'Sinister' Iran letter considered

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The release by Iran of a second letter, said to have been written by Faye Turney, one of 15 captured Royal Navy personnel, is examined in the papers.  

The Guardian sees the move as "a sinister turn."  

And the Sun is unimpressed by what it says is a lack of action by the "lumbering" United Nations. 

The paper says it should "bellow disapproval" instead of "displaying weakness by muttering unconvincingly behind its hands".

Department dissected

The splitting of the Home Office into security and justice departments is greeted with scepticism in the papers. 

The Daily Mirror claims there are "yobs on the rampage, terrorists on the loose and prisons overflowing". 

And the response of Home Secretary John Reid was to "rearrange the desks" of senior civil servants, it says.  

The Independent says the "shambles" at the department was caused by an "avalanche of new laws" and bureaucratic incompetence.

Police study

The latest official study of the police has failed to provide reassurance to the Daily Telegraph.  

It highlights a finding in one area that one in 40 officers on duty was available to answer emergency calls.  

The Daily Express says that many others were on special duties - and more than 40% of patrol cars spent their time driving aimlessly around.  

It says the public wants officers "tackling crime at the sharp end" - not cruising in "high-powered cars".

Beckham haircut

Former England captain David Beckham is in the news with another new haircut.  

The Daily Star describes it as a slicked-down retro cut, with "1990s shaved sides". But the Mirror says he looks like Albert Steptoe. 

Elsewhere, the Sun has the strange headline: "Hindu Goddess is a bloke from Tooting."

The paper says that Steve Cooper has found a new life - as the reincarnation of an ancient Hindu deity. He now lives in a remote temple in northern India.