Papers paw over dog battle

The most bizarre story in the Christmas Eve newspapers is the bloody battle between two Royal dogs.

Anne's dog kills Queen's corgi, is the headline on the front of the Daily Mail, beside a picture of the Princess walking her bull terriers.

The report describes how the Queen is "distraught" after one of her favourite corgis was, in the paper's words, "savaged to death" by Princess Anne's dog Dottie.

The paper says the ageing corgi Pharos, had no chance of escape after the terrier's powerful jaws clamped on one of his back legs.

The Mail says Dottie has a history of viciousness and last year landed the Princess in court after the dog bit two boys in Windsor Great Park.

The question the paper wants answered is: "Will Princess Anne now be forced to have her killer dog destroyed?"

The Independent leads on what it calls "A Christmas Tale of 2003" - the story of a Ugandan mother-of-five who is HIV positive and preparing her children for her death.

Florence Kapuru still doesn't know if her children have the disease, as she doesn't know exactly when her husband infected her.

But, the paper says, she's taking part in a "ground-breaking concept" by writing a so-called "memory book".

It's aim is to explain the ravages of Aids not only to her own children but to the entire African continent.

Her friend, Beatrice Kabugho, who is also HIV positive, tells the paper: "Our husbands never told us they had Aids and they died. But we sit with our children and tell them the truth. It will be different with us."

Exam 'guinea pigs'

This morning's report by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority into attempts to broaden sixth form education is previewed in the Daily Telegraph.

While the report itself says "modest changes" have been achieved, the paper's editorial brands the exercise a failure.

It says it "pities the generation born in the mid-1980s" saying they have been "guinea pigs for all manner of half-baked government schemes".

It goes on to comment that while successive education secretaries have all resented the A-level system - holding it to be elitist - they've "lacked the courage to abolish it entirely" and instead "scratched away at it from beneath".

The paper's message is unequivocal: "If only they would leave well alone".

Festive Palace

A royal story makes many of the front pages in picture form.

The Telegraph is just one of the papers to offer readers a sneak preview of what it says is "Buckingham Palace lit up with Christmas Spirit".

The Queen gave her approval for the venture as part of the "brightening up London" campaign.

The full-colour mock-up shows the Palace "wrapped" in an image of the Union flag, covered by snow, which will be projected on to the building from 1700 GMT on Christmas Eve until New Year's Eve.

The image will then be replaced by a "Happy New Year" one.

Not all the papers seem fully supportive of the move.

The Times fears the trend for replacing what it calls "tasteful shows of miniature white lights" with "unashamedly kitsch" decorations.

Blunkett's quiz flop

The Daily Mirror and the Mail turn their attention to the academic prowess of one former education secretary, the now Home Secretary David Blunkett.

Under the banner headlines "Flunkett" and "Blunkety Blank", the Mirror reveals that Mr Blunkett appears on a Boxing Day celebrity edition of Mastermind hosted by John Humphrys, and notches up one of the BBC show's lowest ever scores.

As if by way of explanation, Mr Blunkett has written about his ordeal in the Mail.

He says: "As a guest on Radio 4's Today programme, I have of course been grilled many times by the famously aggressive John Humphreys, but I found him a much more intimidating figure as the host of Mastermind than behind the microphone in the Today studio.

"He appeared as a ruthless automaton."