Malta and international press digest

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

The Times says a Hamrun man extradited to California has been jailed for 35 years after being convicted of child molestation. It also reports that it may be three weeks before the European Court decides whether to allow spring hunting this year, a situation which is putting the government in a quandary because the spring hunting season should have already started.

The Malta Independent reports on the arrival of a boatload of illegal migrants yesterday as well as investment being made by an Italian company in Tug Malta.

l-orizzont says donors wishing to help a Maltese child in the UK who needs a bone marrow transplant have run into difficulties. It also reports that a 63-year-old man has been seriously injured after being hit by a cyclist at Triq Durumblat in Mosta, the same road where a man was killed in a road accident last year.

In-Nazzjon leads with the Prime Minister’s visit to Mepa yesterday and says the Mepa reform will start with a process of consultation. It also reports how a Malta Night was held at the European Parliament yesterday to mark Malta’s membership of the eurozone. Guests were welcomed by Malta’s permanent representative to the EU, Richard Cachia Caruana and MEPs Simon Busuttil and David Casa. On the inside pages the paper says members of the MLP executive who spoke against the party in post-election comments are to be summoned by the party’s Vigilance Board.

The Press in Britain...

According to the Daily Telegraph, a new International Monetary Fund analysis shows Britain could be hardest hit by the global credit crisis as banks in the country racked up bigger losses than anywhere else in the world.

The Financial Times says the world's leading banks publicly accepted much of the blame for the credit crisis, as the IMF slashed its estimates for global growth.

The Independent reports tens of millions of British people will experience their own credit crunch on holiday this year, as the soaring value of the Euro forces them to pay more for everything.

On the same theme, The Daily Express claims families face the grim prospect of having to find an extra £700 to pay for their summer holidays. Experts warn the price of a two-week package holiday for an average family of four could rise by around £450 .

And Metro says that shoppers were hit with yet more money woes yesterday when the pound slumped to an all-time low against the Euro.

The Guardian says Gordon Brown raised fresh concerns about the impact of biofuels as he put rising food prices on the world agenda by writing to G8 leaders. But its main story alleges President Mugabe's men have launched a campaign of violence and intimidation against opposition supporters.

The Times claims scientists have won the battle for public support over the creation of human-animal embryos. Experts want to use the controversial experiments to tackle diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

The Daily Mail reacts to the case of Abu Qatada, who won his appeal against being deported out of Britain but leads with a story which claims the number of hyperactive children could be cut by a third by banning suspect food additives.

The Scotsman blames plastic flushed down the toilet for making Scotland's beaches among the worst in Britain's litter league of shame.

And elsewhere...

The Olympic torch relay in San Franscisco has ended with a ceremony at the city's international airport. The San Francisco Chronicle reports the organisers were forced to shorten the route after hundreds of anti-Chinese protesters blocked the streets. Earlier, demonstrators carrying Tibetan flags marched to the Chinese consulate in San Francisco to denounce Beijing's policy on Tibet. In further developments, the Dalai Lama arrived in Japan on his way to the United States and in London, Downing Street has confirmed Prime Minister Gordon Brown will not attend the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The Post says President Mwanawasa of Zambia has called an emergency summit of southern African leaders to discuss the crisis in neighbouring Zimbabwe. He told reporters in Lusaka that the crisis had become so serious that resolving it would require a concerted effort by regional leaders. Zambia currently chairs the 14-nation Southern African Development Community, which in the past has been criticised for avoiding taking strong action against President Mugabe. It is not known if President Mugabe will attend the meeting, which will be held on Saturday.

Arutz Sheva quotes the Israeli army saying Palestinian militants crossed into southern Israel and shot dead two Israeli civilians. Police said one of the attackers was killed in the ensuing gunbattle, one was captured and another two managed to flee back into Gaza. Two Palestinian militant groups, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees, are claiming responsibility for the attack.

Meanwhile Al Ahram reported that Egypt has put troops at its Rafah border crossing with Gaza on high alert following intelligence that Hamas militants may attempt to breach the border with bulldozers. On Tuesday, a Hamas politician renewed threats to forcibly reopen the border, if the blockade of Gaza did not end.

The San Jose Mercury quotes American counter-terrorism officials confirming the death in hiding in Pakistan of Abu Ubaida al-Masri, the al-Qaida leader thought to be behind London’s July 7 bombings. The terrorist, believed to have helped recruit, train and direct the British Muslims who killed themselves and 52 people on tubes and a bus three years ago, apparently succumbed to hepatitis.

Al-Ayyam says at least 13 people have been killed in clashes in Baghdad's Shi'ite slum of Sadr City, brining the total up to 70 since Sunday in battles between fighters loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and US and Iraqi troops. The deaths escalate despite a ban on vehicles, aimed at preventing unrest from spreading on the fifth anniversary of the fall of the Iraqi capital.

Helsingin Sanomart reports a Finnish tourist who chipped an earlobe off an ancient Moai statue on Easter Island has been allowed home after paying a €10,600 fine and agreeing not to return for three years. Marko Kulju, 26, was also made to write a public apology for damaging the figure, one of 400 statues carved out of volcanic rock between 400 and 1,000 years ago to represent deceased ancestors. Kulju called his attempted theft “the worst mistake of my life.”