Papers fear for Middle East peace

Under the headline "Sharon and Bush reach their own settlement on Israel", the Independent leads on the agreement between the two men but warns of the possibility of "Palestinian anger".

The Guardian is quick to air its view on what it thinks the deal will mean for the Middle East peace process.

"Bush rips up the road map," says the front page headline.

The paper also has much to say about Tony Blair's meeting with President Bush in Washington on Friday.

In its leader column, it says the prime minister must try to convince the president what it calls the "aggressive stance" being taken by coalition forces in Iraq is making matters there worse.

But The Times says the two leaders are unlikely to disagree about Iraq.

It argues the flexibility of the president's policies often passes unrecognised by critics of them, and concludes "the coalition is more than capable of staying a difficult but necessary course".

Parking mad

The Independent carries a two-page feature about parking fines, and the system that imposes them - what the paper calls a "voracious industry".

"Are drivers being taken for a ride?" it asks, revealing motorists pay some £3bn in fines every year.

Various nightmare incidents are described in the article, including parking tickets being handed out to delivery vehicles before they have had the chance to unload, and even a bus being fined at a bus stop in Manchester.

The article then goes on to give a step-by-step guide to what to do if you are given a ticket.

The issue is also highlighted in the Daily Mail, which tells the story of a milkman who has been given 40 parking tickets in six months while doing his round in central London.

Taxing run

There is indignation too on the front page of the Times.

Under the headline "Vatman runs off with charity cash", it tells how the Treasury will claim £5m in tax on donations made by people who take part in this year's London Marathon.

The cartoon next to the story is tongue-in-cheek, portraying a runner asking: "Will you sponsor me? I'm raising money for the Inland Revenue".

But the paper's leader is scathing.

"Not only is this hard-hearted," it says, "it goes against the grain of what the chancellor has been claiming to do, in encouraging charitable giving."

Keating tribute

The Daily Express and the Sun both lead on the death from breast cancer of the Blue Peter presenter Caron Keating.

Inside the Sun, stars including Sir Cliff Richard, Philip Schofield and Anthea Turner pay tribute to her.

The Daily Mirror, in its leader column, urges women to be screened for breast cancer, saying the disease can only be treated if it is caught early enough.

Emigration fear

Finally, the Daily Telegraph sounds off about a new survey suggesting more than 20 million people in Britain are considering moving abroad.

The paper is depressed by the statistics but goes on to offer its readers a list of reasons why Britain is in fact one of the best places to live.

They include country pubs, the Queen, and what the Telegraph gleefully describes as "the ability to pop frequently over the Channel, safe in the knowledge that we can easily return".