What the papers say

Journalist Malachi O'Doherty reviews Tuesday's morning newspapers.

It is a distressing picture and it is the photo lead in the Irish News this morning.

Francis Curran, who has cerebral palsy, weeps, traumatised by a pipe bomb attack on his Lisburn home, comforted by his sister in law, Christine Curran.

Christine said: "It scared the life out of him."

The Irish News leads on the increased security at the Royal Victoria Hospital, and inside, Sean Farren takes a platform piece to argue that the alternative to peace is Balkanisation.

And he lists four areas in which the Agreement has not been progressed to the satisfaction of the SDLP, including the criminal justice review, a joint human rights commission for the whole island, a north south parliamentary forum and an independent north south consultative forum.

The News Letter claims on the front page to know that part of it will cover a promise not to train new recruits to the policing service in how to fire plastic bullets, and has confirmation that such training will not be given to the first batch of recruits starting in September.

The Mirror has that story too.

'Proposals'

A police spokesperson explained to the Mirror that such training would be given to seasoned officers on Mobile Support Units.

Inside the Irish Times, Gerry Moriarty offers a speculative breakdown on the proposals already drawn up by Blair and Ahern.

He suggests it includes indemnities for paramilitaries on the run and the appointment of an international judge with investigative powers to decide on the merits of enquiries into the killings of Pat Finucane, Robert Hamill and Rosemary Nelson and into alleged collusion between the Garda Siochana and the IRA.

The Irish Independent reports that 130 Irish pilgrims to Lourdes have been left stranded there after a tour operator in Dun Laoghaire failed to send out a plane to bring them home.

Fifty of them are from Newry and many are ill and elderly.

Pollution

The big London broadsheets celebrate the revival of the Kyoto agreement.

The Guardian says that the world community of 186 countries has isolated the United States, which has refused to ratify Kyoto.

The effect on the environment might not be as dramatic as the political implications however. "Elation after two nights of wrangling", says the sub heading, "but cut in gases will only amount to 1-3%".

"Pollution deal leaves US cold", says the Daily Telegraph.

Below, the Telegraph says that farmers blame the government for the clean up operation to eradicate foot-and-mouth.

Two pigs clarify the issue in the Matt cartoon: "It's no wonder it costs so much to clean up, this place is a pig sty".

And the paper has the heartening story of how a swan attacked by a thugs with a bottle has been saved by special dental treatment.

A dentist and a dental technician from Bristol fitted the bird with a new acrylic bill, that will allow Samson the swan to feed himself.

And the Daily Express reports that a TV Times poll has found that Nigella Lawson, the domestic goddess, is the most beautiful person on television and that incomprehensibly Dervla Kirwan is down in sixth place.