Newsround: what Tuesday's papers say

Deaths at Manchester concert after 'blast' and Coveney criticises Varadkar's policy proposals

Wednesday's papers

The top stories in Tuesday's newspapers:

THE IRISH TIMES

- The paper carries an early report on the blast at the Ariana Grande concert at the Manchester Arena last night, reporting that there were a number of confirmed fatalities after witnesses reported hearing "a huge bang".

- It also says that the Fine Gael leadership contest has entered a new phase with candidates Leo Varadkar and Simon Coveney clashing over their policies. Documents published by both candidates yesterday and over the weekend demonstrate a clear difference of emphasis with Coveney underlining the need for action on inequality and inclusion while Varadkar stressed enterprise and reward.

- Insolvent homeowners will have a greater chance of being able to secure the write-off of unaffordable mortgage debts following an important High Court judgement, the paper says. The ruling emerged after a legal battle between KBC Bank Ireland and a Drogheda a couple who fell behind on a €285,647 mortgage.

- Pope Francis has indicated he may visit Northern Ireland next year as part of an anticipated trip to Dublin. President Michael D Higgins and his wife Sabine met the pope in Rome yesterday as part of a three-day trip to Italy.

FINANCIAL TIMES

- Theresa May has been forced to rewrite a centrepiece of the Conservative manifesto in a remarkable u-turn that reflected warnings from Tory candidates that the "dementia tax" was hitting the party hard on the doorstep, the paper says.

- Royal Bank of Scotland was on the verge of striking a deal with thousands of shareholders last night in a last-ditch move to stave off a High Court showdown featuring the bank's disgraced former boss, Fred Goodwin. The start of the trial was delayed yesterday after RBS nearly doubled its offer to disgruntled investors, the paper says.

- The FT's Big Read is on Alibaba as it reports that the Chinese e-commerce group aims to break down trade barriers and become a champion of the global economy. But it has struggled in the US and faces competition from copycats at home.

- In its Companies & Markets section, the paper says that Jim Hackett, named yesterday as chief executive of Ford, has promised swifter decision making to turn around a carmaker whose profits have fallen behind in its traditional business while its Detroit rivals and Silicon Valley pull ahead in the race to build the next generation of electric and driverless cars.

IRISH INDEPENDENT

- The paper reports that the Fine Gael leadership frontrunner Leo Varadkar risks causing further chaos in the housing market after pledging to abolish the help-to-buy scheme if it proves to be inflating prices.

- The property tax take in Ireland is below the EU average and we rely too much on "volatile revenue sources", the European Commission has warned. It says Ireland is at risk of some deviation from EU budget rules this year and next and will need further measures worth 0.6 per cent of GDP, or around €1.5 billion, in the budget.

- The size and cost of the public service workforce is on course to surpass the boom time peak next year, even without new pay rises. The paper reports that staff numbers are on course to exceed a peak of 320,000 that was reached in 2008 next year.

- In its business section, the paper reports that the pound faced renewed pressure yesterday after the UK warned it was prepared to walk away from Brexit talks and Theresa May's commanding double-digit lead in the polls receded to nine points. Sterling flirted with a fall below $1.30 and edged close to 86.5 pence against the euro.

IRISH EXAMINER

- Leo Varadkar's radical plan to ban workers from striking has provoked a backlash among trade unions and parties and threatened to destabilise new pay deal talks with public sector employees, the paper says.

- It also reports on the recommendations of the European Commission, saying it has proposed the government announce increases to the frozen local property tax as early as the autumn budget and end different tax levels between diesel and petrol for drivers in its annual assessment of the the government's budget plans.

- The EU has finalised its tough Brexit negotiating position, reiterating its hard line on the UK's departure bill and refusing to discuss a future trading arrangement until there is agreement on other key topics, the paper says in its business section.

- It also reports that a third legal challenge over a decision extending planning permission for the development of a new €320 million runway at Dublin Airport has been fast-tracked by the Commercial Court with the case fixed for hearing on October 3 when two other related challenges are due to be heard.