Thursday's papers

Both the Guardian and the Independent lead with the coroner's scathing attack on the MOD in the enquiry into the loss of a Nimrod in Afghnaistan in 2006 with the loss of 14 lives.

Betrayed says the Independent as the paper says that

One of the worst disasters in recent British military history was the result of "incompetence, complacency and cynicism" by senior military figures which broke the covenant the country has with its soldiers, a devastating official report has concluded.

The report, by Charles Haddon-Cave QC, pulls no punches in describing a litany of failings, including a culture at the MoD where safety became secondary to cost

.says the Guardian

Whilst the Mail reports that

A grieving mother called last night for 'heads to roll' at the highest levels of Government after a devastating report laid bare the 'incompetence, complacency and cynicism' that caused Britain's worst military disaster since the Falklands War.

Back to the topic of the week as the Times has learnt that

Tony Blair will stand for the presidency of the European Union if its leaders agree that the role is a substantial one requiring clout on the world stage,

adding that

The position was discussed last night by President Sarkozy of France and Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, at a meeting in Paris. The signs were that France had won lukewarm backing from Germany for Mr Blair but that neither country was prepared to provoke an EU split over the matter

According to the main story in the Telegraph,more than 250,000 alleged racist incidents have been reported in schools as staff are forced to investigate every single playground spat,

The report published by the Manifesto Club says that

Primary school pupils and toddlers in nurseries are being punished for making racist insults, according to a report, even if they don’t understand the terms they use.
Teachers are being treated like counter staff in police stations as they have to fill in forms detailing name-calling and jokes.

We enter the second round of postal strikes as many of the papers report the collapse in talks

Both sides blamed each other after three days of talks mediated by the TUC collapsed without a deal being reached. As late as evening there had still been some hope that this week's strike action could be called off to relieve the pressure on Royal Mail.

says the Guardian

A bad day in the war on terror

The deadliest bomb attack in Pakistan for two years tore through the city of Peshawar yesterday just hours after Hilary Clinton arrived in the country to pledge the support of the US in a fight against militants that officials are increasingly framing as a fight for the nation's survival. Women and children were said to make up the majority of those killed.

reports the Independent

The Times reports that

The faithful had just finished their morning prayers when the crack and thump of exploding grenades echoed across Kabul. It was the first indication that at a United Nations guesthouse in a smart residential district of the Afghan capital, a deadly assault was under way.
Within a few hours the three-storey hostel would be reduced to a smouldering wreck and almost half of the more than 30 expatriates who called it home would be dead or wounded.

Meanwhile the Telegraph reports that Somali pirates who captured a retired couple on a sailing trip around the Indian Ocean have threatened to kill them and “burn their bones” if a rescue attempt is launched.

The Swiss authorities are considering changing the law on assisted suicide

Swiss authorities want to ensure euthanasia is a last resort for the terminally ill, amid fears their current laws on assisted suicide could be open to abuse. A study last year suggested more and more people seeking help to die in Switzerland did not have a terminal illness. reports the Guardian

No men OR women needed is the headline in the Mail as it reports that

Human eggs and sperm have been grown in the laboratory in research which could change the face of parenthood.
It paves the way for a cure for infertility and could help those left sterile by cancer treatment to have children who are biologically their own.

The Sun reports on the news that the Government's chief adviser on drugs caused fury last night by claiming booze and fags are more dangerous than LSD.

Professor David Nutt also said the risk of taking ecstasy was no worse than riding a horse - and blasted the decision to upgrade cannabis to a class B drug.

Finally a shopping centre in Wrexham is the site of the world's biggest Mona Lisa

The giant version of the Leonardo da Vinci masterpiece has gone on display at the Eagles Meadow shopping centre in Wrexham.
It measures 17.5m, covers 240m sq and is 50 times bigger than the 16th century original which is hanging in the Louvre art gallery in Paris.

repoprts the Telegraph