What the papers say

Journalist Andy Wood takes a look at what is making the headlines in Tuesday's morning papers.

The news of assembly elections late next month obviously comes too late for the papers but the prospects for a breakthrough leading to the restoration of devolved government is nonetheless the big story.

The News Letter's coverage is the most bullish with a two-word headline proclaiming "Done Deal" supported by "Provos poised to hand over weapons".

The paper also says Gerry Adams is expected to make "a major speech" before Prime Ministers Blair and Ahern arrive at Hillsborough to give details of the deal.

The spotlight is also on the IRA in the Irish News coverage which says the organisation is "poised to make its third act of decommissioning as part of a sequence of carefully-choreographed moves".

The Irish News says General John de Chastelain's assessment of the decommissioning will focus on what it calls "the visibility" of the act.

This will be followed by an IRA statement and a response to that statement by David Trimble.

'Frantic activity'

The Irish Independent hedges its bets somewhat, quoting "senior government sources" as warning last night that "one stumbling block remained to be overcome".

But the Irish Times has no such doubts, predicting "a frantic day of activity" starting with a meeting of Ulster Unionist Party officers.

In other words - everyone seems to be travelling hopefully - with the possible exception of would-be air travellers in the south.

Both Dublin papers look ahead to what the Irish Independent says will be "three days of disruption over the next two weeks".

Aer Lingus cabin crews are protesting about changes to their rotas while unions representing workers at the Irish Airports body, Aer Rianta, are threatening a two-hour stoppage at Dublin Shannon and Cork Airports to protest against the break-up of the Republic of Ireland's state airport authority.

The Irish Times says Aer Lingus has paid 500,000 euro to hire 20 aircraft from other companies in an attempt to minimise the effects of the stoppage - the Times warns this could, in fact, escalate the dispute.

There is a mixed bag of lead stories among the London papers.

Retirement

The Daily Telegraph chooses education, claiming that the government is preparing a "climbdown" on university top-up fees.

It says universities will be told to charge relatively well-off students the full fee of £3,000 and redistribute a third of the total raised as bursaries to those students with poorer parents.

The Express looks at the finances of older age, claiming that millions of Britons are relying on a continuing rise in the value of their houses as the only hope of generating a decent pension.

The Express quotes figures from the Association of British Insurers that about 8m people - about a third of the working population - have saved nothing towards the cost of their retirement.

The Mirror and the Daily Mail lead with with the speculation which continues to surround the death of Princess Diana.

The Mail says Princes William and Harry are feeling "a bitter sense of betrayal" over revelations in the book by former royal butler Paul Burrell.

But the Mirror, which has bought the rights to the Burrell book, has no such doubts, claiming that that the butler is "doing a favour to the royals - and to history - by telling the truth".