Local and international press digest

The following are the leading stories in the Maltese and overseas press today:

The Times says former MLP general Secretary Dominic Fenech is calling for a long succession process in the Labour Party, giving time for a proper reflection of the election results and considerations for the new leader. It also reports a celebration of World Youth Day, coinciding with Palm Sunday, at the migrants' centre in Hal Far.

The Malta Independent carries a front page picture of a crane which toppled over, killing two, in New York. It also says that Gavin Gulia, who failed to get elected on March 8, will seek election for deputy leader of the Labour Party. The newspaper also reports the Pope's appeal for peace in Iraq, where an archbishop was killed last week.

In-Nazzjon leads with Dr Gonzi's press conference on the local elections, where he said the PN was satisfied to have regained majorities in three localities and increased its votes. It says that the MLP and the GWU feel threatened by George Abela's bid for the Labour leadership.

l-orizzont says the search for the remains of Paul Camilleri on the site of the Naxxar fireworks explosion has been called off. It also reports the press conference by the MLP leadership yesterday on the results of the local councils.

The Press in Britain...

The Times reports on the latest violence from Tibet, with an eyewitness report from a Western journalist in the capital Lhasa. It carries a picture showing the arrest of an elderly man by troops, now carrying rifles instead of batons.

The Scotsman reports how the Dalai Lama has accused China of "cultural genocide", and called for an international inquiry into China's violent crackdown on Tibetan protesters.

The Metro quotes the results of an Army research which shows that 60 per cent of Britons do not back the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five years after the invasion of Iraq, only 41 percent of the public support the opera­tions by British troops in the two countries.

The Guardian says Tony Blair offered to take the unprecedented step of holding secret masked meetings with the IRA leadership as he fought to save the Northern Ireland peace process from collapse.

The Financial Times says Bear Stearns, the stricken US investment bank, is fighting against the clock on a deal to sell itself to JPMorgan Chase. It says it comes amid growing concerns that failure to clinch an agreement could put other banks under severe strain.

The Sun claims Mick Donovan, the man suspected of abducting Shannon Matthews, spied on her for months before pouncing.

The Telegraph reports on the plight facing more than 1,000 village shops as they face the threat of closure over "draconian rules" that will ban them from offering rival postal services after their own Post Office sections are shut down.

And elsewhere...

South China Morning Post reports rioting spreading from Tibet into neighbouring Sichuan province on Sunday, two days after violent protests against Chinese rule in the Tibetan capital Lhasa. The fresh protest in China's southwest reportedly left at least seven people dead, though this has not been confirmed. The new disturbances came as Tibetan sympathisers staged protest actions against Chinese embassies around the world on Sunday, with many calling for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics in August. The Dalai Lama said he opposed such a boycott.

Libération says France's opposition Socialists secured strong gains in the second round of local elections, dealing a blow to President Nicolas Sarkozy and his 10-month-old government. Overall the left look certain to obtain 49.5 per cent of the vote against 47.5 per cent of Sarkozy's right. Gains have been made by the Socialist in all councils except for Marseilles.

USA Today reports that the European Union has criticised the Iranian general election as "neither fair nor free." Iran's state-controlled media says that as was widely expected conservatives have won a majority. Initial vote results also show reformist candidates with a slight increase in their parliamentary representation, despite many of their top candidates being barred from running by Iran's conservative establishment.

Tages-Anzeiger reports the UN Environment Programme's call for immediate action to stop the world's glaciers from disappearing. New findings from 30 glaciers in nine mountain ranges show that the average rate of melting has more than doubled within the last four years. The UN data released in Zurich on Sunday shows that the most severe losses were recorded in Europe. Glaciers constitute the largest reservoir of fresh water on Earth, and second only to oceans as the largest reservoir of total water.

New York Times says Barack Obama's hopes of winning the Democratic Party nomination have been boosted by remarks by the House of Representatives speaker Nancy Pelosi. With no outright victory in the primaries now looking likely, it looks as though so-called super delegates will have the casting vote. Ms Pelosi said it would be wrong for super delegates to buck the will of the national convention delegates.

Sole 24 Ore reports Alitalia's board has unanimously accepted Air France-KLM's bid to buy the struggling Italian airline. The Air France-KLM offer calls for a share swap of 160 Alitalia shares for every Air France share, the price at market close on Friday. The Franco-Dutch carrier says it will inject one billion euro in capital once the deal is complete.

Kathimerini says two Thomas Cook employees are to face trial over the deaths of a seven-year old British girl and her six-year old brother from carbon monoxide poisoning at a holiday apartment in Corfu in 2006. The Greek Judicial Council will also bring charges against a number of other individuals, including hotel staff.

Los Angeles Times reports David Beckham has played the full 90 minutes for LA Galaxy in a friendly game with FC Dallas in front of England general manager Franco Baldini. Baldini first worked with England coach Fabio Capello in 1999, when he was appointed the Director of Football at Roma.