Malta and international press digest

The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press The Gozo Bishop’s apology over abuse at the Lourdes Home in Gozo features in all local newspapers.

The Times leads with the story saying that Gozo Bishop Mario Grech's apology comes in the wake of a report which confirmed that "in some particular cases there had been inadmissible behaviour involving minors that should have never taken place".

The Malta Independent leads with the same story saying that Mgr Grech had appointed a team of experts to help the abused people heal and that he will personally follow closely this healing process.

The Church newspaper Il-GensIllum says that Bishop Grech promised that such abuses will never happen again.

In-Nazzjon says that the government will be having talks with private hospital owners to create the necessary synergy to avoid waste in the health sector and give the best possible service to Maltese patients.

l-orizzont leads with Notary Marie Louise Coleiro Preca's announcement that she will be contesting the MLP leadership race.

The Press in Britain...

The Guardian reports on a series of clashes in China, claiming that the violence comes before protests which are expected to greet the London leg of the Olympic torch relay this weekend.

The Times has the same story, reporting that police fear there will be clashes between Tibetan demonstrators who plan to gather at strategic points along the 31-mile route through London.

The Independent's top story concerns the tense situation in Zimbabwe as the country's ruling party announced there will be a presidential run-off between embattled Robert Mugabe, who it claims "has launched a chilling fightback", and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai. The official results have still to be declared, but independent observers estimate that although Mr Tsvangirai polled the most votes he did not have enough for an outright victory.

The Daily Express reports on the "scandal" of MPs expenses, telling readers that taxpayers even have to pay for the prime minister's TV licence.

The Daily Star reports on the arrests of relatives in the Shannon Matthews case.

The Mirror has a story about a 44-year-old man who was caught in his vehicle six times over the blood alcohol limit for driving.

The Scotsman has a picture of Prince Philip, who spent the night in hospital for a check-up for a chest infection but its main story reports that mortgage lender Skipton has slapped an £800 fee on borrowers who take out a standard variable rate loan.

The Financial Times leads with the news that buyers are putting in offers on properties and then discovering they cannot get the required credit from mortgage lenders.

And elsewhere...

Ljubliana's Dnevnik reports that European Union finance ministers and central bankers meeting in the Slovenian city of Brdo have warned that inflation could endanger economic growth in the 15-nation Eurozone. But, they insisted that there is currently no risk of a recession. High oil and food prices pushed inflation to 3.5 percent in March, far above the European Central Bank's guideline of 2 percent. European Central Bank chief Jean-Claude Trichet said Europe won't follow the United States in lowering of its interest rates, because fighting inflation was vital to protect EU residents on lower incomes.

Moscow Times says Russian-NATO talks at the end of a NATO summit in Romania have ended with outgoing Russian President Vladimir Putin calling on the Western alliance to compromise on enlargement and a US missile defence plan for the Czech Republic. Putin, who's to be succeeded as president by Dmitry Medvedev in May, said Russia wanted friendly relations but remained opposed to bids by the ex-Soviet states of Ukraine and Georgia to become NATO members.

The International Herald Tribune quotes US Defence Secretary Robert Gates saying they are committed to sending "many more" troops to the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan.

The Earth Times says more than 160 nations represented at a UN-sponsored climate conference in Thailand have decided to add aviation and shipping to efforts to reduce exhaust gases blamed for global warming. The two rapidly growing sectors had been excluded from the 1997 Kyoto Protocol which expires in 2012.

Iserlohner Kreisaneiger reports eight German police officers have been placed under investigation on allegations that they worked in their spare time training Libyan police. The interior ministry of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia said the members of the GSG-9 commando unit travelled to Libya in 2006 to work at a police training school without the knowledge of their superiors. The face disciplinary proceedings.

Jornal de Madeira says passengers stranded on a cruise liner for two days are finally heading home after the boat's owners reached agreement with administrators. Nearly 500 holidaymakers on the MV Van Gogh had been held in Funchal since Tuesday as a result of a legal dispute. Passengers spent two nights stuck on board the vessel, but the boat has now been allowed to complete its journey back to Falmouth in Cornwall.

Naples' Il Mattino reports that two Bulgarian sisters have been rescued from a circus in Italy which forced one of them to swim with piranhas.

The New York Post says a man in the US had a brush with death after sleeping off a heavy drinking session in a rubbish bin. The dustbin van driver emptied the bin into the compactor before hearing William Bowen stir, and was able to stop the machine from crushing him. The waste collection company involved said that when asked if he was alright the man only said he was cold.