Speculation after by-election win

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Speculation on Gordon Brown's chances at the next general election has been ratcheted up after Labour's victory in the Glasgow North East by-election.

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/politics/article6915645.ece">Times claims it has given the prime minister a respite </a> and shows his party will be no pushover at the election.

But the Guardian's Polly Toynbee says it is just a "pin-prick of light penetrating a black hole of despair".

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/11/13/labour-cruises-to-by-election-victory-in-glasgow-north-east-115875-21818476/">Daily Mirror, meanwhile, thinks the result shows Labour is still in the game</a> and David Cameron must be worried.

Deformities

A Ministry of Defence probe into <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/britains-abu-ghraib-did-britain-collude-with-us-in-abuse-of-iraqis-1820545.html">new allegations of abuse by the UK military in Iraq is the lead in the Independent.</a>

It reports allegations that British soldiers may have recreated the torture conditions of Abu Ghraib to sexually and physically abuse civilians.

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/nov/14/british-troops-iraq-torture-rape-abuse">Guardian tells us there has been an extraordinary rise in birth defects</a> in the Iraqi city of Falluja.

Deformities in infants are said to be up 15-fold, with toxic materials left over from fighting a possible cause.

Calorie guidelines

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/mps-expenses/6563587/Speaker-John-Bercows-official-residence-refurbished-for-45000.html">Telegraph says the speaker of the House of Commons has refurbished his grace-and-favour Westminster apartment</a> at a cost of £45,000 to the taxpayer.

The paper believes it will embarrass John Bercow, as he was elected on a promise to restore trust in Parliament.

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/140343/Diet-guidelines-are-all-wrong-">Daily Express tells us calorie guidelines trusted for nearly two decades</a> now appear to be wrong.

A poll in the Times <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article6916648.ece">says less then half the population believes human activity is to blame for global warming.</a>

Words of wisdom

The Daily Mirror reports that scouts at a Remembrance Day parade shouted death threats at Jewish veterans.

A District Scout Leader told the paper they would not be expelled if they visited the local synagogue to apologise in person to a Rabbi.

Matthew Parris uses his column in The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/matthew_parris/article6916257.ece">Times to give examples of the advice he would write to his 16 year-old self. </a>

Among his words of wisdom: "Be brutal about wedding invitations; there are only so many Saturdays in your life".