Paper criticises 'damp-eyed' MPs

The human cost of the escalating Middle East conflict is reflected by many of the papers.

The Mirror devotes its front page to a picture of a Palestinian mother, weeping for her son, who was shot dead by Israeli troops.

Under the headline: "The Holy Siege" the paper describes how Bethlehem has become a no-go area with gun-battles preventing families and medical staff from reaching the dead and wounded.

In its editorial, the paper urges President Bush to tell Ariel Sharon to "back-off" - saying that the "world cannot continue to sit back, wringing its hands impotently, while the carnage goes on".

'Damp-eyed'

MPs come in for some stinging criticism in the Independent for trying to "outdo" each other with Queen Mother tributes.

The fact that it was her death - rather than the Middle East crisis - which prompted Wednesday's recall of Parliament has angered the paper's writers.

One report says the House of Commons turned into a chamber of "solemn pall-bearers and damp-eyed eulogists" as MPs strove to outdo each other with their emotional tributes.

The paper says that after 80 minutes at Westminster the Queen Mother was "in danger of turning into a saint" while in Scotland, MSPs limited their eulogising to just 22 minutes.

Head-to-head

Plans for the television coverage of the Queen Mother's funeral are discussed in many of the papers.

The Times reports that the Dimbleby brothers are going head to head by fronting rival channels, 50 years after their father, Richard, covered the death of King George VI.

The paper says: "When a nation mourns, the broadcasters send for a Dimbleby".

The Daily Mail reckons that ITV has stolen a march on the BBC by securing the services of Dame Vera Lynn to present alongside Jonathan - while his elder brother David will be joined by the historian Professor Simon Schama on the BBC.

Risque

The hidden passions of Lord Nelson are revealed in theTimes, which reproduces a letter which was considered too risque to publish by early biographers.

The love letter from Nelson to Lady Emma Hamilton - which was written on board HMS Victory in March 1803 - had been hidden away in the archives of the National Maritime Museum.

It was unearthed by a leading expert on Nelson, Colin White, who explains that at the time of writing, Nelson hadn't seen his lover for two years.

He tells the paper: "He talks about the real pleasure they will experience. It really is quite raunchy".

How much?

The Daily Mail leads with predictions that house prices will continue to rise this year.

The report says the Nationwide Building Society is revising upwards its forecast from 6% to about 10% per cent - which the paper says will confound predictions that the boom is nearing its end.

The story prompts an Austin cartoon on the front page of the Guardian. A woman says to her Monopoly opponent in disbelief: "You want HOW much for a house on the Old Kent Road?"

Rapid refill

The Daily Telegraph considers the benefits of a new invention - a glass which signals bar staff or waiters when it needs a top-up.

It is aimed at solving one of the most common gripes of diners and drinkers - that it is difficult to catch the waiter's eye.

Instead, a microchip sends a signal to the bar when your drink falls too low - prompting a speedy re-fill.