Remember the ubiquity of that image? Well, news of a BP settlement related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, that enormous oil spill that dominated headlines for much of 2010, is slowly leaking this morning. Sources are reporting it could be the biggest criminal penalty, well, ever. The morning papers didn’t catch the news, but now you know which story journalists are chasing for tomorrow’s edition. Meanwhile, America’s most salacious sex scandal in who knows how long was benched today by Canadian newspapers, who reminded us that there are more important things to worry about. The alarming escalation of hostilities on the Gaza Strip dominated front pages of the two national papers, an indication to readers that, yes, things aren’t hunky dory in the Middle East. The Globe also reserved a big chunk of its third page to yesterday’s austerity protests all over Europe. The ever-deepening Petraeus saga is surely worth investigating, but mornings like this morning really prove how much of a circus the whole thing’s become.

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What’s above the fold this morning?

The Globe and Mail leads with the rising tensions between Israelis and Palestinians on the Gaza Strip. The National Post fronts the same story, focusing on the Israeli’s “clear message.” The Toronto Star goes above the fold with a Toronto barbershop that refused service to a woman. The Ottawa Citizen leads with Syria’s apparent ignorance of Canadian-imposed sanctions. iPolitics fronts the potential for a new administrator of the Experimental Lakes Area. National Newswatch showcases a Halifax Chronicle Herald story about former prime minister Brian Mulroney’s speech at St. Francis Xavier University.

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Stories that will be (mostly) missed

1. Ethnic media. The federal government has spent almost $750,000 over three years on monitoring ethnic media, a move officials say owes to the growing influence of non-mainstream sources.	2. Quebec pipeline. The environment minister in Quebec says the province won’t allow Alberta crude to pass through its borders if the oil poses an environmental hazard.
3. Torture complaint. Four men who say they were tortured in Afghanistan and at Guantanamo Bay are telling the UN Canada should have prosecuted George W. Bush for war crimes.	4. Veterans’ privacy. A group of veterans wants the federal solicitor-general to investigate whether or not the veterans’ ombudsman should have passed on files to Canada’s privacy commissioner.

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