Papers focus on Haiti quake toll

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Thursday's front pages bring heartbreaking scenes of rubble, ruin and misery from what the <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6987203.ece">Times calls the "unluckiest country".</a>

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/13/haiti-death-toll-fears-grow">Guardian's headline - Haiti's day of devastation -</a> accompanies a picture of a woman reaching out from under the debris of a collapsed building.

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2807606/100000-feared-dead-in-Haiti.html">Sun and</a> the <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/6983873/Haiti-earthquake-hundreds-of-thousands-feared-dead.html">Daily Telegraph say as many as 100,000 people</a> could be dead from the earthquake.

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/151638">Daily Express believes it could be</a> as high as half a million; <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/01/14/haiti-earthquake-left-100-000-dead-in-60-seconds-and-toll-could-reach-500-000-115875-21965474/">as does the Mirror.</a>

'Show humility'

Back in the UK, the Met Office is in hot water for not accurately predicting the latest Arctic blast.

According to the Telegraph, the forecasters conceded the public were not adequately informed and officials promised the system will be reviewed.

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.express.co.uk/ourcomments/view/151669/The-Met-Office-is-close-to-losing-public-confidence">The Express believes Met Office boss John Hirst should be feeling sheepish</a> about the 25% pay rise that takes his earnings above the prime minister's.

It calls for some humility from the Met Office.

'No threat'

Writing in the Guardian, <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/14/university-funding-cuts-mandelson-labour">Business Secretary Lord Mandelson rebuts claims by leading universities</a> that government cutbacks could lead to their collapse.

He says universities cannot escape the coming squeeze on public finances but they are not under threat.

They have never enjoyed such a long and sustained period of public support as they have since 1997, he says.

The new constraints are "very small" in the context of overall university income, Lord Mandelson writes.

'Right thing'

There is praise for Google's threat to pull out of China in response to the hacking of Chinese human rights activists' e-mail accounts.

The <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/leading_article/article6987044.ece">Times says it might be commercially painful</a> but it is the right decision.

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-google-is-right-to-stand-up-to-chinese-authorities-1867069.html">"It would appear to be a case of a repentant sinner," says the Independent,</a> which criticises Google for its 2006 deal with Beijing to censor searches.

Similarly, the <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jan/14/google-china-firewall-censorship">Guardian concludes: "Google's motives may be mixed, but it has, at last, done the right thing."</a>

Height jokes

Most papers have a picture of Pc Robin Port on the beat at Tiverton in Devon.

At 5ft, <a class="inlineText" href="http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/151627/The-smallest-PC-in-British-history">he is the smallest PC in British history, the Express says.</a>

<a class="inlineText" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jan/13/britain-smallest-policeman-robin-port">"Of course, he's heard all the jokes," says the Guardian.</a> "The short arm of the law is probably the most common insult (from) the wits and drunks."

<a class="bodl" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1242863/Pictured-The-smallest-police-officer-British-history-5ft-tall-Pc-Port.html ID=">Villains beware though, says the Daily Mail.</a> "Our littlest lawman is also a martial arts ace."

The 29-year-old Pc, the paper says, has made 17 arrests in his first month.