Malta and international press digest

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

The Times says the government has predicted healthy economic growth despite international woes. In a second story, it says Michael Falzon had warned the MLP on a ‘libellous’ billboard about corruption set up before the election.

l-orizzont leads with the increase in bread prices yesterday. It also reports the industrial dispute between the GWU and Air Malta on the filling of vacancies.

In-Nazzjon says the ETC will today announce 20 initiatives for the training and employment of young people. It also reports Finance Minister Tonio Fenech saying economic growth is this year expected to be 3% in real terms.

The Malta Independent carries pictures of the performance of the Shaolin Monks. It also says that the liberalisation of the bread market from next January has cast questions on the future of small bakeries.

The Press in Britain…

The Daily Telegraph leads with the controversial vote in the House of Commons which has given scientists the go-ahead to create hybrid human-animal embryos. Today, the Commons will vote on abortion, with a series of amendments to cut the current 24-week time limit.

Calling it a landmark move, The Daily Mail says the government legislation to widen the scope of embryo research is "a huge step into the unknown". Moves to ban "hybrid" human-animal embryos and so-called "saviour" siblings were defeated.
The Guardian says Labour support is in freefall as a new poll shows the party's position is the worst it has been since May 1987.

The Times reports on a huge Government database which is to hold the details of every phone call, email and time spent on the internet in a bid to fight crime and terrorism. The paper predicts it will provoke outrage from data protection and civil liberty campaigners and raise objections to the rise of a "Big Brother" state.

The Financial Times claims investors are more sceptical of the Bank of England's ability to tackle inflation than at any time since it gained independence.

The Daily Express says experts have dismissed predictions of a property crash - and Britain's biggest mortgage lender cut its rates.

According to the Daily Star, Britney Spears faces a new scandal amid fears a secret video may find its way onto the internet.

The Independent asks if Britain's pets are the latest victims of the credit crisis as scores of animals are being abandoned as desperate families struggle to cut costs.

The Daily Mirror shows the world's first "pregnant man" mowing the lawn. Thomas Beatie was born a woman and is due to give birth to a baby girl in six weeks.

And elsewhere…

The International Herald Tribune says many western government and aid agencies have welcomed Burma's pledge to allow neighbouring countries to help the two million survivors of Cyclone Nargis.

The People’s Daily leads with the Chinese government-ordered three minutes of reflection to remember its tens of thousands of earthquake victims as it began a period of national mourning. Traffic froze on the country's highways and rescuers and construction workers downed tools. Crowds gathered in Beijing's Tiananmen Square where a Chinese flag was lowered to half-mast in a solemn ceremony.

Il Mattino reports the EU warning that Italy must act swiftly to stop the Naples trash emergency becoming a public health crisis. The Commission has reported Italy to the European Court of Justice but the Court's decision is not expected before the end of the month. Waste hast built up to critical levels over the weekend.

South Africa’s Mail & Guardian reports a wave of violence directed against immigrants has left at least 22 people killed and dozens injured. The attacks, which began a week ago in a township on the outskirts Johannesburg, targeted foreigners from neighbouring Zimbabwe, Mozambique and other countries, blaming them for taking jobs and fuelling crime.

Berliner Morgenpost says German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ended her Latin American tour by agreeing with Mexico's President Felipe Calderon to push for a stabilisation of global prices of foodstuffs at July's summit in Japan of the Group of Eight industrialized nations. Concluding her four-nation tour in Mexico City, Merkel said food prices had become a "central issue" for international politics.

Le Figaro quotes French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner confirming its yesteday’s report that France had opened political contacts with Hamas. The Palestinian militant group, which controls the Gaza Strip, is considered a terrorist organization by the European Union, the United States and Israel. Kouchner defended the contacts as being necessary for diplomatic negotiations in the region, and said they were limited in nature.

The Italian News Agency ANSA quotes top oncologist Umberto Veronesi saying that sexist attitudes among Italian men were preventing female scientists making the progress they deserve. He said women possessed all the right qualities to make them outstanding scientists but were discriminated against because men have always held all the power. Veronesi also bemoaned the fact that even women who get started on the career ladder, rarely make it beyond the first rungs.