What the papers say

Journalist Mike Philpott takes a look at what is making the headlines in Thursday's morning papers.

Two Stormont ministers find themselves in the headlines.

In the case of the Irish News, it's Caitriona Ruane, who gives the paper an interview in which she hints that she may attempt to bypass the executive and the assembly to introduce her plans for education after the abolition of the 11-plus.

The story says such a move "would put her on a collision course with unionists, but she's determined to phase out all forms of academic selection by 2013".

In the News Letter, the minister in question is Sammy Wilson, who has accused Secretary of State Shaun Woodward of meddling in devolved matters in a way that wouldn't be tolerated in Scotland.

If such a company sneezes in public, then the whole country is heading for a nasty cold Daily Mail

He's quoted as saying that Mr Woodward overstepped the mark on funding for the Irish language and supporting the idea of a stadium at the Maze.

The Belfast Telegraph goes for a very different story - the fact that a man from Northern Ireland has been accused of the brutal murder of his wife and grandchildren in Australia.

It's also the lead story in the Daily Mirror, where it's reported that "John Walsh's personality changed suddenly after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour".

Slump

The papers in Dublin have been saying for some time that a fuller picture of the economy would become clear this week. Now that it has, it's not pretty.

There's a shortfall of three billion euros in tax revenues because of the property slump - and that, according to the Irish Times, means that the government will have to borrow three times more than it had planned in order to plug the gap.

The Irish Independent says ministers will have to reduce the spending plans of their departments by a total of half a billion euros. The paper predicts worse to come.

The economic news is no better in the British papers. Just a flavour of the headlines: "This isn't just a slump, it's an M&S slump" is a line that's used in most of the papers, after Marks & Spencer revealed a fall in sales.

The Times talks of the high street being affected by the full force of the credit crunch. The Daily Telegraph says the standard of living in the UK will fall for at least a year.

The Daily Mail's city editor says that "if it's bad for Marks & Spencer, then heaven help us". "If such a company sneezes in public," he says, "then the whole country is heading for a nasty cold."

The front of the Daily Express is dominated by a picture of a protest outside the Treasury at the rising cost of petrol. The protesters handed in the signatures of 100,000 people on a petition asking Gordon Brown to reduce the rate of fuel duty.

Finally, the Independent reports that Moe the chimpanzee has escaped into a forest in southern California.

Moe works in the film and television industry, and he's no ordinary chimp. He's toilet trained, likes to sleep in a bed, and uses a knife and fork to eat.

His owner tells the paper: "He means the world to us. He was the best man at our wedding."