Arianna Huffington is to launch a UK edition of the Huffington Post this summer. The multi-millionaire, who sold Huffington Post to AOL for $315m (£195m) in February, told the Media Guardian Changing Media Summit that the takeover meant she could accelerate plans to hire journalists and create a UK-specific site.

According to the BBC, a senior Met Police officer has denied conspiring with the News of the World to protect its journalists from phone-hacking allegations. Acting Deputy Commissioner John Yates told MPs that claims by Labour MP Chris Bryant had been "materially wrong". He said prosecutors had advised that it was necessary to prove a voicemail message had been intercepted before the phone's owner accessed it. The Crown Prosecution Service has denied defining this "narrow approach".

The Guardian reports that economist Diane Coyle has been appointed number two to the new chairman of the BBC Trust, Lord Patten. Coyle, who is already a BBC trustee, has been chosen by culture secretary Jeremy Hunt to be the Trust's vice-chairman. A former economics editor of the Independent and Treasury adviser, she is married to the BBC's technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones.

MPs have been given the all-clear to tweet in the House of Commons in a shake-up aimed at modernising Parliament, reports Sky News. A report by the Commons Procedure Committee has ruled smartphones and iPads can be used, but MPs' faces must be visible.

Former Archers actor Graham Seed has been named radio broadcaster of the year at the Broadcasting Press Guild (BPG) Awards. Seed, who played Nigel Pargetter for 27 years until the character's death in January, is the first actor to receive the honour. The BPG said the award was in recognition of the affection in which Nigel was held by Archers fans, reports the BBC.

The Guardian says musician turned cosmologist Professor Brian Cox has confirmed his status as one of the hottest properties in television with a double win at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards. ITV1's drama series Downton Abbey and Channel 4's Mo Mowlam biopic Mo are also double winners at the awards to be presented at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, at lunchtime today.

The BBC's newspaper review says the conviction of the rapist known as the Night Stalker prompts several newspapers to question Scotland Yard's failure to catch him sooner.

There will be no Media Brief next week. Service resumes on Monday 4 April.

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The Daily Telegraph says BBC licence-fee payers face a bill of over £900m to plug the deficit in the corporation's pension scheme - "enough to fund all of BBC Two's programmes for two years". It quotes Emma Boon of the Taxpayers' Alliance: "With huge pressures on the licence fee at the moment, it is extremely worrying that so much money will go on the BBC pension fund deficit. It's a staggering sum of money."

The Guardian says the BBC pensions "black hole" is less than some had feared and has been reduced by "the controversial reforms agreed with the broadcasting unions last autumn". It quotes director general Mark Thompson: "The effect of the reforms is that half a billion pounds which would otherwise have had to be paid into the pension fund to reduce the deficit can instead be used on programmes and services for the public. Without the reforms, many hundreds of BBC jobs would have been lost."

Louise Bagshawe, an MP on the Culture Media & Sport Committee, is to complain about the BBC's "shocking" lack of coverage of the Fogel family's murder in an Israeli settlement in the West Bank, saying it reflects apparent bias against Israel. In the Daily Telegraph she writes "I found out about the barbaric attack not on BBC news, but via Twitter on Monday... a link to a piece by Mark Steyn entitled 'Dead Jews is no news'." She says the BBC chairman-designate Lord Patten denied to their committee that there was bias against Israel, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The Independent says the BBC is unlikely to bid to renew its contract to screen the National Lottery draw next year, as it seeks to cut costs.

The Manchester Evening News says the new BBC studios at Salford Quays will be used for their first live broadcast today - as school children take over the TV and radio airwaves. The BBC's annual School Report programme will be the first to broadcast live from MediaCityUK. Radio 5 Live, Radio Manchester, North West Tonight and Newsround will also broadcast live from the site.

Today schools across the country will be taking part in the annual BBC School Report News Day. They will be creating video, audio and text-based news reports, and publishing them on their school's websites.

Mark Lawson in the Guardian reviews the first episode in the new series of Midsomer Murders. He says that after Brian True-May's comments on the all-white casting the programme now feels soiled.

Extensive coverage of George Osborne's Budget, and its consequences for households across the UK, dominates Thursday's newspapers. There are also many tributes to Dame Elizabeth Taylor, "the last, great Hollywood star", as featured in the BBC's newspaper review.

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Some overnight programmes on BBC1 and BBC2 could be axed, and BBC1 dramas repeated more often, as part of a series of cost-saving ideas being considered by the BBC. The Guardian says Director General Mark Thompson unveiled 21 of the proposals so far put forward by staff but admitted: "Some, frankly, aren't going to fly." He would not be drawn on which, saying the BBC is still "engaging" with staff and the corporation's policy will not be finalised until the summer.

The Daily Mail says popular BBC shows could be repeated up to four times in quick succession under the corporation's plans to save money. Mr Thompson yesterday unveiled 21 of the ideas put forward to slash spending by 20%. He said: "Is there a case for showing our best programmes more often in their premiere week?"

The Independent says late night programmes such as Graham Norton's chat show could be axed from BBC1, and BBC2 could be converted into a repeats channel, under radical cost-cutting proposals being considered by the corporation. Mr Thompson said he currently had no view on the proposals, which he described as a "set of open questions".

The Guardian lists the 21 cost-saving ideas published yesterday.

The Daily Mirror says the Midsomer Murders producer who claimed its success was due to its all-white cast is quitting: "Brian True-May was reinstated on the show yesterday after apologising for his racial gaffe. But ITV said he will step down at the end of the current series to pursue other projects. It quotes an ITV spokesman: "We welcome the apology and understand he will step down from his role on Midsomer Murders at the end of the current production run."

The Athena "tennis girl" poster sold more than two million copies, the Telegraph reports. Fiona Walker, who posed for the picture taken by her boyfriend, has been reunited with the image to promote an exhibition on lawn tennis as a subject in art.

More than 85% of mobile and PC users access the web while watching TV, according to Nielsen research, as reported by BBC News. The report looks at the challenge of integrating social media with old-style TV.

The Budget is previewed on nearly all of Tuesday's front pages, as summarised in the BBC newspapers review. The Daily Mail, the Sun and the Daily Express all claim millions will benefit from the chancellor's decision to raise personal allowances.

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The Libyan government freed four New York Times journalists on Monday, six days after they were captured while covering the conflict between government and rebel forces in the eastern city of Ajdabiya. The paper says they were released into the custody of Turkish diplomats and crossed safely into Tunisia, from where they provided a harrowing account of their captivity.

Lawyers for the group of newspapers opposing News Corp's bid for BSkyB have written to the Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the Guardian reports. Slaughter and May said a proposal to split off Sky News would not be enough to address fears that Rupert Murdoch would dominate British media once his News Corp bought all of the satellite broadcaster. The consultation on the bid closed yesterday.

Radio 3 is to air an adaptation of Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights "complete with foul language", says the Daily Mail. Romantic figures Heathcliff and Cathy will be heard using strong swear words. A Radio 3 spokesman said: "The use of strong language by some characters was not undertaken lightly. Language warnings will be broadcast at the beginning of the drama."

The Guardian says Andy Coulson, David Cameron's former director of communications, who resigned in January, is to take a PR role "providing strategic advice" to a global conference for future world leaders.

Google has been fined by France's privacy watchdog CNIL over the personal data it mistakenly gathered when setting up Street View, the BBC reports. The £87,000 (100,000 euro) penalty is the largest ever handed out by CNIL.

Julian Fellowes, who turned ITV's Downton Abbey into one of TV's hottest properties, is to create a mini-series about the sinking of the Titanic, reports the Daily Mail. ITV said the series will delve into the "unique perspectives" of the passengers on the "unsinkable" ship that was holed by an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912. Lord Fellowes is also to adapt Agatha Christie's Crooked House for a film.

The ongoing enforcement of a no-fly zone over Libya by a coalition of countries, which includes the UK, features prominently on several front pages, the BBC newspaper review shows. The Times, Daily Mirror and Daily Star lead on the use of human shields by Colonel Gaddafi's regime to foil air attacks.

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The Guardian says the BBC World Service will receive a "significant" sum of money from the US government to help combat the blocking of TV and internet services in countries including Iran and China:

"In what the BBC said is the first deal of its kind, an agreement is expected to be signed later this month that will see US state department money - understood to be a low six-figure sum - given to the World Service to invest in developing anti-jamming technology and software."

Jeremy Hunt is considering extending the public interest rules that govern the UK media industry. It is so that Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation could face further sanctions if it grows without making any more acquisitions. In a Guardian interview the culture secretary says he will publish a discussion document next month to kickstart a consultation ahead of a green paper towards the end of this year. Ofcom has pointed out that, under current law, the tests can only be applied in a merger.

Twitter is five years old today. An editorial in the Independent quotes analysis by a Texas market research firm, Pear Analytics:

"38% of Twitter traffic is conversation, 9% is recommendations, 6% is self-promotion and 4% is news. But 40% is 'pointless babble'."

Stephen Glover says in the Independent that the Times is an outstanding newspaper but not a good business, having lost nearly 12% of its circulation in the year to February, more than any other quality title.

The BBC reports Comic Relief on Friday night raised £74.3m, the highest figure reached on the night of the TV show in its 23-year history.

Saturday's Times has an interview with Mark Thompson. It quotes his review of BBC output,:
"All sorts of ideas are bubbling to the surface. We need to look at our daytime TV service." He says local radio will not be abolished but resources "should be concentrated on the most important parts of the day" with "more hours devoted to 5Live".

The Guardian reports that on Friday a Cabinet Office report proposed cutting 1,000 staff as part of a dramatic scaling-back of the Government's £1bn a year communications budget. It said the Central Office of Information should be scrapped after more than 60 years and replaced with a new body to oversee marketing and advertising activity.

The BBC's newspaper review says Libya still dominates the front pages. Several papers seize on comments by the defence secretary that Col Muammar Gaddafi could be targeted.

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The Telegraph Media Group this morning unveils an 11% increase in profits to almost £60m, thanks to a rebound in advertising markets and continuing cost savings from putting print and digital operations together, the Guardian reports.

The New York Times has said it will start charging North American users for some of its online content, the BBC reports. It will initially charge readers in Canada, with US users facing charges from 28 March. Charges will vary depending on whether readers use a smartphone, a computer or an iPad. Each month, the first 20 articles will be free.

Media regulator Ofcom is to review how airtime deals are struck in the £3.5bn UK TV advertising market. The Guardian says it could result in a fundamental change to the way commercial broadcasters do business. The review is the first in-depth look since the contract rights renewal regime was introduced in 2003 governing ITV1's deals with advertisers.

It's Red Nose Day and Chris Moyles has broken the record for Radio 1's longest ever show. The record was broken at 1930 GMT on Thursday as Moyles and on-air partner Dave Vitty, also known as "Comedy Dave", passed the 37-hour mark. They are now aiming to set a new Guinness world record for a team DJ show by staying on air for 51.5 hours, the BBC reports.

Meanwhile, Radio 4's The Reunion brings together the founders of Comic Relief - Richard Curtis, Lenny Henry, Griff Rhys Jones, Helen Fielding and Paddy Coulter, who was Head of Media at Oxfam.

The Independent says diligently preserved magazine collections are being liberated from darkened lofts, painstakingly scanned into computers and posted online for other mag-fanatics to enjoy. "I went home for Christmas a couple of years ago and saw that my mum was clearing out all my old Melody Makers," says Charles Batho, a 39-year-old digital creative director. "I saw the boxes by the back door and said, 'Noooooo!' So I took them home and decided to start scanning them all in."

The looming prospect of military action against Col Gaddafi's forces makes some front pages - although the UN vote came too late for the earlier editions, as featured in the BBC newspapers review.

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Sky News is launching its iPad app this morning. In his blog, political editor Adam Boulton says: "This is the most dramatic single technological advance we have made yet. I've seen nothing like our app from anyone else. It brings you TV news for the tablet generation."

The Guardian says the BBC is wasting nearly £80m a year through poor management of under-performing staff and erroneously paying a salary top-up to thousands of employees who do not qualify for it, according to an internal report. The leaked study by the BBC's People department identified a range of savings that could be made as part of plans to slash £400m from budgets.

The BBC has denied a Guardian report that it is planning to cut 25% of its workforce. The Guardian quotes Caroline Thomson, the BBC chief operating officer: "It is simply not true to say that the BBC is planning a 25% cut in its workforce. As we have said repeatedly, just because we are making 20% savings does not mean we need to cut 20% of jobs."

The BBC announced yesterday that it is launching Ambridge Extra, a new series to be broadcast on the BBC Radio 4 Extra digital channel and as a podcast. Episodes will follow directly after the main Archers episode on Radio 4 itself. The spin-off will be set in Ambridge but will also follow characters further afield, including Alice Carter at university, reports the Daily Telegraph.

Duncan Bannatyne of Dragons' Den will be the guest editor of The Northern Echo next Monday, with current editor Peter Barron stepping aside to become his deputy, reports Hold the Front Page. Profits from the sale of any newspapers above average that day and the next will be donated to the Bannatyne Charitable Trust, along with 10% of the proceeds from an advertising feature.

The BBC's newspapers review says the workers at the Japanese nuclear plant at the centre of its crisis provide a new focus for some of the papers. The workers known as the Fukushima Fifty have become the country's "faceless heroes" reports the Guardian.

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Professor Brian Cox was a double winner at the Royal Television Society Awards last night, the BBC reports. The physicist won best presenter and took the science and natural history prize for Wonders Of The Solar System. Also taking two prizes was comedian Miranda Hart, who has won huge acclaim for her BBC sitcom Miranda.

The creator of Midsomer Murders last night claimed he was being treated like a 'criminal' following his suspension from the show, the Daily Mail reports. Brian True-May, the ITV drama's executive producer, provoked fury after admitting he deliberately keeps ethnic minority characters out of the show's storylines.

Mr True-May has been suspended for implying that rural England is the sole preserve of Anglo-Saxons. The Independent's Tom Peck "finds a very different picture in the town where it's filmed".

A shake-up of libel laws in England and Wales will ensure people can state honest opinions with confidence, Justice Secretary Ken Clarke says. The draft Defamation Bill, published on Tuesday, also aims to reduce "libel tourism" by overseas claimants, the BBC reports. It follows concerns that libel laws are crushing freedom of expression in scientific and academic debate.

The Times says the BBC faced calls from MPs last night to disclose how much public money it spent on hiring private detectives to work on its current affairs programmes. It says: "The demands came after the BBC was forced to admit that it paid detectives to work on programmes such as Panorama, which this week broadcast allegations about illegal activities by private investigators hired by the News of the World."

In the Guardian, Roy Greenslade says: "Note how The Times's story (about the BBC hiring private detectives) is angled to fit two News International agendas. It throws mud at the BBC, yet again. It minimises the misbehaviour by the News of the World, yet again...The real story revealed by Panorama is that a sixth News of the World executive was involved in the commissioning of illegal activities."

Regional accents are as problematic as background music for viewers who struggle to hear programmes perfectly, according to a BBC study reported by the Telegraph. The corporation surveyed 20,000 people to understand the cause of viewer complaints. It identified four key factors: unfamiliar accents, clarity of delivery, background music and background noise.

The controller of BBC One, Danny Cohen blogs: "The result of the (BBC audibility) research is that we now have a 'best practice' guide for programme makers available on the BBC Academy's College of Production website. This gives clear guidance on the small things that programme makers can do to make a big difference to the audience's ability to hear."

Five days on from the Japan earthquake and tsunami, most newspapers still devote several pages to the destruction there, as well as the related nuclear crisis, according to the BBC newspapers review.

The creator of ITV1's Midsomer Murders has been suspended after claiming in the Radio Times that the detective series is "the last bastion of Englishness" because it has no black faces. The Telegraph reports Mr True-May gave the interview to promote the 14th series of the show, which has been sold to 231 territories around the world.

The BBC is reconsidering plans to close digital station the Asian Network. A BBC spokesperson said the corporation was "exploring whether the Asian Network should remain on the national DAB", the digital radio network: "No decisions have been made and any proposals will be subject to approval by the BBC Trust." In December, the BBC Trust said management's plans to close the station could go ahead.

The Guardian says the BBC has reversed its decision to close the Asian Network digital radio station - but will look to cut its budget in half. It says "the corporation's critics will view it as its second embarrassing U-turn, a year after the BBC Trust rebuffed management plans to close its sister digital station, 6 Music".

Physicist Professor Brian Cox has said the BBC made a mistake by agreeing to turn down the music volume for his scientific series Wonders of the Universe. The BBC agreed to lower the sound after receiving 118 complaints about the background music on the first episode being too loud and/or intrusive. The BBC reports that Mr Cox said on Radio 4's Start the Week he thought it was an error.

The Controller of BBC One Danny Cohen blogs on the issue of background music. The BBC has published the findings of an extensive study. BBC Vision's Audibility project found a combination of factors could really create problems - for example a mumbling actor, recorded in a noisy environment with added music. Mr Cohen says many of the problems could be resolved long before a single frame is shot if more emphasis was placed on planning for clear sound.

Major changes to Britain's defamation laws will be outlined by ministers today with the publication of a bill to provide greater protection for free speech and an end to "libel tourism". The Independent says the draft Defamation Bill will propose a new defence of "honest opinion", which will protect academics from being sued by companies and special-interest groups for damaging their reputations.

The BBC's newspaper review says many of the headlines make grim reading as Japan's nuclear emergency shows no sign of abating. "Nuclear meltdown alert" says the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian's headline is "race to save the reactors". "Japan prepares for the worst", says the Independent; the Mirror says "48 Hours To Stop A Nuke Disaster".

The Guardian says a BBC Panorama programme tonight will name "the sixth and most senior journalist yet to be implicated in illegal newsgathering" in the News of the World phone-hacking scandal. It says an executive "commissioned a specialist snooper who illegally intercepted email messages from a target's computer".

BBC News reports that a senior News of the World executive obtained e-mails hacked into by a private detective, Panorama has found. Then Irish edition editor Alex Marunchak was sent ex-British intelligence officer Ian Hurst's private e-mails in 2006, it found. The paper's owner News International said it would act if shown new evidence of wrong-doing. Mr Marunchak denied involvement.

Today's Daily Telegraph says the BBC is re-editing its flagship science series, Wonders of the Universe, presented by Professor Brian Cox, after bowing to viewer complaints about the show's incessant background music. It quotes the producer: "I think we clearly have made an error of judgment...so we are remixing the sound for all the films."

The Observer says the BBC will retaliate against cuts in its budget this week by claiming that its contribution to Britain's economy grew 5.6% to top £8bn last year. A Deloitte analysis says it delivers well over £2 of value for every pound in fees from TV licences.

Saturday's Guardian said "BBC bosses have identified abandoning coverage of Formula One and Wimbledon as one way of saving money". It quotes a BBC insider: "Wimbledon costs tens of millions, is a very expensive contract, and costly to cover. No one is saying, definitely exit, but it is being looked at. Or perhaps....this is a contract that could be shared with another broadcaster".

On Saturday, Lord Patten's appointment as the chairman of the BBC Trust was approved by a Commons committee, the BBC reports. Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he welcomed the MPs' conclusion and would now recommend Lord Patten for the job. My analysis: "Many will applaud Lord Patten's championing of cultured and civilised values. But the BBC Trust represents all licence-payers, including the millions who prefer EastEnders and the celebrities he says he's never heard of."

On Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg defended the future of BBC local radio, saying it was "unbelievably important", the BBC reports. He was responding to reports that local radio programming could be cut back as part of the BBC's cost-saving.

As events in Japan continue to grip the world after the earthquake, the Financial Times says the country is fighting to contain a rapidly escalating nuclear emergency, as featured in the BBC newspapers review. "After the wave, the grief" is the headline in the Guardian, whose reporters are watching the search for bodies in the ruins of Sintona. The Japanese people are bracing themselves for their most brutal ordeal since WWII, according to the Times.

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The Telegraph says on its front page that the BBC has been accused of planning "the death of local radio", as it "prepares to replace almost all its local programming with the national station Radio 5 Live". Quoting the NUJ, it claims that staff at the BBC's 40 local radio stations will be briefed today on the plans. This was denied late last night by a BBC spokesperson, who said the idea was one of many put forward at the Delivering Quality First sessions: "It is not true that any decisions have been made so there are no plans to inform staff of any changes tomorrow.... The Delivering Quality First sessions are designed to provoke discussion amongst staff about the way the BBC works and any decisions coming out of the process would be subject to approval by the BBC Trust."

The Times reports cost-cutting at the BBC will provoke fierce protests when the public see programmes cancelled and channels closed, the incoming Chairman of the BBC Trust has warned MPs. "In a dire assessment of the financial challenges", according to The Times, Lord Patten of Barnes said he and Mark Thompson, the BBC's Director-General, would become hugely unpopular.

Lord Patten told MPs yesterday that if he was confirmed as the new chairman of the BBC he would expect to be unpopular. The Independent says he and predicted that "there will be all hell let loose" as the corporation is forced to cut spending on programming.

Lord Patten would give up the Tory whip but remain a Conservative Party member if confirmed as BBC Trust chairman. Questioned by culture, media and sport committee MPs, he said he would quit a BP advisory board only if it came to be seen as a conflict of interest, reports the BBC.

Prospective BBC chairman Lord Patten last night criticised the corporation's 'swagger' and its bosses' apparent belief that they should be earning as much as bankers. The Daily Mail says the former Tory minister and governor of Hong Kong told MPs considering his appointment that it was wrong to pay executives 'as if they were at Barclays'.

In yesterday's Independent John Kampfner said "a fearful BBC must regain its nerve" under its new chairman.

The BBC's newspaper review says as Colonel Gaddafi's forces intensify their onslaught against Libyan rebels, Deborah Haynes of the Times reports from Zawiya, 30 miles from Tripoli.

Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's security forces detained and beat up a BBC news team who were trying to reach the strife-torn city of Zawiya, the BBC reports. The three were beaten with fists, knees and rifles, hooded and subjected to mock executions by members of Libya's army and secret police. The men were detained on Monday and held for 21 hours, but have now flown out of Libya.

The Telegraph calls it the most extreme case of the Gaddafi regime's harassment of international journalists.

Outgoing BBC chairman Sir Michael Lyons used his last major speech to launch a scathing attack on the Jonathan Ross and Russell Brand obscene phone call scandal.

The Guardian republished the speech in its entirety.

The Daily Mail reports he said its 'toxic combination' made people think the BBC had lost its moral compass.

The BBC's report says the speech reflects the past few years have been one of the BBC's strongest periods despite some "memorable" gaffes. In a speech at the LSE, he praised the BBC's comedy, factual and news output but said the corporation had "shot itself in the foot" several times.

The BBC's global news director Peter Horrocks has indicated a further U-turn over planned cuts to the BBC World Service in response to the political crises in Africa and the Middle East, according to The Guardian. He told MPs on the Foreign Affairs Committee that reductions in the distribution of the BBC Arabic service would not be as severe as originally planned. But he ruled out a wholesale reversal of the changes, which will see the loss of 60 jobs and an estimated 5.7 million listeners.

The Daily Mail's headline - "Work for longer and get a smaller pension" - gives a flavour of what public sector workers can expect from Lord Hutton's final report on their pensions according to the BBC's newspaper review. The Hutton review is also the lead for the Times, Guardian and Daily Express.

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Labour has demanded that BBC chairman designate Lord Patten should cut back on his business activities and leave the Conservative party, reports the Guardian. On Thursday, the peer appears before MPs tasked with ratifying his appointment to the £110,000-a-year role.

Neil Midgley in the Daily Telegraph says the BBC's budget for foreign news is so stretched by the uprisings in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt that it is having to cut back on less pressing events - including the Oscars and the Cannes Film Festival. Fran Unsworth, the BBC's head of newsgathering, told the in-house magazine Ariel: "We can't just say that there's not enough money to cover these stories. The way round it is to take money from somewhere else."

The Guardian says a row has broken out between the BBC and the Labour party over the corporation's use of the word "savings" to describe what senior Labour officials insists are government cuts. Labour lodged a complaint after BBC London News ran a report about NHS cuts in a bulletin broadcast after the 10 O'Clock News on BBC1.

Pinewood Shepperton, the film and TV studios group, has unveiled a 31% rise in pre-tax profits to £5.8m, and said it will invest millions of pounds in British films. In 2010, Pinewood's facilities were used for the latest Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter films. But the firm has unveiled an investment plan for small-budget British films, reports the BBC.

As featured in the BBC's newspaper review the Sun says it has every sympathy with police who are about to take a pay cut - but "Labour left Britain on the brink of ruin and cuts are being made everywhere". The Times says the government has no choice but to be resilient on the question of pay. The Daily Telegraph agrees that "the time has come to reform police pay".

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The BBC World Service could reverse its decision to axe short-wave broadcasts of its Hindi radio news output, listened to by 11 million people in rural India, after a public outcry led by veteran journalist Sir Mark Tully. The service will continue for an hour a day, reports the Guardian, while the BBC conducts talks with "a number of commercial parties" to continue funding it.

The Daily Telegraph says that Lord Sugar has been hired by the BBC and the other major terrestrial broadcasters "to save ailing internet-connected set-top box venture, YouView". He'll replace Kip Meek as non-executive chairman.

The BBC's new "face of religion" is an atheist who claims that God had a wife and Eve was "unfairly maligned" by sexist scholars, reports the Daily Telegraph. Dr Francesca Stavrakopoulou has been given a primetime BBC Two series, The Bible's Buried Secrets.

The Independent says David Cameron was forced to try to head off a rift with Buckingham Palace last night after his new spin-doctor appeared to question the Duke of York's future as a British trade envoy. Downing Street sources - understood to be Craig Oliver, the Prime Minister's new director of communications - briefed the BBC that Prince Andrew's position might become "untenable" if further revelations about his links to the controversial American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein came to light.

David Cameron's hapless new spin doctor looked seriously out of the loop yesterday, says the Daily Mirror.

"Bungling ex-BBC news chief Craig Oliver was forced to grab a cab when he missed the PM's motorcade ...for a Cabinet away day in Derby."

Downing Street sources played down Mr Oliver's difficulties, saying he still managed to catch the train with Mr Cameron.

Charlie Sheen, the highest paid actor on US television, has been fired from the hit sitcom Two and a Half Men by Warner Bros Television, reports BBC News. The studio said it had acted after "careful consideration", amid a frenzy of US media reports on Sheen's controversial personal life. No decision has been made on the future of the series.

On the front pages of the newspapers, the Daily Telegraph speaks of a blame game starting in Whitehall over the botched SAS mission to Libya. The Daily Express describes Mr Hague as being "on the ropes", while the Daily Mail says No 10 hung him out to dry.

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Richard Brooks in the Sunday Times says BBC Two's daytime schedules could be axed in favour of rolling news under plans being drawn up by the BBC as programme budgets bear the brunt of a 20% savings drive. He says the proposals will be put to the BBC Trust in the early summer - and it would be the first time the BBC has introduced significant programming cuts on a mainstream channel. He quotes Will Wyatt, managing director of BBC TV from 1991 to 1996: "You have to keep daytime [programming] on BBC1 but cutting it right back on BBC2 is sensible." The BBC said: "These are early proposals which need to be put to the trust."

For those who can't access the Sunday Times, the BBC Two story is followed up by the Daily Mail.

John Prescott is to read the Shipping Forecast for Comic Relief. The Daily Telegraph says Lord Prescott - and those at sea - will be hoping that calm weather prevails when he takes on the task. "As a famed mangler of the English language, the former deputy prime minister will need all his experience in the merchant navy to steer a course through the potential pitfalls."

Rupert Murdoch will be 80 on Friday. The Media Guardian has a special issue, with articles by Roy Greenslade, Michael White, Dan Sabbagh and others.

Rupert Murdoch will be 80 on Friday. For R4's Archive on Four, Steve Hewlett looks back and assesses his impact.

Research by ICM for TV Licensing shows people underestimate how much TV they watch, reports the Daily Mail. People said they watched about three hours a day. We actually tune in for more than four hours, according to official BARB ratings. Viewers are also buying more TV sets - twice as many last year as in 2002 - and bigger screens, belying reports that TV is in decline because of the internet.

The BBC is promoting its production trainee scheme on the BBC website. Applications close on 14 March.

Highlighted in the BBC newspaper review the Daily Telegraph says the Duke of York will pay the price for his association with a convicted paedophile because the government is to downgrade his role as Britain's trade ambassador. The Times quotes government sources as saying Downing Street would "shed no tears" if the Duke of York resigned.

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