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May 6th, 2008

Tuesday’s front pages

Posted by: Avril Ormsby

mailfrontpagemay5.JPGThe destruction and loss of life caused by the cyclone in Burma features on many of the broadsheet front pages, while Chelsea’s win, which keeps the title race going until the final day of the football season, is promoted in all the papers.

DAILY MAIL: Abortion: Fight to Save 2,500 Babies Every Year

MPs will begin a fight to cut the number of abortions by limiting a woman’s right to have a termination for social reasons, from the current 24 weeks to 20, the paper says. Story here

DAILY MIRROR: Boy from the Cellar

The paper features a picture of one of the children born in the cellar in Austria where his mother was kept captive for 24 years. Alex was one of three who was brought up in the family home upstairs. Story here

DAILY EXPRESS: Secret 25 percent Pay Rise for MPs

The paper says politicians are secretly plotting to award themselves a pay rise of up to 14,000 pounds a year, taking their salaries to more than 75,000 pounds. Story here

THE INDEPENDENT: Burma’s Wind of Change

The paper goes with dramatic pictures on its front of the cyclone which has swept across the country, killing thousands, and forcing the military regime to make an unprecedented plea for international help. Story here

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Estate Agencies Shut 150 Branches a Week

A further sign of the sub-prime lending crisis and credit crunch hitting home came with the paper’s disclosure that estate agencies were closing 150 branches a week with the loss of 4,000 jobs. Story here

THE TIMES: 10,000 Dead in Cyclone

The paper goes with the stark headline and the same main picture as the Independent to show the impact of the cyclone in Burma. Story here

THE GUARDIAN: Burma Seeks Emergency Aid as Cyclone Kills at Least 10,000

Again, the same picture of a monk crouching under a tangle of fallen tree trunks as it is reported the military leaders are willing to accept foreign help. Story here

May 5th, 2008

Monday’s front pages

Posted by: Avril Ormsby

indy1.JPGThe proposed rubbish bin tax has been shelved as part of a package of ideas planned by the under pressure Labour leader in his fight back following last week’s local election drubbing, some of Monday’s headlines revealed, while the continued troubles of ex-footballer Paul Gascoigne features in the tabloids.

THE INDEPENDENT: Gordon Brown: Why I should Stay in my Job

A contrite appeal by the prime minister is juxtaposed with a picture of London’s new mayor Boris Johnson donning a policeman’s hat. Story here

FINANCIAL TIMES: Microsoft Sparks Turmoil

An expected realignment of the consumer Internet sector was thrown into doubt over the weekend following Microsoft’s surprise abandonment of its 23.6 billion pounds takeover offer for Yahoo, the paper says. Story here

DAILY EXPRESS: Fat? Blame Your Genes Say Doctors

The paper claims British scientists unveiled a major new weapon in the battle against obesity after pinpointing a “fat gene” which makes people pile on weight. Story here

DAILY MAIL: Bin Tax Will Be Dumped

Gordon Brown has ditched Labour plans to burden families with taxes on their rubbish as part of a summer fightback to save his leadership, the paper says. Story here

THE SUN: Gazza’s Suicide Bid

Fears continued to grow for the former England midfielder Paul Gascoigne, the paper says. Story here

DAILY MIRROR: Cellar Girl Built Own Dungeon

The paper says the father, who imprisoned his daughter in a cell in Austria, even made her put the heavy door in place that was to lock her in for the next 24 years. Story here

THE GUARDIAN: We’ve Been Given a Yellow Card - Labour

Using football parlance, the paper quotes Labour party sources saying it had been given a warning by voters in last week’s local elections, adding Gordon Brown was planning to help hard-pressed families with a package including the expansion of shared equity schemes to boost the housing market, the shelving of plans for council rubbish taxes and putting more pressure on supermarkets to contain food price rises in an attempt to woo them back. Story here

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Brown Fights For His Future as Labour Revolt Grows

The prime minister’s series of interviews over the weekend, during which he took the blame for the local election results, did not go far enough for some Labour MPs who, the paper says, are lining up to criticise him over policies and his style of leadership. The paper also featured a picture of a smiling Queen, going unrecognised on a friend’s steam engine. Story here

THE TIMES: You’ve Got One year, Ministers Tell Brown

The paper goes one step further by putting a time limit on Brown’s attempts to turn around the party’s fortunes, quoting anonymous senior ministers. It also features a picture of a relaxed Queen in headscarf and raincoat. Story here