Gaza air strikes focus for papers

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The Israeli air strikes against Gaza, which claimed at least 200 lives, feature prominently in Sunday's papers.

Most editions carry a photograph of a young girl, her face splattered with blood and dirt.

The Sunday Times writes that "the stink of death hangs over Black Saturday". The Sunday Telegraph says a Hamas spokesman vowed to unleash hell in response.

The Observer, meanwhile, says many Israelis have applauded what they saw as an act of justice.

'Creative intelligence'

Many of the papers look to the American President-Elect Barack Obama to sort the situation out.

The Sunday Times says he has the opportunity if he acts ahead of the Israeli elections in February; it says he should act with haste, if not speed.

The Independent on Sunday suggests the president-elect's creative and sympathetic intelligence offers hope.

For the Mail on Sunday, stopping the violence is the only plausible aim but, it warns, that will not lead to peace.

Retail 'carnage'

The closure of more than 200 Woolworths stores generates a feeling of solemnity and loss in many of the papers.

The Sunday Mirror says many workers were in tears as what it called, the highest profile casualty of the carnage in retailing, closed its shops.

Fixtures and fittings were even being snapped up, according to the Mirror.

The Sunday Telegraph says shoppers barged between shelves, knocking over displays before queuing to pay in a very British version of looting.

Royal order

The News of the World believes the Queen has "slapped a gagging order on staff" after embarrassing antics of former servants and a flood of memoirs

It says any workers who do not sign up to what it calls extraordinary secret service-style contracts will be sacked.

The paper says one angry member of the Royal Household has vowed to fight it.

The Queen also features in the Mail on Sunday, which claims she has endorsed a crackdown on New Years honours for bankers because of the economic crisis.