Newspaper review: Focus on Afghanistan deaths

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22377769

Version 0 of 1.

The deaths of three British soldiers after their Mastiff armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Afghanistan is covered prominently in Thursday's newspapers.

The Independent says military officials are investigating whether insurgents are designing bigger bombs, aimed at piercing the armour of the 23-ton vehicle.

The Times says the attack has raised suspicions that the Taliban have made a "breakthrough" in bomb technology.

The Daily Mail chooses to highlight fears that insurgents will want to claim they have driven British troops out of the country.

It says that, as the final pull-out date nears, it is impossible not to worry that such loss of life will become ever more likely.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror says the tragic deaths are a grim reminder that the Taliban are far from beaten in Afghanistan.

For a growing number of people, it says, the withdrawal of Britain's fighting forces cannot come quickly enough.

Coronation Street actor Bill Roache is pictured on virtually all of the front pages, after being charged with raping a 15-year-old girl in the late 1960s.

The Daily Mirror and the Sun both say news of his arrest sent shock waves through the soap opera's studios in Manchester and report he will not reappear until the end of any trial.

Re-privatisation plans

The Daily Mail says producers on the soap opera have been forced into some desperate re-editing, to remove his character Ken Barlow from episodes to be shown on Friday.

The Guardian says a new study has revealed that a widely-used insecticide is devastating water-based species like dragonflies and snails.

The study by Dutch scientists calls for a worldwide ban on the product, imidacloprid, which has already been restricted in the EU because of the risk caused to bees.

According to the Financial Times, allies of Chancellor George Osborne are preparing for a re-privatisation of the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group before the next general election.

The paper says the move will go ahead even if the banks' share prices stay well below their levels at the height of the financial crisis.

Historical looks

Many papers feature a new portrait of the Queen, commissioned by the Welsh Rugby Union and unveiled in the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The Guardian says the painting is striking because of its sheer size - 5ft by 4ft - and shows the Queen staring ahead, apparently with lots on her mind.

The artist, Dan Llywelyn Hall, says he was desperately trying to infiltrate the Queen's public image and get beneath her psyche.

But the Daily Mirror is uncharitable, saying fans have branded the picture hideous and out of proportion.

The Daily Telegraph looks at research for a programme on the Yesterday channel which suggests what historical figures might look like if they were alive today.

It concludes that Marie Antoinette might have opted for a breast enhancement; Henry VIII would have gone for a a hair transplant, and Elizabeth I would have straightened her hair and worn a sassy designer suit.

The Independent says author and historian Dr Suzannah Lipscomb worked with a team of digital artists to update a series of classic portraits.