08/08/2014 The Papers

looking good. And, in the's progress in the fourth test against India is

hampered by Manchester's weather. `` England's.

Hello, and welcome to our look ahead to what the papers will be bringing

us tomorrow. With me are Louise Court, editor in chief of

Cosmopolitan, and Sue Matthias, editor of the Financial Times

Weekend Magazine. Several of them have the US

airstrikes in Iraq on the front page. The Daily Telegraph is

reporting government sources who, the paper says, have not ruled out

British airstrikes. The Times has the same front page photograph `

showing American fighter jets on one of their aircraft carriers. The

Daily Mirror is saying that members of the British SAS have been sent

out to Iraq. The Independent also leads with the US airstrikes in

Iraq, showing President Obama speaking to the Jordanian King on

the phone from the Oval Office. The Daily Mail looks at new guidance

from the government's health advisory body on the safety of

drinking alcohol two days in a row. And the Daily Express is warning of

severe weather ahead, as the remnants of what was Hurricane

Bertha arrive in the UK on Sunday. We will begin with those on Iraq.

The Daily Telegraph is the first front page. Britain considers

airstrikes to avert genocide in Iraq. Obama orders a second attack

on jihadists. Hundreds of Yazidi women have taken captive. It seems

we need to be rather careful with the suggestion being made here on

the front page, because Downing Street are saying to our

correspondence, but this has not been discussed at all. As you were

saying just now, it seems that David Cameron is stepping back quite

firmly from the idea, which has been reported not only by the Telegraph

but some of the other papers we will be looking out, that British

intervention could be imminent. In fact, what the Telegraph says in the

second leg of its story, is that if this situation were to deteriorate,

that Rajesh forces could take part `` British forces. They are saying

they haven't discussed it at the Cobra meeting, but what they had

discussed is the humanitarian effort that Britain will make with these

airdrops of tents and food and water, for people who are a mountain

without any supplies. The conditions are terrible, very hot

temperatures, children are dying of dehydration. You would need 24 big

US planes every day just to get enough water to the people. It is a

massive operation that has to step up. But that is all we are

committing to at this point. As welcome as that would be, the US

seems to have enough air power to do the job on their own, it would

appear. Absolutely. And there is talk of the Iraqis doing their own

initiatives as well. It is not just US planes. We will come to that when

we look at the other papers. Let's have a look at the Times. The US

bombs jihadists. A picture of a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier,

preparing for two sets of strikes. Given that in June, the Americans

couldn't find the political consensus to mount the strikes, when

they were asked to do so by the Iraqi government. This time, the

impetus is greater? Yes, Obama said that they wouldn't be going in

unless there was a change of government in Baghdad, and that is

really what everyone has been waiting for, and probably still

hoping for. Obviously, recent events, the events of the last day

or two have pushed matters further and much faster. What is interesting

is that so far we haven't seen the comment pages of the papers, but

there seems to be very little criticism emerging from any

direction, regarding the American action. The Financial Times leader

supports Obama's decision, calling it a risky but right. Also, it

points out that there is a very real danger of the whole of Iraq being

overrun by jihadists, if not prevented. I think everyone is

hoping that Iraqis themselves will manage to master resistance. Let's

have a look at the FT. This is not troops on the ground, they were

pulled out in the three years ago. The latest focus and concern is the

city of Irbil, which is in the Kurdish autonomous area. We

understand from people we have been talking to tonight that they have

their own army, who are extremely useful and better equipped than the

Iraqi army to keep the IAS militants at bay. `` ISIS. I think in a period

of two months, they have taken something like a third of Syria and

a quarter of Iraq, so they have made massive inroads, and it is a

situation that is developing so quickly. Also, it will inevitably

affect oil. This is happening in the oil`rich parts country, and that

impact is mentioned. Western forces are beginning to retreat, and the

airstrikes have coincided with the first signs that fighting in the

north is starting to have an impact on oil operations. A London`based

company has suspended its output, amid concerns about stability in the

country. The effect that will have in prices, it is a big worry. The

other part of this story that perhaps it FT is looking at, where

other people aren't, if the losses that the ISIS group themselves might

have sustained. They come across as being this sort of invincible

jihadists movement and that it is capable of such atrocities that even

Al Qaeda has disowned them. Yes, in all these papers, the FT is the only

one which points out and reports about losses which ISIS have

suffered during this American airstrike. And that is as a result

of the airstrike, rather than ground offensive is. Indeed. They are

reporting that a large number of militants have been wounded, killed,

and evacuated to hospitals in Mosul. It strikes a slightly

different note, and I'm sure that by tomorrow, far more will emerge about

whether the balance of the conflict is leading in a direction. The

impact it is having on airlines is an issue as well. There is a lot of

discussion about whether airlines should be flying over conflict

zones. Yes, again, towards the end of this story, there is a report

about British Airways, which has taken the decision to suspend flying

over Iraq, Qatar Airways have done that already. It is interesting,

some continue flying while others don't. It is very worrying,

especially after the Ukraine crisis. The Daily Mirror have suggested that

the SAS has gone in, deploying special forces while the US is

carrying out air strikes. An unnamed source says there has to be boot on

the ground element. How we can prove that, I don't know. Speculative, a

little. Some of them are out there, somewhere. The Daily Mail, don't

have a drink two days running. This is the latest advice from Public

Health England, which says that one day on and one day off is needed,

because daily drinking is a contributor to health risks. How

much? A glass, a pint? We just don't know. It sounds like sensible

advice, doesn't it? A little bit unrealistic. Completely unrealistic,

according to one MP. He took great delight in saying it is completely

unrealistic, people have the common sense to know how to look after

ourselves. But we don't, isn't that the point? It depends on how much

you drink each night. You will have this report now, and then there will

be another one in a month saying that the glass a day is exactly what

you need, because it controls will BP... There is always a different

health report that is contradictory to the last one. `` it controls your

blood pressure. There is an indication here that it is a nanny

state meddling in our lives. This front page is obviously taking a

very different approach to the news of the day from all the other ones.

They have decided completely to avoid it, and give the readers

something a bit more light`hearted, and a bit nanny state to get our

teeth into. We always like to bash the nanny state, don't we?

Absolutely. The football is about to start, as well. The Daily Express.

Beware storms. We mentioned in the last hour that we are in the silly

season where there is not much to report, so a weather story needs to

be reported. Not so this year, because there is plenty in the world

happening, but the Daily Express is sticking to its weather story. This

story is coming in from the Caribbean, a 60% chance of hitting

us, and come Sunday we will be sitting around and it will be like

autumn outside. I have changed my plans. We were going to be

travelling, and now I don't think we will. We don't want to be blown away

in the storm. I would like to draw attention to this wonderful Met

Office graphic of this big yellow balloon. That is not what you called

it earlier. No, condom I think was the word that sprang to mind. It is

like a moon man... `` Moomin.

The decline in the number of letters being sent. The Royal Mail are

having an issue about how many collections, what time of day, they

can possibly from a business point of view sustained. It is not

sustainable, evidently. The humble letter has been superseded by

e`mail, and no one is posting anything much any more apart from

birthday cards, which will be a great loss. But what is booming is

their parcel service. Royal Mail leads on to fight another day, but I

think the red postbox's days are probably numbered. They were saying

that there will possibly be even more will rule postboxes opened or

staying open, where you can't get to wait post office, you have no choice

but to use them. `` more rural. There is an age issue here. For a

lot of younger people it would be a problem, and for older people it is

a problem. Everyone talks about the future of the Royal Mail, it is

always the past that people want to preserve. We don't really seem to

get a delivery necessarily every day. Hour days pretty good. People

aren't writing you enough letters. I shall have to get my vellum and

Quill out. The junk mail comes through, that never gets lost in the

post! Thank you both very much. Stay with us on BBC News. At midnight:

the Pentagon launches a second round of air strikes against IS militants

in Iraq. But coming up next it's time for Sportsday.