Malta and international press digest

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

The Times says a man has been arrested after fireworks were found illegally stored in a farmhouse in Naxxar. The newspaper also carries a picture of a fire caused by illegal migrants during a protest by illegal migrants. The newspaper also carries stories in the choice of Cabinet and on the MLP leadership contest.

l-orizzont said some 1,000 petards have been found stored illegally in Naxxar close to the site of the explosion which occurred on Wednesday. They were in garages belonging to one of the victims of the explosion.

In-Nazzjon carries a front page report on the EU summit, saying the EU has welcomed Malta's reform process. It also follows-up the Naxxar fireworks explosion.

The Malta Independent reports on the Cabinet appointments, saying Dr Gonzi dismissed ministers by SMS. It also says that financial practitioner Alfred Mifsud is showing an interest in the MLP leadership post.

The Press in Britain...

The Times says investors have been snapping up gold as the price rose to more than $1,000 per ounce for the first time amid escalating fears of the global credit crisis.

The Financial Times leads on the dollar falling to a new low while gold hits a new high as it was confirmed the US is in recession.

The Daily Telegraph says that measures announced in Britain's Wednesday's Budget will lead to nine out of 10 cars being affected by higher rates of tax.

The Daily Mail features details of an "extraordinary £22,000-shopping list" of luxury goods every MP can buy at the taxpayers' expense on fitting out their second homes.

The Sun leads on the same story, contrasting the amount MPs can spend on their second homes with the tax hikes in Wednesday's Budget.

The Daily Express predicts that hard-working families will suffer most from Alistair Darling's stealth tax Budget.

The Guardian says former Prime Minister Tony Blair will lead a new international team trying to secure a global climate change deal which would have the backing of China and America. He warns that if action is not taken immediately, global warming will be irreversible.

Metro says it will take the equivalent of five Kyoto Protocols to wipe out the amount of carbon dioxide being produced by China.

The Independent claims Britain's biggest teachers' union has accused the Ministry of Defence of breaking the law over a lesson plan drawn up to teach pupils about the Iraq war.

The Scotsman reports Iran's ambassador Rasoul Movahedian has claimed his country and Scotland share "similar views" on a range of issues - such as the stance on wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and nuclear non-proliferation - suggesting Tehran had more in common with Holyrood than Westminster.

The Evening Standard said a man was arrested at Heathrow Airport after he sprinted on to the runway. The intruder is thought to be a protester bent on causing disruption ahead of today's opening by the Queen of the airport's new Terminal 5.

The Daily Star leads on a photograph showing David Beckham talking to a mystery blonde in a nightclub.

And elsewhere...

Deutsche Welle reports European Union leaders have agreed to what it calls "a watered-down version of a Mediterranean Union to boost ties with the bloc's southern neighbours". President Sarkozy of France and German Chancellor Angela Merkel presented the plan to a 27-nation EU summit in Brussels. The concept has shrunk to a mere regular summit of EU and Mediterranean basin countries with a joint presidency. Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, whose country holds the EU's rotating presidency, said the European Union should increase its presence in the Mediterranean but warned that the EU doesn't need parallel institutions.

Le Courrier des Balkans says Serbian President Boris Tadic has dissolved parliament and called early elections for May 11. The parliament's dismissal was requested by nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's government, which said it was unable to overcome wrangling over Serbia's integration in the European Union and Kosovo independence.

L'Osservatore Romano quotes Pope Benedict's condemnation of the murder of the Catholic archbishop of Mosul, who was kidnapped in Iraq last month. The body of Paulos Faraj Rahho was found by police in an empty lot in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed the archbishop's death on al Qaeda and stressed that his Shi'ite Islamist-led government was committed to protecting Christians, who make up about 3 percent of the population in mostly Muslim Iraq.

USA Today quotes Barack Obama saying issues, not race, will decide the US presidential election after a top fundraiser for his rival Hillary Clinton stepped down after putting some of Mr Obama's success down to him being a black man. Mr Obama called the comments by Geraldine Ferraro, who was the first woman to run as a candidate for vice president in 1984, "ridiculous".

Meanwhile Washington Post reports that the Senate has voted against one of key issues of the America's budget: extending President George Bush's tax cuts for middle and higher-income taxpayers, investors and people inheriting businesses and big estates. The largely symbolic Senate votes saw both Mr Obama and Mrs Clinton voting against while Republican presidential nominee-to-be John McCain supported the extension.

Afghan Daily reports 41 Taliban militants, including their commander, have been killed by a joint Afghan-US force while crossing into Pakistan. Elsewhere, a suicide car bomber has rammed a US-led convoy near Kabul's international airport, killing at least six Afghan civilians and wounding 35 others, including four American soldiers. Afghan police say the blast in rush-hour traffic damaged 10 vehicles and set several on fire. Responsibility for the attack has been claimed by the Taliban.

La Tribuna says two Honduran gang members were sentenced to 822 years in prison each for opening fire on a bus and killing 28 people four years ago. The two received 675 years for killing 28 people, 135 years for trying to kill another 10 people, four years for being gang members and eight years for carrying an illegal weapon. However Honduran law stipulates that no prisoner can serve more than 40 years.

Variety reports Michael Jackson has refinanced his Neverland ranch in time to save the estate from a public auction, which was scheduled for later this month. Lawyers said Jackson has worked out a "confidential" agreement with Fortress Investment Group LLC to retain ownership of the famous property. An auction date had been set for March 19 because of £12m the singer owed on the 2,500-acre estate in California.