Malta and international press digest

The following are the top stories in the Maltese press and sections of the international press.

THE TIMES

EU reform treaty sets new paths of hope, the Prime Minister said.

Malta is among 13 EU member states still to enact consumer protection laws in line with EU directives.

Up to Lm500 were stolen in a hold-up from an amusement outlet on Tuesday night.

IN-NAZZJON

The Lisbon Treaty means the European Union is looking to the future, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said.

Malta is feeling the need for more accountants and auditors as the financial sector expands, Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech said.

L-ORIZZONT

A girl, 27, is in danger of dying following a car crash in Bahar ic-Caghaq. She is British and lives in St Paul's Bay. She had been returning home after a night at Paceville when the accident happened.

THE MALTA INDEPENDENT

Values cannot be taken for granted, the President said during Republic Day activities.

The British dailies....

Under the heading "Mr Bean signs away our freedom", The Daily Express says that Gordon Brown "sold Britain out to Europe" by signing the EU reform treaty.

The Sun takes a similar tack saying: "We Will Never Surrender." It also reveals that at least 11,000 illegal immigrants have wrongly been cleared to work as security guards.

The Daily Star claims Gordon Brown has warned immigrants that they will have to learn English. But its lead story concerns Princes William and Harry managed to spend £15,000 in a two-hour drinking binge.

The Daily Mirror says the private detective leading the search for Madeleine McCann believes she could be home safe by Christmas.

The Independent reports the number of soldiers caught using cocaine has risen fourfold since the start of operations in Iraq.

The Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph report on the inquest into the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, after letters from Diana to Prince Philip were released. She wrote affectionate letters to the Duke of Edinburgh in which she referred to him as "Dearest Pa". It also says new statistics reveal 13 million Britons are risking their health by drinking too much. The Mail also quotes Whitehall warning that one in four women is drinking more than officially-approved safe levels.

The Times quotes the Chief Medical Officer saying all hospitals should be fined if patients contract superbug infections or are harmed by medical errors.

The Scotsman claims the SNP party is facing its first major crisis since coming to power - over the £1bn Donald Trump planning application.

The Record quotes the man cleared of the Templeton Woods murder spaking of his joy, saying: "This has hung over me for 27 years."

The Guardian claims the government is preparing a contingency plan for a possible new year nationalisation of Northern Rock as it holds talks with potential buyers.

The Financial Times reports growing anger over changes to the Capital Gains Tax and says it intensified after Alistair Darling delayed an announcement on concessions to his reforms until next year.

... and elsewhere

The Jakarta Post reports European nations have threatened to boycott US-sponsored climate talks next month unless the Bush administration compromises and agrees to a "road map" for reducing greenhouse gases blamed for global warming.

The Wall Street Journal reports fresh concerns over the health of the US economy have emerged after wholesale price inflation jumped by its biggest amount in 34 years.

Buenos Aires' mass circulation Clarín says Argentina's new president has reacted furiously to accusations by US prosecutors that an intercepted suitcase full of cash from Venezuela was meant to finance her election campaign, She described the charge "garbage in international politics."

The Boston Globe reports that the nominations for the 65th Golden Globe Awards, honouring the best in film and television for 2007, were announced by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Seven films were nominated for the dramatic best picture: American Gangster, Atonement, Eastern Promises, The Great Debaters. Michael Clayton, No Country For Old Men, and There Will Be Blood, while five films are vying for the best musical or comedy best picture award: Across The Universe, Charlie Wilson's War, Hairspray, Juno, and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. The prizes, selected by a group of about 100 US-based reporters who write for international publications, will be presented in Los Angeles on Sunday, January 13.

A book of fairy tales handwritten by JK Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series, sold for a record ₤1.95 million at an auction in London. The Guardian reports the proceeds from the sale of 'The Tales of Beedle the Bard', one of seven copies made after the British author finished the final Harry Potter book, will go to The Children's Voice, a charity co-founded by Rowling in 2005. Speaking after the sale, Rowling said "I am stunned and ecstatic. This will mean so much to children in desperate need of help. It means Christmas has come early for me."

Hyderabad's independent, Telugu-language daily Eenadu reports that two men attacked an 80-year-old, self-proclaimed holy man in southern India and chopped off his right leg, apparently believing it had magical powers. Yanadi Kondaiah, who claimed that those who touched his leg would be cured of illness or have wishes granted, was hospitalized in serious condition after the attack. Superstitions, belief in magic and the occult remain widespread in much of rural India .