Papers picture poisoned dissident
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/6167784.stm Version 0 of 1. Many of the front pages carry the first picture of Russian dissident Alexander Litvinenko since he was poisoned in London earlier this month. The Daily Telegraph describes him as an emaciated and gaunt figure. For the Guardian, the picture is a graphic illustration of the effects of the substance he unwittingly swallowed. It is also the tabloids' main story - with strikingly similar headlines. The Sun goes for "From Russia with lunch", the Mirror "From Russia with loathe". Russian tea The poisoning by thallium of an ex-KGB colonel in the UK gives the Independent a haunting reminder of the Soviet past The Sun calls it a James Bond-style poison plot, which the Telegraph says would not be out of place in Cold War fiction. The Guardian says Alexander Litvinenko has told friends from his hospital bed he had tea with two Russian men at a hotel in London on the day he fell ill. The Daily Express says detectives have spoken to the Russian dissident, but he was too weak to give a full statement. Cross words The Daily Mail leads with the Archbishop of York's criticism of British Airways for refusing to allow a woman to openly wear a crucifix at work. Under the headline "Nonsense", it says a growing chorus of MPs, civil liberties campaigners, Muslims and Sikhs have also condemned the airline. A cartoon in the Telegraph shows the Church of England retaliating. An official puts up a notice, outside a church, telling parishioners: "No British Airways uniforms." Stock questions "Are we about to lose our stock exchange?" the Telegraph asks in its business, news and editorial pages. And Nasdaq's bid for the London Stock Exchange, and the swift rejection by its chief executive Clara Furse, is the main story for the Financial Times. The Mail says the London exchange is digging in its heels for what could be a long and bloody battle. But the Times believes a takeover may be inevitable - after two previous bids were also rejected. |