Malta and international press digest

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

The Times which launches a new design today, says a fatal fall at the police depot has given rise to questions. A man, 38, allegedly told a magistrate on his deathbed that he had been beaten by the police and dumped over a high fall. He died a few days later. The police have said that no such allegations have been made to them. A magisterial inquiry is in progress. The newspaper also reports that the Superior General of the Dominican Order, who is visiting Malta, said he knew very little of the Lourdes Home case.

In-Nazzjon says that in the three months since the pharmacy of your choice scheme was launched, the consumption of medicines has decreased, government officials said. It also says that George Abela complained yesterday that the party machinery is working against him in the MLP leadership election.

l-orizzont asks whether a man who died in hospital after police questioning had escaped from police headquarters and died jumping over a wall, or had he been dumped? It also recalls the riots of April 28, 1958 following a general strike ordered by the GWU.

The Malta Independent is backing Dom Mintoff backs George Abela for MLP's top post. It also reports that Joe Saliba ‘would do the same again' in the context of the Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando case.

The Press in Britain

The Daily Mirror leads on the case of an Austrian woman who was allegedly held prisoner in a cellar and repeatedly raped by her father for almost a quarter of a century. Her 73-year-old father, who is believed to have fathered six children with his daughter, has been taken into custody.

The Daily Mail reports Elisabeth Fritzl, now 42, said she was drugged and handcuffed after being lured into the basement of her family home in 1984 when she was 18.

Metro also shows a picture of Elisabeth Fritzl but leads with a story revealing that thousands of people suspected of petty offences, such as dropping litter, have been spied on by councils under anti-terror laws.

The Sun features missing four-year-old Madeleine McCann on its front page, as the first anniversary of her disappearance approaches. In a documentary to be screened on ITV next Wednesday, her parents Kate and Gerry said they are confident she may be found alive.

The Daily Star claims that Muslim fanatics, in internet rants, have blamed the McCanns over their missing daughter. Madeleine disappeared from an apartment in the Portuguese resort of Praia da Luz last May.

The Times says Gordon Brown has been warned the electoral system is close to collapse and this week's local and mayoral elections are at risk of fraud. The paper carries a photo of a schoolboy laden with junk food and claims that pupils are running a black market in unhealthy food banned in schools.

The Daily Telegraph predicts hundreds of thousands of homeowners could be plunged into negative equity because of falling house prices.

The Daily Express reports a bar of chocolate a day could reduce the risk of heart disease.

According to The Guardian, the Government has been warned that cancer sufferers are at risk from websites selling unproven cures.

The Independent carries a full-page picture of a man who was given back his eyesight by a pioneering gene therapy - a breakthrough that brings hope to millions affected by eye diseases.

The Financial Times claims HBOS, formed six years ago through the merger of Halifax and Bank of Scotland, is finalising plans to tap investors for fresh capital of up to £4bn in a rights issue to bolster its capital base.

And elsewhere...

South Africa's independent news portal, Independent Online, quotes the US top diplomat for Africa saying any national unity government in Zimbabwe should be headed by opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who Washington believes won a March 29 election. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer told Reuters Television in an interview that the people's will must be respected.

Pyongyang Times says North Korea today played host for the first time ever to the Olympic torch, as large crowds in the capital waved red and white flags and cheered the runners. The head of North Korea's parliament and ceremonial state leader, Kim Yong Nam, passed the torch to the first runner, Pak Du Ik, who played on North Korea's 1966 World Cup soccer team that made a historic run to the quarterfinals.

Los Angeles Times reports that wildfires in California have led authorities to order the evacuation of at least 400 homes. The fires began on Saturday and unusually hot temperatures and high winds have fanned the blaze, which is expected to take up to four or five days to contain fully.

Pajhwok Afghan News quotes Taliban militants claiming responsibility for the attack during a military parade attended by Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul. A spokesman told reporters that the attack, in which three were killed and 11 injured, did not directly target Karzai, but was designed to show that the Taliban was capable of striking high-profile targets.

The Irish Times reports two young children have died in a fire in the Irish Republic which was apparently started by their father after he murdered their mother. Businessman Dermot Flood died downstairs where the blaze started with a shotgun found nearby. The police said they are not looking for anyone else over the fire.