Maltese and foreign press digest

The following are the leading stories in the Maltese and overseas press.

The Times leads with the trial of a man who allegedly left a girl to die after an overdose. It carries a picture of the Mars surface taken from a US-built module which landed on the planet early yesterday. A report from Brussels says that according to a survey in many EU countries, in Malta drugs are the main concern of young people.

In-Nazzjon says the World Bank in its Growth Report described Malta as an economic miracle, given its consistent growth in the second half of the last century. It also reports that the MLP has ordered all five leadership candidates not to participate in next Friday’s Xarabank, or risk disqualification.

l-orizzont says a court a few days ago overturned a lower court decision which had approved a planned marriage by a transsexual. It also says Malta has one of the highest risk rates of the MRSA hospital bug.

The Malta Independent leads with the agreement between IHI and a leading tourism organisation in Russia which will see the Maltese company grow its investment in Russia.

The Press in Britain...

The Daily Telegraph says Labour could face a new rebellion as nearly 18 million motorists are hit with an above-inflation rise in their car tax.

The Daily Express reports that both the AA and the RAC are putting pressure on the government to cut fuel duty to ease the huge burden on motorists.

According to the Daily Star, Josef Fritzl's daughter Elisabeth and her children plan to move from Austria to the to start a new life in Britain.

The Times says MPs hope to stop details of their expense claims being made public by changing the system so that they do not have to submit receipts.

The Guardian says world leaders will meet for crisis talks next week as the cost of global food prices continue to rise.

The Financial Times claims more than a fifth of home owners with poor credit histories have fallen behind with their mortgage repayments this year.

The Sun reports on the wave of teenage violence in the UK and carries an impassioned plea from the grandmother of murdered teenager Rob Knox, saying “Enough is enough”.

The Mirror warns thugs who insist on carrying knives will either end up behind bars or dead in the street.

The Independent says Indiana Jones's ability to strike gold has eased the pain of a disastrous early summer for Hollywood.

And elsewhere...

EU Observer reports the European Union has agreed to double the size of its police training mission in Afghanistan to strengthen efforts towards local police reform.

Meanwhile, Corriere della Sera quotes new Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini saying his government was ready to deploy its troops to more dangerous battle zones in Afghanistan, as requested by NATO. Italy currently has 2,300 soldiers, deployed in Kabul and the west of the country.

Vienna’s quotes the International Atomic Energy Agency saying Iran's Die Presse alleged studies into designing nuclear warheads remained a matter of serious concern. The UN's nuclear watchdog also said Tehran, which had 3,500 centrifuges operational at its Natanz underground nuclear facility, had not given its inspectors access to Iranian nuclear-related sites.

USA Today reports former US President Jimmy Carter saying Israel holds at least 150 nuclear weapons. Asked at a news conference how a future US president should deal with the Iranian nuclear threat, Carter put the risk in context by listing atomic weapons held globally. The Nobel Peace Prize winner said Washington should talk directly to Tehran to persuade it to drop its nuclear ambitions.

El Mercurio reports a Chilean judge has ordered the arrest of nearly 100 former secret police and soldiers over rights abuses committed under General Augusto Pinochet.

International Herald Tribune says space experts hailed the Phoenix Mars probe's successful landing as a 'massive step' in the bid to find whether life can exist there. The first pictures showed a good overview of the terrain similar to Earth's permafrost areas.

Lebanon’s Daily Star says at least nine people have been wounded, two seriously, in a gunfight in Beirut between Hezbollah supporters and pro-government Sunni loyalists.

Lagos’ Daily Times reports a militant group has carried out the latest in a spate of oil-pipeline bombings, cutting output from Africa's biggest oil industry.

Variety announces the death of the Oscar-winning director of “Out Of Africa”. Sydney Pollack. The 73-year-old director, who died of cancer, also directed “Tootsie” and “The Way We Were”.