Malta and international press digest

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

The Times says MLP election leadership candidates have been warned that they risk being disqualified if that make comments to the press. It also reports how Mistra has been included in the EU list of protected sites.

The Malta Independent leads with the conclusion of a trial by jury where the accused was jailed for six years for conspiracy to traffic cannabis, but was not found guilty of possession of the drug. It also says the MLP electoral commission is considering whether George Abela is eligible to contest the MLP leadership election.

L-orizzont reports the human story of a severely ill baby and efforts to help him. It also reports how the police rushed to assist eight British divers who found themselves in difficulty off Zonqor Point.

In-Nazzjon says Malta was yesterday unanimously welcomed back in Partnership for Peace. It also reports a rise in the gainfully occupied in the last quarter of last year, mainly as a result of an increase in women going out to work.

The Press in Britain

The Times reports that a gang of eight Islamic fanatics appeared in court accused of plotting to kill thousands by blowing up at least seven passenger jets out of the sky as they crossed the Atlantic.

The Scotsman reports how the court heard how they planned to blow up the airliners with home-made bombs. Prosecutors allege the suicide bombers would smuggle explosives disguised as soft drinks on to the flights.

The story also dominates the Daily Mail which call quotes they prosecutors describing the plan was "the worst planned atrocity since 9/11".

Naomi Campbell makes the front page of the Daily Mirror as the fiery supermodel was taken off a jet in cuffs after abusing air crew and spitting in a policeman's face.

The Guardian also prints a picture of Ms Cambpell who was removed from a US-bound aircraft at Terminal 5 but leads with a story that Gordon Brown is facing his first serious test of authority after he was forced to respond to a tax revolt by backbenchers over alcohol duty.

According to the Daily Express, millions of Britons face higher fuel bills as it reveals that European energy companies are 'raiding' Britain for cheap gas and then selling it back at inflated prices.

And elsewhere...

The Herald reports that swrHthe police in Zimbabwe have raided opposition offices at a Harare hotel housing foreign journalists. A New York Times reporter is among two detained journalists who are being investigated for reporting without accreditation.

International Herald Tribune says NATO leaders have said they will endorse controversial US plans for a missile defence shield based in Eastern Europe. They want Russia to consider linking up its missile defences to the US anti-missile shield and another system the alliance itself plans to develop.

According to Cyprus Mail, a dispute between Greek and Turkish Cypriot police marred yesterday's re-opening of a symbolic checkpoint on the divided island of Cyprus. The Ledra street crossing in the capital Nicosia had to be shut down temporarily, only hours after it was re-opened for the first time in nearly 45 years. The closure ended after scores of protesters gathered on both sides, chanting calls for its re-opening.

Luxembourg's Tageblatt reports that the European Union's second-highest court has ruled against a decision to include the Kurdistan Workers Party or PKK on a list of organisations that it considers to be terrorist groups. The court said the bloc had not properly justified its decision. The Turkish government blames the PKK for nearly 40,000 deaths since the group launched an armed struggle for a Kurdish homeland in south-eastern Turkey in 1984.

Haagsche Courant says the UN war crimes tribunal meeting in The Hague has acquitted Kosovo's former Prime Minister, Ramush Haradinaj, of charges of torturing, raping and murdering Serbs. The 37 charges stemmed from his involvement in the 1998 war between Serbia and separatists in Kosovo.

El Tiempo quotes a leader of Columbia's FARC rebels ruling out the unilateral release of the critically-ill hostage, Ingrid Betancourt unless the government released jailed rebels. The demand follows the arrival of a French medical team in Columbia, which hopes to treat the French-Columbian politician.

The Lancet quotes results of a new research which shows that women who eat foods rich in trans fats while pregnant or breastfeeding could lead to fatter babies. Trans fats - which are contained in some biscuits, cakes, pies and crackers - have been linked to heart disease. The research was carried out by experts at Sao Paulo Federal University.