No sympathy for Martin in papers

"Unspeakable" is the word used by the Sun to sum up Michael Martin's performance in the Commons.

The paper accuses the Speaker of shamefully ducking responsibility for allowing the police raid on Damian Green's Westminster office.

The Daily Mail is equally unsympathetic, accusing him of an unashamed attempt to pass the buck.

The Daily Telegraph describes the Speaker's statement as astonishing and says pressure is mounting for him to resign.

Mortgage plans

Many papers believe Gordon Brown's mortgages plan leaves lenders facing more questions than answers.

The Guardian says many details, including the qualification rules, have yet to be finalised.

The Telegraph asks if the scheme will be extended if the buyer is still out of work after two years.

The Times talks of a hastily-prepared announcement and warns that as always with government initiatives rushed out in haste, the devil is in the detail.

The Financial Times reveals senior bankers were given just a day's notice of the mortgage plan.

It says it means many details will have to be settled in the coming weeks.

The Daily Express goes further, reporting that, privately, banks are said to be furious with the way the announcement was sprung on them.

A senior banker tells the Times: "You can tell Mandelson's back in town; the press are being briefed before we've even been properly consulted".

Old tortoise

The Telegraph, the Independent and the Sun show Jonathan the tortoise, who at the age of 176 is believed to be the world's oldest animal.

Jonathan was first photographed during the Boer War in 1900.

Since then, the Sun reports, he has lost his sight in one eye, but he doesn't let that cramp his style.

He is described as very active and regularly mates with three young females in his compound on the South Atlantic island of St Helena.