What the papers say

Journalist Grania McFadden reviews Wednesday's morning newspapers.

No-one is optimistic about progress in Ulster's peace process.

While politicians are locked inside Weston Park, the Irish News reports on attacks on nationalists in Ballycastle, Rasharkin and Ahoghill.

Several papers voice fears of a renewed spate of violence, after the UFF withdrew its support for the Good Friday Agreement.

The News Letter writes of politicians playing the blame game, after Seamus Mallon lost patience with Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, and Gerry Adams angered David Trimble by taking time out from negotiations to give a speech in London.

Challenge remains

The Irish Times says neither side seems prepared to disclose its bottom line, and adds that if both republicans and unionists hold their positions, then prospects of a deal seem pretty grim.

But the News Letter comments that whatever happens inside the talks, outside the challenge remains the same - whether we, the people, can make Northern Ireland work.

Meanwhile, the Irish News reports that the political wing of the Real IRA has suffered a major blow with the surprise departure of its southern recruitment officer.

Republican sources say the 32-County Sovereignty Movement is splintering, as leaks by infiltrators spark fears of a countrywide garda sweep.

The Irish Independent carries a picture of Bertie Ahern on its front page, after the Taoiseach was awarded £30,000 in damages over claims that he had accepted a bribe.

'Unhappy reflection'

The paper says Mr Ahern's reputation has now been competely vindicated.

But it points out that when he first denied accepting a £50,000 'sweetner', most people did not believe him.

That was not merely unfair, it says, it was an unhappy reflection on Irish politics and society.

The Mirror carries results of a shocking survey which reveals that suicide attempts by children have rocketed to 19,000 a year.

The charity Childline claims twice as many youngsters are trying to kill themselves as ten years ago.

Bullying is the biggest single cause, with sexual and physical abuse, self harm and eating disorders also blamed for the increase.

Leadership shambles

Childline also revealed that while the age of children threatening to kill themselves peaked between 13 and 18, a large number of callers felt suicidal around the age of six or seven.

The London papers concentrate on yesterday's first round of voting in the Conservative leadership election, using words like 'farce', 'chaos' and 'shambles' to describe the outcome.

The result was declared void after a tie for last place. Or as the Daily Telegraph puts it, it was a knockout contest in which no one was knocked out.

"Just when we thought the Tories could sink no further, they have plumbed new depths of incompetence," says the Express , while the Mirror notes: "We knew they couldn't decide who should win. Now we find out they can't even decide who should be last."

Fighting it out

Tory MP John Redwood suggests to the Telegraph that the contest for the Tory crown should be run along the same lines as the TV show Survivor.

"We could send all the candidates away to a remote island and let them fight it out," he said. "Whoever comes back alive wins".

The Tories are not the only ones in crisis, it seems. The Telegraph also reports that Tony Blair has set up a crisis management unit in the Cabinet office to deal with national emergencies.

The paper says the move reflects the prime minister's concern at the government's failure to bring recent crises such as foot-and-mouth disease quickly under control.