What the papers say

Journalist Keith Baker takes a look at what is making the headlines in Monday's morning papers.

A year ago 21-year-old Paul Quinn from south Armagh was lured to a farmhouse in County Monaghan and beaten to death by a gang of masked men.

The Irish News returns to the story on Monday and carries an interview with his parents.

They talk of the pain they have to endure every time they come face to face with the men they believe are responsible for their son's death.

They say they are devastated that the killers are still walking the streets.

The News Letter leads with the story about a commission to examine incidents from the Troubles.

It says terrorists would be granted immunity as part of a truth process.

But the paper thinks that very notion is a stomach-wrenching prospect for the people who still visit graves and those with the physical and mental scars that have changed their lives and those of their families.

Strike

The strike at Movilla High School in Newtownards is the main story in the Belfast Telegraph.

The headline talks of accusations flying as the strike enters its second week. The paper sees no end in sight to the dispute.

The Dublin papers are taken up with the fall-out from the recent budget in the Republic.

Brian Cowen is facing a backlash over one measure in particular - the plan to remove cards which provide extra medical benefits for the over 70s.

"Cowen caves in", is the headline in the Irish Independent which says the plan won't now go ahead.

Both the Irish Independent and the Irish Times report that Mr Cowen has postponed a visit to China so that he can deal with the issue.

The Irish Times writes of "astonishing political ineptitude".

Maurice Hayes in the Irish Independent says: "Apart from stealing a bottle from a baby in a pram, there are few things which the Irish public would regard as more reprehensible than making life more difficult for the elderly."

Among the cross channel papers economic matters are still to the fore, of course.

The Daily Telegraph reports that family finances, high street spending and the housing market will not recover for about three years.

The Mail starts a campaign on behalf of small business.

It says they are the lifeblood of Britain's economy, yet they're going bust every day because of extortionate bank charges, crippling taxes and stifling red tape.

"Material guy"

And a different kind of economic crisis in the Sun. According to the front page, the Madonna divorce is turning ugly.

Her pals are apparently saying that Guy Ritchie wants a chunk of her £320m fortune. "Material guy" says the headline.

Meanwhile, the Mirror reports that whatever happens, Madonna wants to stay in the UK.

The Mirror also tracks down a couple who were married at the same Scottish church as Mr and Mrs Ritchie and by the same vicar just before the more famous wedding.

One wedding cost £1.5m and was crammed with celebrities, the other cost £500 and was attended by just three family members.

But the paper says Roy and Catherine McGlynn are still as happy as the day they tied the knot.

Plenty of comment on the news that Colin Powell has backed Barack Obama.

The Times says this could play a significant role in persuading some undecided voters.

The Independent sees it as one of the most symbolic moments of an already ground-breaking election.

Finally the Guardian reports that the number of extradition requests being dealt with by courts in the UK has reached record levels. But not all of them relate to what you would call serious matters.

According to the paper, a lot of the more trivial requests come from Poland.

One case involved a carpenter who fitted wardrobe doors and then removed them when he was not paid.

Another requested the extradition of a suspect for theft of a dessert.