Special relationship under strain

Anyone who thought the war of words over Iraq was done and dusted need only read Sunday's papers to find that the battle lines appear to be shifting, and now lie somewhere between London and Washington.

The Sunday Times says a transatlantic split has emerged between the world's two leading spy agencies.

The CIA has said it did not believe British secret service claims of an alleged Iraqi plot to buy uranium in west Africa for nuclear weapons. MI6 is said to be standing by its story.

The paper says the dispute is one of the most serious between the two agencies.

The Observer quotes Downing Street and Foreign Office sources saying they will not be backing down over the uranium claims.

But the paper believes that British officials have been left exposed by the CIA chief, George Tenet, saying that President Bush should never have used the British claim in his state of the union address.

The Mail on Sunday says this has led to a crisis in relations between Tony Blair and President Bush.

It says the rift in the special relationship now threatens to spoil Mr Blair's trip to Washington and casts a shadow over the futures of both men.

Up yours!

It would appear, however, that Tony Blair is about to get some support from an unexpected source - the Tories.

According to the Observer a growing number of Conservative backbenchers are ready to rescue the prime minister from a crushing defeat over plans for university top-up fees.

Officially the Conservatives oppose the fees, but the paper says many, including Michael Portillo, feel this is a betrayal of 'real Tory' values, and are ready to abstain or vote with the government.

The Independent on Sunday pictures the 42 British soldiers who have died in Iraq. Forty-two reasons, it says, why we should be told the truth about the conflict.

The Mail on Sunday carries a picture of George Best on its front page being ushered into a police car after an altercation at a pub.

Secret drinking

On the inside pages it shows the former Man United star sitting with an empty beer glass.

In the News of the World a contrite Best says he is sorry and just cannot help himself.

It reports that the soccer legend broke down in tears in front of his wife when she confronted him at the start of a week of secret drinking sessions.

The Italians and the French may be famed for their gesticulating, but according to the Sunday Telegraph, the British motorist now tops the European league in making obscene gestures to other road users.

As the paper puts it, the stiff middle finger has replaced the stiff upper lip.

The survey of 13,000 drivers in 23 countries found that three out of four British drivers admitted to giving abusive hand signals while driving.

More predictably, French, Italian and Spanish drivers emerged as the champions of verbal abuse; and while the Norwegians were the most aggressive, the Dutch were the most placid.