Papers consider PM's credibility

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"He's in the Brown stuff" is how the Sun sums up the prime minister's predicament after the announcement that there will be no snap election.

According to the Guardian, Mr Brown's credibility has been severely damaged.

The Times says his struggle to recover from humiliation coincides with signs the feelgood factor is on the wane.

Meanwhile, the Financial Times predicts that a rough ride is in store for the prime minister in the House of Commons as MPs return from their summer break.

Madeleine questions

Once again, many front pages are devoted to the continuing search for missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann.

According to the Daily Express, the Portuguese case against her parents, Kate and Gerry McCann, is in tatters.

The Daily Mirror and Daily Mail say, however, that the couple fear the mystery of their daughter's disappearance may never be solved.

They fear that they will live under a cloud of suspicion for the rest of their lives, the papers add.

Ethical dilemma

A mother who wants doctors to remove her severely disabled daughter's womb is the focus of several papers.

Alison Thorpe wants to save daughter Katie, 15, who has cerebral palsy, from "discomfort and the indignity" of adulthood, says the Daily Telegraph.

But the Guardian reports that disability rights campaigners have voiced their opposition to her request.

The paper quotes the head of charity Scope as saying the case has "disturbing" implications.

Coming in useful

For centuries, medical orthodoxy has maintained the appendix is useless.

Now, according to the Independent, the reputation of this cul-de-sac in the human gut has been rehabilitated by a team of American immunologists.

They have apparently found that the appendix acts as a store for so-called friendly bacteria, which is essential for healthy digestion.

The appendix's job is to re-boot the digestive system after diseases such as dysentery or cholera, they say.