NI peace process hopes lead papers

There is cautious optimism about the future of the Northern Ireland peace process following Monday's speech by Gerry Adams, in which he indicated that the IRA could be preparing to move on weapons decommissioning .

The Independent weighs up the significance of his words, saying that while we have heard similar language from the Republican movement before - the language being used now appears different and could reflect a more genuine debate.

The paper agrees that "time is certainly running out", but it says the pressure to make progress has been increased by the events of 11 September.

The Mirror continues the theme under the headline, "Hope".

It says that "Terror has had its day" and that Mr Adams' words are a "giant step in the right direction".

The paper urges all those involved in the negotiations to "grasp their chance" because those "who squander hope will never be forgiven".

But the Daily Mail remains wary - choosing to back the view of the Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble, who has insisted that, this time, "we need to see action as well as words".

The paper goes on to insist that even if the weapons issue is resolved, the government must resist the temptation to make further concessions to hardline republicanism.

It argues: "Democratic society should not reward killers simply for agreeing to end their evil work".

Computer age soldier

Looking ahead to the ground offensive in Afghanistan, the latest weapon aimed at securing victory in a difficult terrain is the so-called "cyber soldier".

The Mirror says the new computer system is being rushed forward by the Pentagon so it can be built into the uniform of every soldier, allowing troops to get up-to-the-minute information on the battlefield or have messages and orders beamed on to a flip down screen on their helmets.

A mouse is integrated into a rifle, but computer experts are currently trying to iron out problems to prevent the software from crashing.

Cheating the biological clock

The Mail offers readers a chance to "Stop the Baby Clock", with a report on a development in IVF treatment that might enable menopausal women to conceive.

It says scientists are trying to "cheat" nature by using part of a younger egg from a donor to "supercharge" a woman's older egg before it is fertilised in a test tube.

The scientists from New York are excited about the prospects, but a spokesman for the charity Life has branded the intervention as "technological adultery."

Flood tide

Many of the papers run photographs showing the misery of those who have been affected by the recent flooding.

Under the headline, "Rising Damp", The Sun relays the tale of Dave Pickett who went to the rescue of neighbours as a three foot wave hit their homes when the River Colne burst its banks at Chappel, in Essex.

Mr Pickett was himself dragged under several times and had to cling to a tree until he could be rescued by firefighters.

Napoleon relic

The Telegraph reports that four pieces of wallpaper that could have caused the death of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1812 by slowly poisoning him are to be sold at auction.

While historians debate exactly what killed him, one theory is that arsenic, dispensed in vapours from a pigment in the wallpaper, could have been to blame.

Whether authentic or not, the price for this little bit of history is expected to be around £600.