Papers discuss white farmers' plight

According to The Times the looting and destruction of Zimbabwe's white-owned farms has plunged into doubt both England's cricket tour to the country and Robert Mugabe's participation in the Commonwealth summit at Brisbane in October.

Writing in The Daily Mail, Peter Taylor, is critical of what he describes as the "pusillanimous" response of the British government to the invasion.

He says there are now fewer whites in Zimbabwe than elephants, but unlike the animals, no one cares much about their survival - especially the British government.

The Daily Telegraph has sent a special correspondent to a farm to witness the plight of its white owners.

He describes how hour after hour they sit by the farm radio to hear news of any activity by the war veterans.

"Listening for the slow creeping death", is he says, part of the Zimbabwean white farmers' way of life.

Hopes high for vCJD cure

The remarkable progress made by a young British woman who suffers from variant CJD is graphically illustrated by a front page picture in The Times.

It believes that the fact that Rachel Forbear has regained the ability to walk and talk after only 19 days of receiving a new treatment, means the prospect of a cure for the brain disease has "moved much closer."

The paper highlights how the two drugs being used have been known to medicine for decades, but have fallen from fashion because of side effects and more effective alternatives.

The Daily Telegraph however, warns that it is too soon to talk about a cure, pointing out that misdiagnosis remains one possible explanation for Miss Forger¿s recovery.

Hamiltons continue to deny allegation

There is still much coverage of what The Sun describes as the "Hamilton's amazing travelling circus."

As Neil and Christine Hamilton continue to orchestrate their denials through the media the paper says the drama "threatened to plunge into farce."

The Times questions the couple's willingness to hold news conferences, believing that they would have been better to have co-operated quietly with the police and allowed the evidence to speak for itself.

The Guardian reveals that the couple spurned two attempts by the police to allow them to put their side of the story before they were arrested last week.

As police continue their inquiries into the allegations, The Daily Telegraph reports that the Home Office is so concerned about the number of false allegations of rape that it is seeking to develop a lie detector test to weed out those making up sex attacks.

Trials underway in delivering milk bags

The Daily Express says milk has "lost its bottle" as milkmen begin trials delivering milk in plastic bags.

The paper says the so-called milk pouch is seen as greener than glass bottles and plastic cartons.

In a bid to encourage consumers to take to the new packaging, the bags are being sold two pence cheaper than the equivalent two pint plastic bottle.

If the pouch takes off, the early morning clink on the doorstep could become a thing of the past.

A similar fate was suffered by girls' comics, which according to the Independent is the focus of research by a media studies lecturer at Sunderland University for her PhD.

Mel Gibson has studied the demise of titles such as Jackie, Bunty and Twinkle and how modern girls have been denied an important part of their childhood.