Kenyan bomb blamed on al-Qaeda

The hellish scenes at the Paradise Hotel after yesterday's suicide bombing feature on almost every front page.

All the papers conclude the attack in the Kenyan resort of Mombasa was the work of al-Qaeda.

The Times says Israel has been thrust into the heart of the war against terrorism - and its tough response could significantly change the course of the campaign.

TheGuardian agrees Israel's involvement marks an important escalation of the conflict because Israeli action could alienate many in the Arab and Muslim world who have been sympathetic to Washington until now.

In its editorial, the Times considers that this was precisely al-Qaeda's strategy.

The Daily Telegraph says the attacks will have a devastating affect on national morale in Israel because Israelis habitually travel abroad to escape violence in their homeland.

Now one of their favoured escape routes is blocked off.

The Times says two of the boys who died came from a West Bank settlement frequently targeted by suicide bombers.

There are other stories, too, of those who survived the hotel attack - and of the passengers on the airliner which was fired at as it left the local airport.

The general view is that it was pure luck that many more weren't killed.

The Independent believes al-Qaeda has demonstrated its ability to strike where least expected.

But elsewhere, there are strong suggestions that the attack had been anticipated.

The same paper says the Kenyan authorities had picked up reports that the country was to be targeted.

The Guardian and others note that Australia had specifically warned its citizens two weeks ago about the risk of terror attacks in Mombassa.

The Telegraph says the British government is facing renewed accusations of not issuing proper warnings to travellers from the UK.

Thousand babies

Illegal immigrations stories make the lead in the Daily Mail and the Daily Express who have been poring over a House of Lords report on the issue.

The Mail focuses on a scam used by people smugglers.

It says they have stolen the identities of more than a thousand babies who have died before their first birthday and sold them to illegal immigrants.

The same report concludes that illegal immigration is out of control and it is that which the Mail makes the subject of a full-page editorial.

A country which has seen off the Spanish Armada, Napoleon and Hitler has now lost control of its borders, it concludes.

The situation is very different to the legal immigration of the past, the paper continues, and is undermining the country's community relations. The time has come for politicians to act.

The Express rails against the Lords' conclusion that hundreds of thousand of illegal immigrants should be allowed to stay.

The paper's editorial concludes that far from solving the problem, an amnesty would send out the wrong signals to others wanting to come to the UK.

The Chancellor's pre-Budget report continues to make waves.

The Independent says Gordon Brown has been accused of an accountancy dodge by failing to include in his calculations the 21 billion pounds underwriting the debts of Network Rail, which was set up to replace Railtrack.

The Telegraph says the dispute in Whitehall over whether the money should be included or not has dealt a fresh blow to Mr Brown's grip on public finances.