Malta and international press digest

The following are the main stories in the Maltese and the international press.

THE  TIMES

The Zurrieq fireworks factory explosion of November 15 has claimed its second victim. Another man was injured at Lija fireworks factory yesterday.

Mideast peace conference opens in the US. New push by Bush for peace.

Brussels has proposed a suspension of import duties on cereals to cushion the impact of rising prices.

IN-NAZZJON

The MLP proposal on cutting the power surcharge does not reflect social justice, former minister Lino Spiteri said.

Man, 27 of Siggiewi, dies after falling seven storeys at Qawra.

Applications for children's allowance open.Only those who  do not receive an allowance need apply.

L-ORIZZONT

The GWU has called for a national conference on occupational health and safety.

A proposal by Opposition leader Alfred Sant for an MCESD meeting on the cost of living has been received positively by the trade unions.

THE MALTA INDEPENDENT

HSBC Bank Malta dispels rumours of possible sale. The rumours followed an article by a columnist in The Sunday Telegraph. HSBC Malta CEO Shaun Wallis said the bank was committed to Malta.

The Press in Britain...

Three stories dominate the font pages of the British press: the resignation of the general secretary of the British Labour Party; the arrest in Sudan of a teacher because she let  students  name a teddy bear Mohammed; and the Madeleine Mc Cann case.

The Guardian leads on the resignation of Labour's General Secretary Peter Watt after it emerged that one of the party's biggest donors gave gifts to business associates who in turn passed them on to the Labour Party. The Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph give the same angle to the story: sleaze has returned to "haunt" Prime Minister Gordon, they say. 

Watt's resignation comes at a time when a poll in The Independent sees the Conservatives moving into a 13-point lead over Labour, enough for a 64-seat Commons majority. Not since Margaret Thatcher was British Prime Minister in August 1988 have the Conservatives been so far ahead, the newspaper said.

Under the heading "Beyond Reason", The Daily Mirror says Gillian Gibbons, a British teacher in prison in Sudan, is facing 40 lashes, a large fine or a long jail term after she let  pupils call a teddy bear Mohammed. The Metro dedicates its full front page to the case, saying the teacher from Liverpool was arrested on suspicion of blasphemy as the name Mohammed is sacred to Islamic philosophy.

The Sun claims Portuguese police have a new theory about Madeleine McCann: that a paedophile killed her.

The Times reports that social divisions in higher education are wider than ever despite Government efforts to end class bias.

... and elsewhere

The US-sponsored conference on the Middle East, which opens in Annapolis, Maryland, later today, is the main story in the American media. The Washington Post reports President George Bush expressing his "personal commitment" towards resolving the conflict. However, during a dinner for the Israeli and Palestinian leaders, he warned that "difficult compromises" lay ahead for both sides.

USA Today reports US Vice President Dick Cheney, who has a history of heart problems, underwent minor surgery after experienced an irregular heartbeat. The condition was detected when Cheney, 66, was seen by doctors for a lingering cough.

The International Herald Tribune reports that the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe rejected President Vladimir Putin's claim that its decision not to send observers to the Russian elections came after pressure from the United States. It said the decision was taken after Moscow failed to issue visas in time and created other obstacles. Mr Putin said the OSCE's refusal was aimed at casting doubt on the legitimacy of the vote. In the meantime, Moscow Times says former world chess champion Garry Kasparov has lost his appeal and must serve the five-day jail sentence he received after leading a protest against President Putin that ended in clashes with police.

Algemeen Dagblad reports mounted riot police charged hundreds of pupils demonstrating in Amsterdam's central Museum Square over plans to increase school hours. The clash came after police were pelted with stones, bottles and apples. Two officers suffered minor injuries and 15 people were arrested.

And Le Parisien gives extensive coverage to the second night of clashes between French youths and the police in a suburb of Paris where two teenagers died after their motorcycle collided with a police car on Sunday. Up to 30 police officers are said to have been injured.

The don't come by boat anymore: El Mundo reports that three North African illegal immigrants, who tried to reach Spain by crossing the Straits of Gibraltar on a windsurfing board  were rescued from drowning by the crew of a trawler. Two of the immigrants were sitting astride the board while the other fell off and clung to it until they were pulled out of the water.