Malta and international press digest

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

The Times reports how Malta is hosting the first EU- Arab League meeting and quotes Javier Solana saying the EU is willing to sustain this initiative. It also says that Solana has ruled out new talks on the Malta accession package. The newspaper also reports aspects of the electoral campaign including a proposal by Azzjoni Nazzjonali to create a regional council to manage Gozo.

The Malta Independent highlights the MLP proposals for the family and how the Commissioner for Children would become a Children’s Ombudsman. It also reports Dr Gonzi saying the PN will come out with new proposals next week.

L-orizzont leads with the first day of nominations of election candidates, saying there was a surprise with the nomnination of John Pace as an independent candidate under the banner Forza Malta.

In-Nazzjon says a PN government had yielded stability, investment and jobs. It was reporting comments by Lawrence Gonzi at a televised press conference yesterday.

The Press in Britain

Seven British dailies feature stories and pictures of Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills after the first grueling day of the multimillion-pound divorce hearing.

According to the Sun, the strain of the first day in court was etched on the former Beatle’s face as his estranged wife fought for a £100m-settlement.

The Daily Star carries allegations about the music star saying Heather Mills shocked a courtroom with a scary home movie.

The Daily Mirror says Sir Paul won't give in to the former model's demands for money.The Mail reveals that neighbourhood watch members will be asked to do police duties like patrolling and checking tax discs.

The Express says house prices went up by almost £1,000 in December as the property market staged a surprise rally.

The Telegraph reports families are paying an extra £1,300 a year in household expenses as food, fuel, mortgages and utility bills rise at their fastest rate for 17 years.

Metro says six prisoners accused of plotting 9/11 could be executed after becoming the first Guantanamo inmates to face a possible trial.

The Financial Times says expectations of a raft of interest rate cuts are to be undermined by figures showing high street sales were stronger than expected in January.

The Independent reports that the US has been accused of using a 'kangaroo court' to try the men accused of a role in the September 11 attacks.

The Guardian quotes Foreign Secretary David Miliband arguing that mistakes must not cloud the moral imperative to intervene to help spread democracy in Iraq. It also pictures a pensive Archbishop of Canterbury who has defended raising the issue of sharia law, but said he "took responsibility" for causing distress among the public.

The Times claims that under new legislative proposals to be unveiled next week, people who illegally download films and music will be cut off from the internet.

And elsewhere…

Washington Times reports US fighter planes intercepted two Russian bombers flying unusually close to American aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the western Pacific during the weekend. Such Russian bomber flights were common during the Cold War, but have been rare since.

Washington Post leads with the Pentagon announcements that six men held at Guantanamo Bay have been charged with committing a total of 169 offences in relation to the 9/11 terror attacks. US prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for the six, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. They are charged with terrorism, murder and violating the law of war.

International Herald Tribune focuses on the four men, two Americans and two Chinese immigrants, held in two separate cases for spying for China. A 72-year-old former Boeing engineer from Los Angeles was charges with stealing space shuttle secrets for the Chinese. In the second case, a US defence department analyst and two Chinese immigrants working with him were also charged with selling military information to the Chinese.

Metropole reports armed robbers have stolen four paintings worth about €111m from a museum in Zurich. Oil paintings by Cezanne, Degas, Van Gogh and Monet were among the artworks taken from the Buehrle museum in the city's eighth district. Police said it was a "spectacular art robbery". It comes after the theft of two Pablo Picasso paintings from an exhibition near the city last week.

Variety reports the death of Roy Scheider, the actor who was best known for his role as the police chief in blockbuster movie Jaws. He was 75. The actor had been treated for multiple myeloma - a type of cancer - for the past two years.