Paradise papers and ‘massacre at church’

Many of the front pages focus on the revelations about the Queen’s offshore investments, contained in the leaked documents known as the Paradise Papers.

“Queen’s personal wealth is invested in Cayman tax haven” is the headline in the i, while in the Daily Mail it is “Queen’s £10m pound tax haven scandal”.

The Mirror’s headline writers have fun with the story, with “One’s cash is orf-shore”, but the paper’s opinion column is less flippant, suggesting that difficult questions now confront the Queen.

It says she was not aware of where the money had been invested, but now, in response to the disclosure, ought to “hire fresh courtiers for sound advice”.

Under the headline “Paradise Papers leak reveals the investment secrets of the super-wealthy”, it suggests that the disclosures will “increase pressure on the government to crack down on legal tax avoidance schemes”.

The Daily Mail agrees, suggesting that “further evidence of the extent of cash being held in tax havens is certain to spur anger, and calls for a crackdown on tax avoidance practices”.

But it goes on to say that the large amount of coverage of the Paradise Papers – and the similar Panama Papers story last year – could create what it calls “leak fatigue”, denting the impact on the public of such revelations.

There are nine pages of in-depth coverage about the Paradise Papers in the Guardian, which explains that the offshore investment industry has grown exponentially since the 1970s, developing into what it describes as a “sprawling kingdom for the rich”.

Most people do not understand how tax havens work, it says.

They do not have to because they do not have enough money to consider using them.

The paper poses a simple question: “Is this fair?”

The Daily Express and the Daily Telegraph feature the Texas shooting, in which at least 26 people were killed, on their front pages.

The Express headline describes the attack as a “church bloodbath”, while the Telegraph says the US has been left “reeling” by what it calls a “gun massacre” in a quiet rural town.

American news outlets also express their shock and outrage.

The Washington Post says people who live in Sutherland Springs, where the tragedy happened, are “rattled and dumbfounded to become yet another US community, victimised by an inexplicable mass shooting”.

“Five weeks have passed since a rampage in Las Vegas left 58 people dead and the arguments and battle lines are still echoing in Congress,” it says.

It concludes that the history of mass shootings in America suggests that this latest one will make little difference to the politicians.

Financial fairness also preoccupies the Sun, which launches a new campaign called “Save Our Savers”.

The paper is urging banks to pass on last week’s interest rate rise, of 0.25%, to savers in full.

It says that, because of “penny pinching” banks, savers in Britain are missing out on a total of £4m per day in interest.

The leader column describes it as “profiteering at loyal customers’ expense” and advises readers to find banks and building societies that are willing to “give you every penny you’re due”.

Several papers analyse the significance of events in Saudi Arabia at the weekend, when 11 royal princes – among them several senior ministers – were detained in a campaign to stamp out corruption.

“If this is an Arabian Game of Thrones,” it says, “the headstrong young prince has left no-one in doubt that he means to win”.

Finally, the Times celebrates Mark Goodliffe, who on Saturday became the first person to win the newspaper’s crossword championship 11 times.

The paper says Mr Goodliffe – a 52-year-old accountant – “has become a legend in the crossword world”.

The paper’s opinion column says his triumph is not just a personal one – it is also “testament to the durability and nobility of the crossword puzzle as a recreation”.