Malta and international press digest

The following are the leading stories in Maltese and foreign newspapers:

Most of the local newspapers' front-pages feature Malta's farewell to Sir Anthony Mamo, its first President, who passed away on Thursday.

The Times has a picture of Sir Anthony's coffin borne by members of the Armed Forces. It also reports that the MLP's extraordinary general conference will convene next Friday to decide on a proposal for the next party leader to be chosen by all party members and not just its delegates.

In-Nazzjon, l-orizzont and The Malta Independent all devote their front pages exclusively to the state funeral.

Apart from the state funeral, Il-Gens Illum carries two stories on its front page: one announces that the Church will widen its dialogue with the faithful and the other featuring Appogg's role in investigations into the child abuse at the Lourdes Home in Gozo.

The Press in Britain...

Boris Johnson has been elected the first-ever Conservative Mayor of London, capping a catastrophic day for Labour in the local elections and putting further pressure on Prime Minister Gordon Brown after his party plunged to its worst council election results in four decades.

"The May Day Massacre" is how The Independent described Labour's dramatic day of losses .

So does The Sun, reporting that the Tories have taken a 44% share of the vote.

The Guardian sets a similar tone, reporting on the Labour party's loss of 330 seats, compared to the Tories gain of 250.

The May Day battle metaphor is also used on the front page of The Times which reports that Brown has been "bloodied".

The Daily Express looks at the wider picture of Labour losses in the polls across the country, describing Gordon Brown as "the biggest disaster ever" .and says that "now even failed seekers are queuing to leave Britain".

Four newspapers also feature follow-ups on the Fitzl story with The Daily Star and The Mirror reporting one of the young women fathered by Austrian Josef Fritzl is critically ill and close to death - meaning her father could be charged with her murder.

The Mirror also marks the first anniversary of the disappearance in Portugal of Madeleine McCann with the Archbishop of York calling on people to pray for her safe return.

And elsewhere...

The International Herald Tribune reports that the five permanent members of the UN Security Council - the US, Russia, China, Britain, and France - together with Germany have agreed to offer Iran a new package of incentives aimed at persuading it to halt its uranium enrichment activities.

Al-Quds al-Arabi leads with the news that the Middle East Quartet - the United Nations, the European Union, Russia and the United States - has called on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to respect their commitments to peace negotiations.

New Strait Times quotes the Tibetan government-in-exile saying it has sent two senior envoys of the Dalai Lama to China to discuss the Tibetan crisis. The informal talks constitute the first face-to-face contact between the two sides since violence erupted in Tibet in March, followed by a Chinese crackdown.

The Herald leads with the news that election officials in Zimbabwe have confirmed that the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai won more votes than Robert Mugabe, but not enough to claim outright victory. They said he took 47.9 per cent of votes in the presidential election, which compares to 43.2 per cent of votes which went to the current president and a second round of voting is required to determine a victor.

Al-Thawra reports that at least 18 people have been killed and dozens of others wounded in an explosion near a mosque in the northern Yemen city of Saada. The region has seen sporadic violence since a conflict broke out between government forces and a Shi'ite militia in 2004. The militia's leader has denied any involvement in the attack.

The Jerusalem Post leads with Israeli police's questioning of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over new allegations surrounding campaign donations.

Argentina's Clarin reports that farmers have ended a truce with the government over export tax rises. They have pledged to resume protests but vowed not to repeat widespread roadblocks.

Santiago's La Hora says hundreds of people have been evacuated from remote villages in southern Chile after a volcano erupted, sending minor earthquakes rippling through the area.