Papers take sides in BBC 'row'

The newspaper battle over Peter Sissons' tie hots up in Wednesday's papers.

But while the Daily Mail and The Times continue to criticise the BBC newsreader for not wearing a black tie to announce the Queen Mother's death, the Corporation has found an unusual supporter.

The Sun blasts its News International stablemate - the Times - saying the country as a whole looks a "tad immature" if we are obsessed with the colour of a newsreader's tie.

The paper detects "an attack of temporary madness" in parts of what it calls the "illiberal, hysterical" media.

The Guardian smells something else. In a comment piece, Emily Bell concludes that the Mail versus the BBC is less about genuine moral indignation than it is about newspaper sales.

Surprising scene

And the papers are also divided over the tone of the nation's grief.

Sorry Ma'am," says the Mirror, "that so many of us are showing you so little respect."

Underneath is a photograph of a sign attached to a lamp-post. It reads: "Waiting time from here - half-an-hour".

In the distance, down a line of metal barriers, the blurred image of a queue can be made out.

This is, says the caption, the surprising scene at St James's Palace - where only a handful of people turned up on Tuesday to sign the books of condolence for the Queen Mother.

The "nation's apathy" - the Mirror argues - was all too apparent in the meagre crowds which gathered to watch the hearse carrying the Queen Mother's coffin from Windsor to London.

The Independent reports that genuine mourners were outnumbered by tourists.

For the Daily Mail, though, the journey was a moving tribute from another age.

No ceremony, no vulgarity - merely a "a narrow corridor of deep respect" stretching from a silent chapel to the gates of a royal palace.

And the Daily Telegraph speaks of the "quiet homage" of thousands of people along the way.

'Military folly'

Amidst the unrelenting violence in the Middle East, the Telegraph seems to be alone in declaring its support for Israel's continuing military offensive.

For now, it reckons, the West must rally behind Israel as it meets an attack on its very existence.

But the Financial Times is appalled by what it calls Ariel Sharon's "military folly" - and urges the US to intervene.

The Guardian also sees a greater role for Washington. Israel's course of action, the paper believes, will further intensify the hatred between the Israeli and Palestinian peoples.

The Independent is convinced American diplomacy can succeed only with the participation of Yasser Arafat.

Pricey petrol

One of the consequences of the crisis in the Middle East has been a surge in oil prices - up to a six-month high on Tuesday.

The Mail's front page warns motorists here to expect another five pence on a gallon of petrol in the coming weeks.

The Sun predicts an extra 10 pence on unleaded.

The Daily Star says the soaring oil prices will increase the pressure on the Chancellor to freeze fuel duty in the Budget later this month.

Falklands revisited

Meanwhile, The Daily Express is taking up arms on behalf of veterans of the Falklands conflict.

It is upset the government is refusing to fund what the paper calls a "therapeutic" flight back to the South Atlantic for 200 men later this year, labelling it a "betrayal of Britain's Falklands heroes".

The paper is asking readers to "give generously" to its campaign to pay for the trip.

No cash for questions

The Financial Times reports British companies are abandoning political donations - in favour of less public ways of gaining influence in Whitehall.

The paper says firms now prefer to sponsor think-tanks, join a government task force or hire former ministerial aides.

Labour's general secretary, David Triesman, tells the FT new rules on disclosing cash donations may have gone too far - and closed off a vital source of revenue for political parties.

Black blob

And, according to the Independent, marine biologists are struggling to understand why a 700 square mile area of ocean off Florida's southern tip mysteriously turned black.

Apparently, most scientists believe the "black blob" is made up of unusual algae.

Its effect has been serious, says the Independent - chasing away fish from the sea-bed and tourists from their sun-beds.