits which has found that

high rates of obesity, smoking, absenteeism and poor mental health are having a direct impact on the quality of patient care.

The NHS is the top story in the Mail which reports how

Three grieving families have won back almost £350,000 they were wrongly charged by the NHS for their relatives' care.

adding that

So far, about £8million has been recovered by solicitors representing a further 750 families who claim they have been wrongly charged nursing home fees.

Scores of state schools have become "no-go" areas for pupils taking traditional A-level subjects such as maths, science, history, geography or languages, research reveals today. reports the Independent adding that

Last night, academics warned of a major class divide in the take-up of A-level subjects as 250,000 students await their results tomorrow.

The Express leads with the news that nearly two-thirds of council housing tenants get all their rent paid by the taxpayer,

The massive benefits handout – largely to households where no one has a job – is costing hard-working middle-income families a total of £10billion a year.

says the paper


Elsewhere the Telegraph reports how five Cabinet Ministers have been targeted in a “decapitation” strategy by David Cameron to try to wipe out some of Labour’s biggest names at the next general election.

More on David Cameron in the Independent which reports that the Tory leader

was embarrassed yesterday when a Conservative-controlled council admitted it was considering plans to subsidise the fees of children attending private schools if their parents lose their jobs.

According to the Guardian

Gordon Brown has been accused of rushing through the ratification of a treaty with Tripoli that could pave the way for the repatriation of the Lockerbie bomber as part of a British push to protect oil interests in Libya.