Malta and international press digest

The following are the top stories in the Maltese and international press on Monday:

The Times reports how a woman was critically injured in a car crash and a boy was hurt in a firecracker mishap yesterday . It reports on the rally held yesterday by MLP leadership contender George Abela. It also says that a Church report has recommended that the Church's own radio, RTK, should reduce its strictly religious content. On the backpage, the paper says a threatened unlawful assembly by bird hunters at Ta'Qali did not happen.

In-Nazzjon says George Abela will contest the MLP leadership race, despite whatever obstacles are put in his way. It also reports that HarbourAir Malta, the operator of the seaplane service, is to acquire another aircraft and introduce services to nearby Mediterranean islands.

l-orizzont says George Abela has officially declared he will stand for election as MLP leader. It also says Malta is to be taken to court by the European Commission because of excessive emissions from the power stations. It also reports that an international company based in Malta had been involved in an arms sales ring between Italy and Libya.

The Malta Independent carries a picture of Archbishop Paul Cremona at a meeting with children. It says George Abela had a strong show of support in Cospicua yesterday. The newspaper also reports Foreign Minister Tonio Borg saying Malta's individual programme within Partnership for Peace will be discussed with the opposition.

The Press in Britain...

The Independent leads with a report about a new form of cloning that is apparently easier to carry out than the process which created Dolly the Sheep. It has raised fears that it may be used on human embryos to create so-called "designer babies".

The Guardian reports how developing countries, including China and India, are unwilling to sign up to a new global climate change pact to replace the Kyoto protocol in 2012 after the rich world failed to set a clear example on cutting carbon emissions.

The Daily Express claims thousands of children are being bought and smuggled into Britain to help benefits cheats claim council housing and other handouts illegally. It also carries a picture TV presenter Mark Speight, who was found dead yesterday.

The Daily Star says police want to find out why it took six days to find the Speight's body at a busy rail station. The paper says he was tormented by the death of his fiancée in a drugs binge.

The Scotsman reports on the five young British women who died in a bus crash while travelling from Ecuador's capital Quito to a fishing village as part of a gap year adventure trip.

The Daily Telegraph has pictures of the women killed in Ecuador but its lead story is on a new government report which highlights the hastening decline of community life in the countryside. Figures from Oxford University show that in the past four years nearly half of all neighbourhoods have lost key amenities such as surgeries, post offices, shops and schools.

The Times says thousands of women are at risk of assault because new laws to curb domestic violence have backfired, deterring victims from seeking help.

According to a Financial Times poll, Gordon Brown is less trusted to steer the country through the global financial crisis than any other major western European leader.

And elsewhere...

Il Tempo reports that as polls closed yesterday in Italy's general election, turnout figures were running at 64 percent, slightly behind the 66 percent of the 2006 vote. Voting, which will end at 3pm today, comes amid worries of economic recession and disillusionment with a political class that many contend has failed to solve the nation's problems.

The Wall Street Journal quotes World Bank President Robert Zoellick calling on member nations to act urgently to help avert a global food crisis, saying the rapid rise in food prices could push 100 million people in poor countries deeper into poverty. His warning follows that from the leader of the International Monetary Fund, who said hundreds of thousands of people are at risk of starvation. There have been food riots recently in a number of countries, including Haiti, the Philippines and Egypt.

Zimbabwe Independent says the opposition MDC party has said it will challenge in court the electoral commission's move to hold a partial recount of election votes. The commission has said it will recount presidential and parliamentary election votes cast in 23 areas on April 19. Zimbabwe's information minister has pledged that the country's army will not fight Zimbabweans over the poll crisis, despite claims of intimidation.

KenyaTimes reports President Mwai Kibaki has named rival Raila Odinga as prime minister, implementing a power-sharing deal. Mr Kibaki unveiled the 40 Cabinet ministers a day after holding talks with Mr Odinga, leader of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement.

The International Herald Tribune quotes the head of Afghanistan's intelligence service claiming food and weapons were recovered by the Taliban in southern Afghanistan after a coalition helicopter accidentally dropped them off at the wrong location. Amrullah Saleh told parliament the supplies were intended for police at a checkpoint in Zabul province.

The Seattle Times says the Dalai Lama has repeated a threat to resign if violence in Tibet spirals out of control. He also rejected claims that he is trying to split the Himalayan region from China, and demanded an end to Chinese aggression in his homeland. Tibet's exiled spiritual leader was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a conference in Seattle, where he is making his first overseas trip since China's crackdown in Tibet.

Meanwhile, Washington Post quotes President Bush's security adviser warning against snubbing the Beijing Olympics as a way of protesting against China's crackdown in Tibet. Stephen Hadley said the kind of "quiet diplomacy" the US is practising is a better way to send a message to China rather than "frontal confrontation". President Bush has still not confirmed whether he will attend the opening ceremony on August 8.

The Jerusalem Post leads with the surprise meeting in Jerusalem between Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who is soon due to fly to Washington. An Israeli official said Abbas and Olmert were meeting to coordinate peace efforts.

Al-Ahrar reports 1,300 Iraqi troops have been dismissed for failing in their duties during a crackdown on gunmen in Basra. The sackings come after hundreds of Iraqi troops and police reportedly either deserted or joined the other side during government raids against Shiite militias that began March 25. Some 800 people have since been killed in the fighting. The US command has criticised the Iraqis for beginning the raids without adequate preparation.