BBC strike features in papers

There is no clear lead for the papers, with a variety of stories given prominence.

The Guardian says a strike by BBC staff over 4,000 planned job cuts has brought the corporation to a "standstill".

It says the day's main news bulletins will resemble a 1970s nostalgia show, with just a newsreader, a desk and a single camera in operation.

The paper quotes BBC News insiders as saying it was "impossible to say" in advance who would read the news.

The Daily Express says that detectives investigating Princess Diana's death have revealed they cannot yet rule out the possibility that she was murdered.

Police sources say the deeper they have probed the 1997 Paris crash, the more mysterious their inquiry has become.

The Independent focuses on the battle for votes in the forthcoming French and Dutch EU constitution referendums.

It says the Yes camps are lagging in both countries, with the No vote at 53% in France and 63% in the Netherlands.

"Who'll be given a cut-price home loan?" asks the Daily Mail of Gordon Brown's plans to help first-time buyers on to the housing ladder.

It says the principle of the £1bn "shared equity" scheme has been welcomed, but the practicalities have been called into question.

The paper says the scheme, spread over five years, will help only 6%.

And, it adds, it will be left to banks and building societies to decide on the deserving applicants.

The Times carries details of a study which suggests thousands of comprehensive schools are still failing the most able pupils.

It says the examination of data on 28,000 pupils found high-achievers tend to do better when grouped together.

The Sun leads on three sisters from Derby who have become mothers at the ages of 12, 14 and 16.

Grandmother Julie Atkins, 38, blames teachers for not giving the girls sex education at an early enough stage.