Malta and international news digest

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

The Times says that prices were ‘mainly stable’ during the euro changeover, according to an ongoing UHM survey. It also reports that the police have probed the hunters’ online forum after BirdLife complained of threatening comments.

l-orizzont says SMEs could save up to €23,000 if their surcharge is halved, according to the GRTU.

In-Nazzjon reports Dr Gonzi’s press conference on education. He said the PN was offering peace of mind to parents on the education of their children. It also reports on the new incentives for business.

Malta Today Midweek says Dr Gonzi has made ‘a muddle’ over a cohabitation promise. Measures on cohabitation featured in the 1998 but not the 2003 PN election programmes. Dr Gonzi said he would continue to build on measures for such couples. It also says that Dr Sant has commented that civil marriages in Mosta “have to happen.” The Mayor of Mosta said recently he was against civil marriages in the council offices.

The Malta Independent quotes Dr Gonzi saying Malta will be a world leader in e-learning. Labour leader Alfred Sant, meanwhile, insisted that manufacturing industry still has a future.

Business Today says Lino Spiteri has cautioned against a tax cut bonanza.

The Press in Britain

The death of yet another teenager – a suspected suicide involving young people from the Bridgend area of South Wales – dominates the front pages of the leading London newspapers.

The Times, however leads with a story on how Fidel Castro’s brother Raul is not guaranteed to succeed him because the country’s vice-president, Carlos Lage, might mount a challenge for the top job.

The Independent takes the form of a special edition focusing on the end of Fidel Castro’s rule in Cuba. Eighty-one-year-old Castro, who has ruled since a coup in 1959, handed power to his brother Raul in 2006 and he is now in line for the job on a permanent basis.

The Daily Telegraph also features a picture of the Cuban leader next to a story saying British MPs are set to announce that foreigners coming to Britain will face a new “immigrant tax” under Government plans to try to make them help pay for the schools and hospitals they use.

The Guardian claims Tony Blair’s hopes of becoming Europe’s first president are running into mounting opposition across the EU, with Germany determined to stop the former British prime minister.

The Daily Star alleges that pop star Cheryl Cole, in a ‘forgive but not forget’ mood, is giving her footballer husband Ashley a second chance to repair their “shattered” marriage after he had unprotected sex with a hairdresser.

The Evening Standard quotes Melissa Henning, Dodi Fayed's American assistant saying Princess Diana had told her lover she would be killed in an accident while her sons were not around. The inquest into their death heard how she feared there was a plot from the Royal Family to get rid of her, but stressed that Princes William and Harry "would never be harmed".

And elsewhere…

Major newspapers carry the world leaders’ reaction to the announcement that Cuban leader Fidel Castro was resigning. Citing poor health 81-year-old Castro announced his resignation in a letter published on the website of the Cuban Communist Party's newspaper Granma in the middle of the night, Cuban time.

International Herlad Tribune quotes President George Bush, speaking from Rwanda, calling on Cuba to hold free and fair elections now that Castro was resigning. European leaders have also called on the Cuban government to use the opportunity of Castro's resignation to open the country to democracy. The European Union said it hoped to revive ties with Cuba while China, which has taken over as one of Havana's key economic partners, said it would maintain cooperation with Cuba. Moscow, which used to fulfill that role, was noticeably silent.

Pakistani Times says the country’s twoi main opposition parties had achieved a decisive victory in the general elections, winning a total of 151 of the 268 contested seats. The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid was a distant third with 38 seats, and several of its top leaders also lost their individual races. The outcome is a major setback for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf who has been struggling to retain power. This may mean his ousting if the opposition parties forms a coalition.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel says Hillary Clinton struggled to keep her campaign on track and halt Barack Obama's winning streak as Democrats voted in Wisconsin and Hawaii. Latest estimates suggest the Illinois senator has 1,281 delegates against 1,218 for the former First Lady.

Ilaria Post leads with the snap visit to Kosovo by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, two days after the Serbian province declared independence in a unilateral move that was accepted by the United States and most EU member states, but fiercely rejected by Serbia and its ally Russia. Speaking in the capital Pristina, Solana said the EU would be present "on the ground" through the NATO-led peacekeeping Kosovo Force (KFOR). He also said that the 27-nation bloc would help the new state economically.

Liechtenstein Vaterland says the tiny Alpine state of Liechtenstein has accused Germany of launching an attack on the principality's sovereignty in connection with a tax evasion scandal in Germany. Crown Prince Alois said Liechtenstein would protect its citizens and investors from methods of investigation that are not yet covered by Liechtenstein law. Alois was referring to a CD-ROM that Germany's foreign secret service, the BND, had obtained listing the names of hundreds of potential tax evaders.

Dallas Morning News reports the US military will attempt to shoot down a wayward spy satellite as it falls towards Earth later today. The satellite is orbiting about 130 miles above Earth. It is carrying an almost-full tank of rocket fuel so toxic it would pose a threat to human health should the satellite crash in a populated area.

The British Journal of Gynecology quotes research results showing obese women are more than two and a half times as likely to suffer a potentially a fatal blood clot in the lung during pregnancy. A study of the UK's 229 maternity units revealed that obesity and having given birth previously hugely increase the risk of a clot. The report found that women suffering a clot are not always receiving appropriate treatment.