What it says in the papers

IRISH TIMES

- The Irish Times leads with its latest opinion poll, carried out with Ipsos MRBI, which shows a seven-point drop in Fianna Fáil support to 26 per cent. The party is now level with Fine Gael, which moves up two points from the last poll in July. Sinn Féin is up three to 19 per cent.

- The paper also reports that a high-ranking garda is to urge the Minister for Justice to set up an inquiry into the force's administration because of concerns over its "dysfunctionality". The paper says the officer is consulting legal advisers, but the request will be sent to Minister Frances Fitzgerald before the end of the month.

- In business, the Irish Times reports that the Central Bank's outgoing director of markets supervision, Gareth Murphy, is set to join Edinburgh-based pensions giant Standard Life in a senior role. The paper says Mr Murphy told the Central Bank in August that he was resigning his position, where he has been in charge of supervising Ireland's massive funds industry.

- The paper reports that CityJet pilots say the airline's plans to open an Amsterdam base from the beginning of next month could cut their take-home pay by up to 50 per cent. The paper says pilots who are members of Unite have been refusing to work outside their rosters for a number of days in a dispute over pay.

FINANCIAL TIMES

- The Financial Times leads with British Prime Minister Theresa May's speech to the Conservative Party conference, saying she has denounced a rootless "international elite" and vowed to make capitalism fairer for workers, as she promised profound change to reunite Britain after the Brexit vote in June.

- The FT reports that a painting sold by Sotheby's as the work of Dutch artist Frans Hals for £8.4m has been reassessed by the auctioneer as fake, triggering fears that more Old Master works will be exposed as the work of a highly skilled forger.

- The billionaire founder of Brevan Howard, one of Europe's largest hedge funds, has told the Financial Times he will "absolutely not" follow in the footsteps of his rivals and shut his fund to the public, despite several years of losses and investors pulling their cash. Alan Howard said he had allowed its flagship fund to grow too large.

- The FT reports that Japanese motorcycle makers Honda and Yamaha have declared an armistice and agreed to work together, having risked financial ruin in the quest to drive the other out of the Japanese market.

IRISH INDEPENDENT

- The Irish Independent says the two whistleblowers at the centre of the latest Garda scandal will refuse to cooperate with a State inquiry unless Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan temporarily steps aside. The paper understands the two have serious reservations about how their complaints will be handled.

- The paper says the new Book of Quantum published yesterday has exacerbated fears of soaring insurance premiums as it recommended bigger pay-out for injuries such as whiplash. Pay-outs for whiplash injuries are 9 per cent higher – and whiplash makes up 80 per cent of all personal injuries claims.

- The Irish Independent says a first-time buyers' grant worth up to €20,000 will remain in place only for a limited time period. The paper says Finance Minister Michael Noonan will set a deadline for applications, which could be as short as two years.

- In business, RBS chief executive Ross McEwan has told the paper Ulster Bank will get the green light to pursue takeovers next year, once the bank has show it is on a solid growth path.

IRISH EXAMINER

- The Irish Examiner also leads with the Garda controversy, saying a judicial-led inquiry looks set to be established by the Government into fresh allegations of serious maltreatment in the force. This comes after the paper reported that senior gardaí engaged in a campaign to "destroy and crush" a whistleblower.

- The paper reports that a subsidised childcare package for low-income families was signed off last night by minister Paschal Donohoe and Katherine Zappone. It is set to benefit families with a net income of up to €47,000.

- The Examiner reports that property developer Johnny Ronan has received the green light for a €200m office block development at Ballsbridge in Dublin that will have the capacity to accommodate 2,000 workers. The paper says An Bord Pleanála backed the plan – located opposite the RDS – despite six appeals lodged against it.