UK troops remark dominates papers

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Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett's comments on the withdrawal of British troops in Iraq dominate the papers.

The Independent describes her timetable as "tentative", the Daily Mail calls the exit strategy plan "accelerated" .

The Mail agrees with The Guardian that the government has given its "clearest timetable yet" for an Iraq withdrawal.

The Times says her speech was "not so much low key, as no key".

The Daily Telegraph describes it as "surreal", given the continuing violence in Iraq.

'Poor equipment'

The controversy over how well-equipped British forces are in Afghanistan returns to a number of the papers.

The Telegraph's claim that paratroops were supplied with machine guns "jammed by cheap, defective bullets". The Ministry of Defence denies this.

Tony Blair's famous pledge "education, education, education" comes back to haunt him after Ofsted published its report on Britain's secondary schools.

The Sun calls it "damning", The Daily Express says the system is a "mess".

Drugs and crime link

The call by a senior police officer for heroin addicts to get the drug on the NHS and the revelation that some already have sparks an angry reaction.

The Mail points out that the money would pay for treatment for "thousands" of Alzheimer's sufferers.

The Express says the money could buy cancer drugs or an incubator.

But The Daily Star is willing to give the plan a try, saying it would cost less than the value of the property stolen by addicts to fund their habit.

Regal holiday

A warning that "millions of vulnerable people" are being put at risk because of delays in distributing the flu vaccine, is The Times lead.

It says a survey of 1,500 GP practices in England and Wales found a "sharp drop" in the number of vaccinations.

The Mail echoes the warning.

Headline-writers made the most of news that Prince Charles' new Wales home is to be rented out to holiday-makers.

Offerings include the Daily Mirror's: "Wish you were heir?"

Another sign of the changing times is reported by the Mail - the World Pie Eating Championships are being reformed to make them healthier.

Instead of a contest to eat as many meat pies as possible in three minutes, it will be a race to eat one pie as quickly as possible.

The organiser of the event in Wigan admits he has been forced to take action by the government's healthy eating drive.

He says: "I realise it may be controversial, but this is the way forward for pie-eating at this level".