Zarqawi death coverage dominates

The blood-spattered face of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaeda's leader in Iraq, stares out from Friday's front pages.

The Independent says his death is important because he was one of the most sectarian of Iraq's rebels.

The Guardian says he wreaked havoc upon efforts to bring stability to Iraq.

"Butchered of Baghdad" is how the Sun sums it up.

The Times says the majority of Zarqawi's victims in Iraq were Muslims and that his death is a fitting end.

New hope?

The newspapers are divided over the importance of the death of the Iraqi rebel.

The Daily Telegraph speaks of "new hope" and "spectacularly good news". It believes the new Iraqi government now has a chance to seize the initiative.

But the Daily Mail warns of a backlash of violence from al-Qaeda terrorists mourning their leader, while Robert Fisk in the Independent writes that Zarqawi's image was a fable created at the UN Security Council.

Depraved

The High Court decision to lengthen the sentence by two years of a man who raped a baby draws the tabloids' fire.

The Daily Mirror describes it as a "disgrace" and points out that Alan Webster's accomplice, Tanya French, did not have anything added to her term.

The Sun says 170,000 of its readers urge tougher terms for baby rapists.

The Daily Express quotes a 17-year-old who was attacked by Webster as saying: "He is a depraved and sick lunatic who should be condemned to hell."

Emu returns

Virtually every paper carries news of a comeback for Emu.

The Guardian describes it as the bird that bullied scores of celebrities in the hands of the late Rod Hull. His son, Toby, is the new controller.

The Mail says the news will "send a shiver down Michael Parkinson's spine", as the chat-show host was infamously attacked by the puppet.

The Express thinks many viewers will hope the crazed bird visits Jonathan Ross.