The paper was summing up Peter Mandelson's assertion that Gordon Brown has outmanoeuvred Tony Blair on the question of a referendum on the euro.

The paper reports that Mr Mandelson began his bitter attack on Mr Brown while sipping dry Italian wine and nibbling parma ham with Gallia melon - the first course of a lunch with political correspondents.

Most papers agree that there is now no way back from the political wilderness for the former Cabinet minister.

The Daily Mail says Mr Blair and Mr Brown united to finish him off, while the Daily Telegraph speaks of the worst outbreak of party in-fighting since New Labour came to power.

The Guardian believes that the prime minister probably agrees with the substance of what his friend was saying.

Colonel row

Mr Mandelson himself, writing in the paper, argues that Britain should set a target date for Euro entry of 2007, and add a sixth economic test - the cost of not joining.

The Financial Times agrees that without an indicative time frame, Labour's commitment to the euro will start to become "empty of meaning".

The row over allegations that a British army officer mistreated Iraqis during the recent conflict shows no signs of abating.

The Daily Star and the Express both identify the Americans as being behind the accusations levelled against Colonel Tim Collins.

"What a way to treat a hero" laments the Daily Mail's front page, while The Sun says that, at worst, his conduct in Iraq was no worse than bullying.

The Mirror reports that 5,500 British Paras are to be sent to Baghdad to save US troops there from losing control of the capital.

Fat buster

The Independent reports that researchers in America have backed the controversial Atkins diet.

Robert Atkins, who died last month, advocated a high-fat, low-carbohydrate regime.

In the first controlled trial, people who ate foods like meat, eggs and cheese and cut out pasta, bread and potatoes, lost more weight than those on conventional diets.

Most papers carry photographs of the England captain David Beckham meeting Nelson Mandela in South Africa.

As the Guardian puts it: "Two men meet. One is an icon of his generation, adored by millions across the globe, who has brought hope to his nation where there was once despair. The other is Nelson Mandela."

The Telegraph notes with admiration that both men have absolutely beautiful manners, unspoilt by their celebrity.

With his halting, awe-struck speech, the paper says Beckham was a credit to his country.

Horsing around

Finally, it is official: pigs can fly. And any other animals small enough to fit into a first class cabin of a passenger jet.

The Times reports that US aviation rules have been relaxed.

One of the first to take advantage was Cuddles, a two-foot miniature horse.

American Airlines staff decided against putting a nappy on the animal, a decision they regretted during the last few minutes of a two-hour flight from Boston to Chicago.

The subsequent flight record noted that "the passenger in seat 3a had a bowel movement on the carpet".