Living cost rise makes headlines

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The continuing rise in the cost of living dominates the newspapers.

The Daily Express warns food prices are rising even faster than feared, after delving into research collated by the Grocer magazine.

The Sun reports that the ingredients for the traditional British breakfast fry-up are up 15%.

According to the Daily Telegraph, middle class households are being hard hit, because they spend more on fresh food, energy bills, fuel and education.

Royal wedding?

Acres of lilac poppies are shown stretching across the rolling fields of Hampshire in the Daily Mail.

The plants are becoming an increasingly visible feature in the UK, where drug companies harvest them to produce pain relief drugs, such as morphine, for the NHS.

The Express says Prince William is planning to propose to his girlfriend, Kate Middleton, at Christmas.

The paper says that after about six years together, it seems unlikely that he will make her wait much longer.

The Daily Mirror reports on Morgan Tsvangirai's decision to pull out of the presidential run-off in Zimbabwe.

The Mail and the Independent agree that the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change cannot be blamed for standing aside.

Rock 'n' roll

And the Mail is also concerned by the launch of a UK medical website which will sell the contraceptive pill.

The doctors running the site say it is aimed at busy working mothers and those living a long way from a GP.

In the Telegraph there is news of the spending habits of Charles II's infamous mistress, Nell Gwyn.

She apparently thought nothing of ordering a bed costing £1,135 - about £150,000 in today's money - and charging it to the Exchequer.

The Independent sounds a note of caution for promoters of concerts in the grounds of stately homes.

Research by Russian scientists suggests historic artefacts can be damaged by high noise vibrations.