Malta and international press digest

The following are the leading stories in Maltese and foreign newspapers.

Malta's application to rejoin the Partnership for Peace (PfP), the MLP leadership race and Mepa dominate the font pages of Maltese weeklies.

The Sunday Times quotes Labour MEP Joseph Muscat saying he looks forward to leading the MLP in its last term in Opposition and then becoming Prime Minister at 39. The paper's second lead says Gozo Bishop Mario Grech has compared Malta's election campaign to the political process Christ went through 2,000 years ago, saying it was characterized by "slander and mockery".

il-mument says that "strong currents" within the MLP are pushing for Joseph Muscat to become party leader. It says that the MEP had made a number of conditions, among them that Gavin Gulia and Chris Cardona be appointed deputy leaders.

Illum also refers to Joseph Muscat putting his name in the hat for the MLP leadership but leads with the news that the police have crushed a pedophile ring in Gozo.

The Malta Independent on Sunday says the ongoing police investigation into the application for a disco at Mistra Bay have led to some members of Mepa's Development Control Commission being detained overnight. It also claims that at least two cargo services have been told to skip Malta until "the aviation fuel situation (at Malta's airport) returned to normal".

Maltatoday suggests it was Malta's Permanent Representative to the EU, Richard Cachia Caruana who "advanced" Malta's re-application to the Partnership of Peace programme, claiming that the plan was even unknown to various Cabinet ministers until they met for their first meeting last Monday.

it-torca also refers to the PfP application claiming the US government wanted Malta to be part of the EU-NATO programme, confirming its November report that the US ambassador had discussed Malta's neutrality with both main political parties.

KullHadd refers to what it claims is another "scandalous" approval by MEPA for the development by Safi mayor Pietru Pawl of three bungalows in a rural conservation area where he has a pig farm.

The Press in Britain...

The Sunday Times quotes a Church of England bishop's warning that Britain's richest men and women must curb their greed and share their wealth to save their souls.

The Observer suggests that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is facing a deepening revolt over the embryo bill in the Commons. While former Minister Byers demanded a free vote, Minister Hoon warned that the government could lose the vote.

In Scotland, the Sunday Herald reports that a Catholic MP has accused his church of showing a "lack of understanding" over controversial embryo research. His accusation follows the call by the leader of Roman Catholics in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, for Catholic MPs to be allowed to vote on the Bill according to their convictions.

The People claims Brown is threatening a massive Cabinet cull as Minister for Wales Paul Murphy said he would resign if obliged to vote for the Bill.

The Mail on Sunday says an international manhunt has been launched for a Russian-born British media magnate whose mysterious disappearance has possible links to the murder of former KGB spy Alexander Litvinenko.

Security mastermind Lord Stevens tells the Sunday Express troops should be drafted in to beef up security along our "porous" borders.

The Independent on Sunday claims Britain is set to enter a new age, generating energy directly from the seas.

The Sunday Telegraph reveals millions of homes face higher council tax bills after being logged as having off-street parking or a pleasant view.

And elsewhere...

The President of the European Parliament has threatened a boycott action against the Beijing Olympics because of the Chinese authorities' crackdown in Tibet. Hans Gert Pöttering told the German Bild newspaper that a boycott should not be ruled out if China refuses to negotiate with Tibet's exiled spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. As the European parliament is due to discuss the crisis in Tibet next Wednesday, Pöttering also suggested suspending future development assistance.

Meanwhile, China is defying calls from Europe, the US, and Asia to begin a dialogue with Tibet's spiritual leader, a week after riots in the western province. The Communist Party's main newspaper, the People's Daily, wrote in an editorial that the government would resolutely crush anti-China forces in Tibet.

Taipei Times leads with the Taiwanese opposition Nationalist Party candidate Ma Ying-jeou's landslide victory in presidential elections on the island. Ma finished nearly 17 percentage points ahead of Frank Hsieh of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. In announcing his victory, Ma said that before any normalisation of economic relations with Beijing, all threats would have to be removed, making reference to missiles China has pointed at Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.

Pakistan Times reports that the party of slain Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto has named former parliamentary speaker Yousuf Raza Gilani as its candidate for prime minister. Gilani, whose Pakistan People's Party built a coalition with former premier Nawaz Sharif after winning general elections last month. The new government is widely expected to take measures to curb the power of Musharraf.

Washington Post quotes a US military spokesman saying it is investigating an army helicopter attack on two checkpoints in Iraq that left six people dead and two injured after They were spotted conducting "suspicious terrorist activity". The spokesman said initial reports suggested the checkpoints could have been manned by US allies.

De Telegraf reports a Dutch Muslim group has asked a court to appoint experts to view a film about Islam in order to find a reason for it to be banned. Yesterday, protestors in Amsterdam demonstrated against the film's maker, far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders, who plans to release a film attacking Islam and the Koran, despite complaints from religious groups and warnings that it could provoke violent protests around the world.

Texas' The McAllen Monitor says a two-year-old boy who died with a fractured skull may have been accidentally crushed by a morbidly obese relative. Investigators believe the woman fell on the child, after he had been dropped off by his mother to spend the day with the bedridden relative.