What Wednesday's papers are saying

Intrigue,stolen identities as the papers have a James Bondesque feel to them this morning.

The Guardian reports that

A hit squad that murdered a senior Hamas official in Dubai used the stolen identities of six British citizens and faked at least five other European passports,

The moment Mossad agents got their man? says the Independent as it reports that last month's killing of the Palestinian militant provoked a furious international row yesterday, following the release of extraordinary CCTV images purporting to show the moments before the Hamas chief's mysterious assassination,

Terror of innocent Britons named as assassins is the headline in the Mail whilst the Telegraph says that Britain and Israel are heading towards a highly sensitive diplomatic row

Away from Dubai and the Times leads with news of an historic shakeup in the courts.According to the paper, a ground-breaking study into the secrets of the jury room has revealed that two thirds of jurors do not understand what judges tell them about the law when they retire to consider their verdicts.

The Telegraph leads with the story that millions of savers are losing money by putting their cash into a savings account due to poor investment returns and the increasing cost of living,

coming on the day that a hike in VAT, higher petrol prices and bad weather helped push inflation reports the Independent.

Most of the papers report that an investigation is being conducted into whether a British soldier killed by a gunshot in southern Afghanistan died as a result of friendly fire

Meanwhile the Independent reports that

The military head of the Afghan Taliban who is considered to be second only to Mullah Omar in overall command of the militant network, has been captured in a secret raid jointly carried out by Pakistani and US operatives.

A reminder of past conflicts as the Times reports that Argentina has declared that it is taking control over all shipping between its coast and the Falklands, in effect awarding itself the power to blockade the disputed islands.

Last night saw the Brits and the Sun reports that Cheryl Cole took to the stage without her wedding ring.

The star of the show was Lady Ga Ga whom the Times reports

After a two-day drip feed of rumour — that the 23-year-old New Yorker would be toning down her set in honour of Alexander McQueen; that her incessant last-minute diva demands had led to a falling out with the Brits organisers — she appeared on stage in a mask with an ornate white lace sculpture by Philip Treacy.

The Express has once again discovered the secret of ageing.According to the paper

A research team has finally been able to unlock the process that causes cells to ‘die’ over the years, making us slowly get older.

Ahead of today's unemployment figures,the Independent says that the Office for National Statistics has reported that the equivalent of an extra 2.8 million people are officially "underemployed" – that is having to work fewer hours than they want – in addition to the 2.6 million officially out of a job.

According to the Mail,Ageing parents face an average bill of more than £30,000 to bail out their grown-up children because they do not have the cash to become independent.

Police are to launch an investigation after the BBC presenter Ray Gosling told television viewers that he carried out a mercy killing on a former lover who was suffering from Aids reports the Telegraph

Finally the Guardian reports that an Oscars convention is coming to an end.

The organisers of this year's Academy Awards have called time on that appallingly fascinating Oscar-night staple, the everlasting and tearful acceptance speech in which several telephone directories of names are thanked as an actor grapples with the twin shock of industry recognition and performing without a script.