What the papers say

Journalist Mike Philpott reviews Thursday's morning newspapers.

There is still no end in sight to those distressing images of animals being herded to their deaths in the attempt to halt the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

Several papers, The Daily Telegraph among them, have aerial photographs of the scene in Cumbria on Wednesday as hundreds of sheep left the confines of a transporter lorry to face the slaughterer's gun.

The News Letter has a picture of two lambs in a field.

The Guardian says Tony Blair has cleared the way for a poll on 3 May

In the background is a pall of smoke caused by the burning of sheep carcasses.

The Daily Mail quotes General Sir Michael Jackson, who is in charge of the army's operation, as saying that he felt saddened to see healthy animals being killed.

The Sun describes it as the "killing field" and says the stench of death clings to the clothes and hair of all those taking part.

Date of election

The effect on the date of the election is still a major talking point.

The Guardian says Tony Blair has cleared the way for a poll on 3 May.

The paper reports that senior Labour figures believe there will be charges of insensitivity for the first few days of the campaign, but their feeling is that the government can ride out the criticism.

The Times carries an opinion poll suggesting Labour's support has not been dented by the crisis, or by the increasing fears over the economy.

The Sun urges Mr Blair to go for his chosen date. The Express wants it delayed until June.

Effects on tourism

The Dublin-based papers have different concerns, after the latest suspected case of foot-and-mouth in County Louth.

The Irish Times reports that the discovery has given more cause for concern than any of the other scares in the republic this week.

The Irish Independent reports that another confirmed case would have major implications for the economy.

Already, it says, economic growth is likely to be cut back by a billion pounds.

But a second outbreak would increase that figure, and have knock-on effects on tourism.

Alan Titchmarsh, presenter of Ground Force is to throw in the trowel as one headline cleverly puts it

Human health is top of the agenda in the Belfast papers.

The Irish News examines the results of that survey indicating that waiting times at some of Northern Ireland's accident and emergency departments are among the worst in the UK.

The paper comments that the difficulties facing our major hospitals are well-documented, but the problems seem to be getting worse.

Possible defect

The issue must be addressed as a matter of urgency, it says.

Sick people being kept on trolleys in hospital corridors smacks of third world conditions which should not be tolerated in any modern society.

The News Letter leads with that report that some people who have been fitted with heart pacemakers may have to have them replaced, after the discovery of a possible defect in one version of the device.

Sweden has been asked to consider an unusual request for political asylum made by conservation groups on behalf of a wolf called Martin

The paper says the problem was identified during routine checks at Belfast City Hospital.

Those who may be affected have already been contacted, it says.

In a leader, it turns its attention to Northern Ireland Electricity, and comments that the privatisation of supplies has been a disaster for consumers.

Those who handled the sale could have struck a better deal for electricity users, it says.

Indeed, it believes that the high cost of power is hampering inward investment.

Norway's cruelty

There is much coverage of the news that Alan Titchmarsh, presenter of the BBC's Ground Force programme, is to throw in the trowel, as one headline cleverly puts it.

The Daily Mail wonders if the programme will survive without him.

Mr Titchmarsh is quoted as saying: "I won't be watching it.

"But then, I don't watch it now."

Finally, The Independent reports that Sweden has been asked to consider an unusual request for political asylum.

It has been made by conservation groups on behalf of a wolf called Martin, who managed to escape from neighbouring Norway's cull of the animals.

The grounds for asylum are that Martin will face death if he is extradited, and that his spouse and all six children had already fallen victim to Norway's cruelty.