What the papers say: Thursday's front pages

Ellen O'Donoghue

A wide variety of stories feature on Thursday's front pages, from crime to the presidential election.

The Irish Times lead with growing expectation in Fianna Fáil that former Dublin football manager Jim Gavin will seek an Áras nomination, the random college selection process being criticised as "deeply unfair" and a suspected case of human trafficking for forced organ removal being highlighted in a report.

The Irish Examiner lead with the health minister decribing claims by BAM that large sections of the new National Children's Hospital are complete as "not credible," gardaí in Dublin seizing two guns and ammunition and arresting two suspected gang members, almost 50 per cent of students missing out on their top choice following the first round of CAO offers, and the River Blackwater fish having died "in agony".

The Echo lead with the number of apartments being granted planning permission in Cork city falling to its lowest point in seven years, and fears that local community safety forums could be used to "sidestep" the issue of garda staff shortages.

The Irish Independent lead with An Post continuing to send parcels to the US as long as the tariffs are paid first.

The Irish Daily Mirror and the Irish Daily Star both lead with gardaí preventing a planned mass murder by the Kinahan cartel on the anniversary of the deadly Regency Hotel attack.

The Belfast Telegraph lead with a machine capable of treating 400 skin cancer patients annually, only helping seven in a decade.

The Irish Daily Mail lead with former Labour leader Alan Kelly saying the party should not be backing Catherine Connolly in the presidential election because she previously backed the Áras campaign of right-wing radical Gemma O'Doherty.

The Herald lead with the guns, ammunition and more than €770,000 cannabis that were seized in Co Dublin, being suspected of being controlled by the gang known as The Family.