Papers deal in 'epic whodunnit'

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An "epic whodunnit" is how the Times sums up the saga of Jerome Kerviel, the man said to be the rogue trader who lost £3.7bn at French bank Societe Generale.

It points out the discrepancies between the "Machiavellian genius" painted by managers and the "quiet loner" known to his neighbours.

The Daily Mail suggests two reasons for his "reckless dealings".

It says the trader was left "devastated" after the death of his father and break-up of his marriage.

'Conflict of interest'

The Independent reports the novelist Martin Amis is earning close to £3,000 an hour as professor of creative writing at Manchester University.

The paper notes the university recently shed 600 staff.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson is reportedly facing a conflict of interest charge related to support for his London mayoral campaign.

The Guardian claims the Tory candidate is receiving free office space from a controversial Japanese developer.

Child safety review

The Daily Telegraph's front page puts the security of the online computer system used by millions to file tax returns in doubt.

The paper claims HM Revenue and Customs "admitted it was not secure enough to be used by MPs, celebrities and the Royal Family".

Websites that encourage suicide are the focus of the Times' front page.

It says the dangers of such sites are to be part of an official review of child safety on the web.

Champagne

The Daily Express deals with political correctness and firefighters.

It says Avon Fire chiefs barred white males from recruitment sessions in a bid to boost applications from ethnic minorities and women.

While in the Financial Times, the weighty issue of the World Economic Forum in Davos is debated.

Columnist John Gapper said while the experts lined up to talk about how bad things were, he "could not observe it at the many champagne parties".