Papers mull end of super-casino

Prime Minister Gordon Brown's decision to halt plans for a super-casino in Manchester are heralded as a "very moral victory" by the Daily Mail.

The paper had long campaigned against the proposal, and sees the announcement as a vindication of its position.

The Times, however, points to the £200,000 cost incurred by each of the six councils which bid for a super-casino licence.

It believes they are right to feel aggrieved at the cancellation.

Mr Brown's plans to tackle Britain's housing shortage receives a mixed reception in the press.

The Daily Telegraph dismisses the prime minister's proposal to build three million new homes by 2020 as a "wish list" rather than a realistic target.

Water discovery

But the decision by Mr Brown to announce his legislative programme now is viewed by the Financial Times as a welcome break with tradition.

Usually it is announced at the Queen's speech in the autumn.

The Independent covers the discovery of what is believed to be water on a planet in a constellation 63 light years from the Earth.

A scientist tells the paper that because water is regarded as the essential ingredient for life, it is an exciting breakthrough.

Giant badgers

The Telegraph covers an alleged plot by the Basque separatist group ETA.

It says a man was arrested carrying a bomb intended for a car ferry from Plymouth to Santander in Spain.

The Sun says the Queen stormed out of a recent photo shoot.

She apparently said "I'm Orf" when she was asked by the American photographer, Annie Leibovitz, to remove her crown.

And a bizarre story from the Iraqi city of Basra is covered by the Times, where residents are being plagued by an invasion of giant badgers.

Sightings of the fearsome animals, said to weigh up to 30 pounds, have apparently spread like wildfire around the city.