Daily Paper: The Times

• Accounts of the crimes of which Steve Wright was yesterday found guilty fill today's papers, this one being no exception with five pages of coverage. (pp 1, 6 & 7, 8 & 9.) It is in the nature of court reporting that we miss out on the detail of what it was that convinced the jury that Wright murdered the girls rather than stopping at picking them up for sex. However, it does make for strange reading when looking at these pages which reproduce in diagram form many of the exhibits from the case and we still don't quite know how the pieces fit together. In any case, the articles seem handled as sensitively as you would expect from a broadsheet, with background pieces being well-researched.

• Reading the foot of page 4 of today's edition, we are given a summary of the current rendition-related story, which states that the tropical island involved ‘is British only in name.’ Surprising, then, that the island is called Diego Garcia. Diego does not feature in the top 100 boys' names.

• Today's stand-out article is on page 19, written by Gerard Baker who looks at the personal feelings behind the Democrats in general and the Obama camp specifically, showing that:

‘it is a trope of the left wing of the Democratic party that America has been a pretty wretched sort of place [over the last quarter-century] . . . espousing policies and striking a rhetorical pose . . . well out of the mainstream of American politics.’
The sub's desk goes a stage further than Baker by headlining Obama as a ‘dangerous leftwinger.’

• A factlet for journalists writing on religion. The foot of page 24 reports that a study by UN researcher Asma Jahangir has shown that previously standard figures showing that 72% of the population is Christian are out of date. ‘The report claim that two thirds of British people do not admit to any religious affiliation.’ The article goes on to note that, rather presumptiously, the report ‘calls for the disestablishment of the Church of England.’

• One of the most important political quotes of the day, which is one of those statements by a leading figure likely to weigh in decision-makers' minds, is relegated to page 38 today. Bill Clinton was talking about his wife's chances:

‘If she wins Texas and Ohio I think she will be the nominee ... If you don't deliver for her, then I don't think she can be - it's all on [the voters].’

Personal of the Day

• VERY UGLY WOMAN, 60, looks much older, down market, no education, no style, no presence, no interests or conversation, seeks pseudo-modesty matches hers.