Newspaper headlines: Vegetable 'rationing' and lawyer under attack By Staff

BBC News Published duration 3 February 2017

There is universal condemnation in Friday's papers for the lawyer struck off after he was found to have acted dishonestly in bringing murder and torture claims against British Iraq War veterans.

The Daily Telegraph thinks Phil Shiner should now be investigated by the criminal authorities "with the same vigour they showed in investigating those he falsely accused".

It says he was " on a crusade; a mission, it seemed, to tear apart the reputation of the British armed forces".

The Times says he has been made a "pariah of his profession" , and calls for proper safeguards for soldiers so they cannot in future be subjected to allegations based on "cooked-up evidence".

The Daily Mail agrees, saying the "witch-hunt" extends as far as Northern Ireland, where police are investigating more than 300 killings by the Army during the Troubles.

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The Guardian has discovered that there is a ban on non-urgent surgery in West Kent until the new financial year begins, in April.

It says around 1,700 people will be affected by the decision, which has been prompted by a cash crisis.

The Royal College of Surgeons tells the paper the policy will prolong patients' suffering and may even cost more in the long term as conditions worsen.

The group which commissions treatment in the area says no patients will have operations cancelled as a result of the measures.

Rationing of a different kind is on the front page of the Daily Mail

It says some supermarkets have begun imposing limits on the number of vegetables customers can buy due to the shortages caused by bad weather in the Mediterranean.

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Iceberg lettuces are being rationed in Tesco and Morrisons, which is also capping the purchase of broccoli.

It says: "British shoppers have already been warned that shortages of courgettes, aubergines, salad and celery will continue until the spring - and they can expect to pay substantially higher prices for the stock that is available."

The Mirror leads with an investigation into the poaching of gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where populations have fallen by 80% in 20 years.

The paper says the animals are being shot for bush meat by militia groups and miners looking for a rare metal used in the manufacture of mobile phones and games consoles.

It is calling on the international community to act now to stop the slaughter.

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The Times, meanwhile, is urging the government to bring about a housing revolution by allowing more development of the Green Belt.

It reports that a white paper on housing - due out next week - is expected to relax building height restrictions, among other measures.

However, the paper thinks the Tories should go further - and have the stomach for a fight in its heartlands, where the Green Belt is seen as sacrosanct.

Staying in the countryside, a new study about the benefits of camping is widely reported.

Apparently a night under canvas can help with insomnia by resetting the body's circadian rhythm, or internal clock, because campers are forced to adapt their sleeping patterns to the natural light.

However, the Telegraph warns there is a price to be paid for new-found health: it only works if there's strictly no peeking at the mobile phone.

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And finally.

Several newspapers reveal the possible secret of Donald Trump's remarkable hair.

According to the Times, it's an issue which has fascinated Americans throughout his career. Meanwhile, the new US president's head of hair is described in the Daily Express as a "gravity-defying bouffant".

Its mystery, though, may have been solved by his long-time doctor.

Dr Harold Bornstein told the New York Times that the president takes a prostate-related drug that stimulates hair growth.

He confirmed the president's hair was all real, but said it was helped to grow by a small dose of the drug finasteride, which lowers levels of prostate-specific antigen.