Thursday's papers

Both the Telegraph and the Mail lead this morning with the latest banking scandal.

Royal Bank of Scotland directors were accused of holding taxpayers to ransom last night over plans to pay huge bonuses.
The board has threatened to resign en masse if the Treasury blocks the payments. says the Mail

The Telegraph adds that

Lord Myners, speaking in the House of Lords, said there was "precious little evidence" that people at the top of banks appreciated "the concern about these extraordinary levels of income".

The Times leads with news that thousands of frail and elderly people are living in care homes that fail to meet the most basic standards,

A report out today find that

more than 10,000 people are living in squalid conditions and receiving inadequate care.

As the countdown to Copenhagen continues the Guardian reports that

The scientist who convinced the world to take notice of the looming danger of global warming says it would be better for the planet and for future generations if next week's Copenhagen climate change summit ended in collapse.

The Independent meanwhile reports that Waitrose is to switch its own-brand foods to "sustainable" palm oil in a move intended to help prevent deforestation, climate change and other problems caused by the world's cheapest vegetable oil.

It leads with the story that

Police have been accused of misusing powers granted under anti-terror legislation after a series of incidents, ranging from the innocuous to the bizarre, in which photographers were questioned by officers for taking innocent pictures of tourist destinations, landmarks and even a fish and chip shop.

Pictures of the released British sailors adorn many of the front pages

Looking relaxed, sunburnt and freshly showered, the five British sailors detained last week when their yacht drifted unintentionally into Iranian waters spoke today of how they had been boarded and blindfolded by the crew of two fast patrol boats before being locked for five days in an Iranian national guard mess room.

reports the Gaurdian

Oliver Smith, the skipper of the yacht seized in Iranian waters, said their biggest fear was not knowing their fate. reports the Sun

With 24 to consider Obama's new Afghanistan strategy,the Times reports that

came under fire from both left and right yesterday as President Obama’s three most senior lieutenants endured marathon sessions on Capitol Hill to start selling the strategy to voters, Congress and the world.

Critics said that the target date of July 2011 to begin a reduction of US forces and the transfer of security to Afghan security forces would enable the enemy to lie low and wait for the departure of US and Nato forces

.adds the Telegraph

Gordon Brown's election campaign manager Jack Straw today acknowledges that the party threw away a tactical advantage in the autumn of 2007 when it decided not to hold a general election.reports the Guardian

Meanwhile the Independent reports that

In one of Gordon Brown's most effective performances at Prime Minister's Questions, he signalled a return to class warfare as he slammed the Tories over their plans on inheritance tax, its leader's public school background and Mr Goldsmith's non-dom tax status.

The Mail tells the story of Zak Hessey who was a fussy eater who refused his mother's healthy home cooking.

Concerned about his falling weight, his parents sought the advice of doctors. That simple act triggered a shocking chain of events that led to the youngster being put into foster care for four months.

Tiger Woods continues to take up column inches.The Sun reporting that he

said sorry yesterday for what he bizarrely described as his "transgressions"

However the paper reveals

Woods has been two-timing his wife Elin Nordegren with Las Vegas nightclub beauty Kalika Moquin, 27.

According to the Guardian

Nicolas Sarkozy's centre-right party has put forward legislation that would see women make up half the figures in France's leading boardrooms by 2015, under a bold plan to impose gender equality on the male-dominated business world.

Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary has said that police officers should patrol alone to help save more than £500 million a year from police budgets reports the Telegraph.

The number of police helicopters will also be cut by a fifth while overtime and back room staff will be slashed, the Policing White Paper revealed.

Get ready for a Xmas of repeats

The glut of tired shows and old films on offer from the four major terrestrial channels will be the largest number of repeats ever shown over the festive fortnight.

reports the Express