What the papers say

Journalist Fionola Meredith takes a look at what is making the headlines in Tuesday's morning papers.

Reports on fresh allegations from a US Senate investigation into the MP George Galloway, which he denies, appear on many of the front pages.

The Daily Telegraph focuses on a claim that Mr Galloway's Palestinian-born wife, Amineh Abu Zayyad, received £100,000 derived from the UN oil-for-food programme.

The paper cannot resist the opportunity to fill in a little background information about Mr Galloway's relationship with his (now estranged) wife.

It describes how he once said that his idea of happiness was "a hilltop in Portugal with... a Havana cigar and a Palestinian scientist running her fingers through my hair".

On a more serious note, the Telegraph editorial observes that while Mr Galloway is rightly noted for the feistiness of his denials, many questions have still to be met.

Victims' commissioner

Meanwhile, the local papers are full of reaction to the news that Bertha McDougall, widow of an RUC reservist murdered by the INLA, is to be Northern Ireland's first victims' commissioner.

The News Letter says that Mrs McDougall has pledged to perform her duties with "an independent voice".

But many nationalists are not happy with the appointment.

Sinn Fein's Philip McGuigan has questioned the transparency and accountability of the decision, reports the Daily Ireland.

The Irish News thinks that Bertha McDougall deserves to be given every chance to prove her credentials.

However, it condemns the Northern Ireland Office for effectively consulting only one party, the DUP, before naming Mrs McDougall, thus putting her in the difficult position of being closely linked to that party before she has even had her first day in the new post.

Mrs McDougall has told the Irish Times that political criticism was inevitable, no matter who had taken up the appointment.

Survivor

Belfast man Jonathan Simms is the world's longest surviving sufferer of CJD.

The Belfast Telegraph carries a front-page report claiming that the 21-year-old is now showing signs of recovery, after receiving experimental drug treatment.

But the brain surgeon who operated on him said that the seven month delay in getting clearance for the world-first procedure caused significant deterioration in Jonathan's condition.

"Bird Brain" squawks the Sun's headline, referring to the bird importer behind Britain's case of avian flu who, it is alleged, is a convicted fraudster.

The paper reports that Brett Hammond, who quarantines exotic birds at a secret location in Essex, has "done bird" himself. He was jailed for a year in 1997 for VAT offences.

The Mail, which also leads with the story, says that the details of the bird dealer's background "exploded" government assurances that the quarantine system will protect the public from the virus.

Car keys

Finally, the Times reports on how police in Devon are encouraging elderly motorists to hand in their car keys and take the bus instead.

A spate of accidents in recent weeks have been blamed on older drivers hitting the accelerator instead of the brake.

One elderly man with an artificial leg smashed through a shop window, reversed out, then came roaring back in as he made the same mistake again.

But a spokesman for Age Concern hit back, saying that "someone's fitness to drive should be based on their skill, not on their birth certificate".