Tuesday 6 December 2011

Euro countries under credit threat,Indy spills the beans on Bell Pottinger and the hunt for Maddy resumes-Tuesday's papers

As talks continue over the Eurozone,the Telegraph reveals that European leaders have been threatened with a downgrade in their credit ratings if a Franco-German plan to resolve the eurozone debt crisis does not soon show progress.



The warning has somewhat overshadowed events yesterday where says the Guardian,there had earlier been relief in the markets after agreeing a package of measures to take to an EU summit on Thursday, at which the deal is likely to be contested, but will probably be blessed.

The Times meanwhile says that the agreement will present David Cameron with a major political and diplomatic headache.

Away from Europe and a special undercover investigation in the Independent reveals one of Britain's largest lobbying companies secretly recorded boasting about its access to the heart of the Government and how it uses the "dark arts" to bury bad coverage and influence public opinion.

Senior executives at Bell Pottinger were caught amongst other things claiming they have used their access to Downing Street to get David Cameron to speak to the Chinese premier on behalf of one of their business clients within 24 hours of asking him to do so.

Day two of the Guardian's riot coverage and the paper reports the comments of the archbishop of Canterbury who warns that England risks a repeat of the riots that spread across England this summer unless the government and civil society do more to "rescue those who think they have nothing to lose".

The Mail is happy this morning.After its front page lead on the Gary McKinnon case yesterday the paper reports that a motion calling for 'urgent reform' to the US/UK treaty which is being used to try to wrestle Asperger's sufferer Gary McKinnon to America was passed uncontested by MPs.

It leads though with yesterday's news that HSBC has been fined over £10m after what the paper says thousands of frail elderly people struggling to pay care-home fees were lured into gambling their life savings on risky investments.

The morning after pill is to be given out free over the phone for the first time reports the Telegraph.The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) will encourage women to stock up on the emergency contraceptive over the Christmas period.

She's back or at least the search for her.Both the Sun and the Express report that the search for Madeleine McCann is resuming.

Scotland Yard detectives have flown to Barcelona to probe a theory that Madeleine McCann was taken to the Spanish resort says the former whilst the Express says police confirmed the summit had taken place as it emerged detectives have so far made three visits to Portugal in the hunt for new leads.

The first blast of cold weather to hit the country this winter makes the lead in the Mirror which says that experts warned that after a brief respite tomorrow and Thursday many parts of Britain will be plunged into the deep freeze, with the mercury falling to a bone-chilling -6C.

Elsewhere the Times reports that the budget for the opening and closing ceremonies at the London Olympics has been doubled to £81 million in order to better exploit a “great national moment”.

The Independent reports on the Afghan President's secret plans to cling on to power.According to Western intelligence,President Karzai wants to emulate Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin by planning to stay in power when his second and constitutionally final term ends in three years' time

Most of the papers report the discovery of a new earth like planet.Kepler 22b contains both land and water and has temperatures which average around 72 degrees says the Telegraph and Nasa scientists have now concluded that it offers the best hope yet for future human habitation outside the Solar System

Finally reports the Times,the £25,000 prize Turner prize was awarded to Martin Boyce with the judges dodging the populist verdict.

The piece by the 44-year-old artist is asculptural installation around the three pillars in the room holding up the roof turned into stylised tree trunks sprouting a ceiling of aluminium “leaves”.

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