Malta and international press digest

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

THE TIMES

The government allocated two areas south of Malta for oil and gas exploration by Canadian company Heritage Oil.

The Prime Minister has not ruled out ratification of the EU Reform Treaty before the forthcoming general election.

IN-NAZZJON

The EU will be helping re-train some former VF and Bortex workers now redundant.

L-ORIZZONT

A Welsh man, 29 suffered gunshot wounds, allegedly after an argument with his mother's 52-year-old boyfriend from Gharb.

The GWU will be holding a national conference next January regarding health and safety.

The British dailies....

Four newspapers feature the intimate letters written by Princess Diana to her lover Dodi Fayed, revealing the depth of her love for him. The letters - "from the Princess to the playboy" - were revealed during an inquest in London into their deaths in Paris 10 years ago. Princess Diana addressed him as "darling Dodi" in letters thanking him for a holiday on his yacht and sending him her father's cufflinks as a present.

Sporting a three-quarter-page four line heading, The Daily Express says "Revealed: Diana's sensational love letters" while The Daily Telegraph leads with the heading "Diana's letters of love to Dodi". Both The Daily Mirror and the Daily Mail prefer to use direct quotes from the letters, "My Dodi joy" and "Dodi, you've brought joy to this chick's life" respectively.

The Mirror also reports that the biggest "union" of rank-and- file police officers declared they were "at war" with the government over pay.

The Scotsman reveals anti-terror police in Scotland have carried out more than 14,000 random stop and searches since the attack on Glasgow Airport.

The Daily Telegraph says that retailers are offering their biggest ever pre-Christmas discounts as the credit crisis takes its toll on High Street spending.

The Star claims the British are lining up to spend £1bn this year on a Christmas party bonanza. It also says Emma Bunton fears she will have to pull out of the Spice Girls' tour with an ankle injury.

The Financial Times reports financing for buy-to-let investors is drying up as lenders slash funding for deals and tighten loan criteria.

The Independent carries a special report on the people making a fortune out of the mortgage crisis, saying that three bankers had made a "$4 billion killing". In another story it says that a bizarre row about evolution versus creationism led to an English backpacker fatally stabbing a Scottish backpacker during a trip.

The Times says a British couple has won the right to test embryos for a gene which leads to high cholesterol levels and an increased risk of heart attacks, raising questions over 'designer babies'.

The Guardian's front page is dominated by a look at life in Burma after a revolt by monks was crushed. But it also quotes Prime Minister Gordon Brown saying EU leaders have agreed to send a mission to Kosovo in support of an expected declaration of independence.

Under the heading "Clueless", the Sun says a witness has attacked the competence of Portuguese police dealing with the Madeleine McCann case. It quotes the witness as saying that they failed to recognise a picture of Madeleine McCann just a day after she went missing.

... and elsewhere

European Voice, Brussels' EU-related news weekly reports inflation in the 13 nations that use the euro surged to 3.1 percent in November compared to last year - its highest level in more than six years.

The Jakarta Post says talks on climate change are poised for a deal that will spur US involvement in the fight to curb greenhouse-gas emissions.

The Washington Post leads with the Democratic-led US Congress' authorization of more Iraq war spending. .

The International Herald Tribune reports NATO allies with troops fighting in Afghanistan have agreed to develop a master plan for efforts to stabilise the country over the next five years. .

The Los Angeles Times leads with the story of two members of a radical Islamic group, accused of plotting to attack US military, Israeli and Jewish facilities in California. They pleaded guilty to terrorism charges.

Tehran'sEnglish-language, Iran Daily says reformists have announced a coalition inspired by ex-president Mohammad Khatami to win back parliament and save Iran from what they described as "the crisis created by his successor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad".

Toronto Star reports national post office authorities and the police in Canada are searching for a "rogue elf" who has been sending filthy letters to children on behalf of Santa Claus. Canada Post explained that the letters were part of a Santa letter-writing program in which postal workers across Canada reply to letters from children around the world posted to Santa Claus. Every reply letter is identical, except for a hand-written personalised postscript added by one of 11,000 volunteers. Last year, Canada Post replied to 1.06 million letters on behalf of Santa, and 15 million letters have been posted since the programme began in 1981.