Malta and international press digest

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

The Times leads with the Prime Minister’s proposal to set up a parliamentary select committee to discuss measures to strengthen democracy. It also reports that Ornis Committee proposals on autumn hunting have ruffled feathers in Brussels.

The Malta Independent and In-Nazzjon also lead with the Prime Minister’s select committee proposal. The Malta Independent also gives front page importance to a press conference by Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt, who said domestic electricity bills are the lowest in Europe.

In-Nazzjon highlights the demise of Michael Spiteri, known as Kilin. It also reports that many in the Labour parliamentary group do not want a pairing agreement with the government.

l-orizzont’s focus is on the growing influx of illegal immigrants, saying Frontex is just playing with words.

The Press in Britain

The Guardian leads with a new report identifying a pattern of problems and inadequacies with the NHS's maternity care. It says women giving birth are being admitted to units that do not have enough beds, showers or toilets.

The Independent says the review concludes that women and their babies' lives are at risk: in some maternity units across England, one bed is used for more than one birth in each 24-hour day while women are also forced to share showers and baths.

The Times reports that Britain's ability to sustain military campaigns was called into question as it emerged that almost half of all personnel are ready to quit over problems of morale, equipment and pay.

The Daily Star has Michael Jackson in a wheelchair and says the singer is refusing to walk in Las Vegas.

The Daily Express has a picture of Jackson being wheeled to the shops in his pyjamas, slippers and mask but leads with the story that says higher vehicle duty will hit far more families than the government initially claimed.

The Daily Mail says nine million families, or half of all motorists, will be worse off.

The Daily Telegraph reckons that each driver faces a road tax increase of £245.

The Sun reveals that two more building firms have announced sweeping job cuts as the industry crisis worsened.

The Daily Mirror reports that Madonna is upset over what has been said about her in a new book written by her brother.

And elsewhere…

The International Herald Tribune reports the three-day G8 summit in Japan has closed with pledges on the food and oil crises and its leaders passing on tough decisions on climate change, Africa and Zimbabwe to the United Nation.

Berliner Morgenpost says France and Italy have joined Germany in expressing concern over Iran’s testing nine types of missiles, including one which could target Israel or United States bases in the region.

EU Observer says the European Parliament has agreed to require airlines to reveal the full cost of airfares in their published price.

Akhbar Al Youm confirms seven peacekeepers of the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan's Darfur region have been killed. In an attack by suspected Arab militiamen, 22 troops were also injured, seven of them critically.

Chumhuriyet quotes the US ambassador to Turkey describing a shooting in front of the US consulate in Istanbul as a terrorist attack. The shootout left six people dead – three policemen and three armed attackers in the incident.

Al Ayyam reports that bomb blasts have killed at least 11 people and wounded dozens more in northern and western Iraq.

Turkey Daily News says Kurdish rebels have kidnapped three German climbers on Mount Ararat in protest at the Berlin government's crackdown on PKK-affiliated bodies and supporters in Germany.

The Herald quotes a lawyer for the Zimbabwean opposition’s top negotiator saying talks with President Robert Mugabe’s party are to begin this week. He asked a court for the return of the passport of Tendai Biti, who has been charged with treason, as he needed it to go to neighbouring South Africa for the talks. A judge ordered the passport returned.

Austria Times reports police searching for chemicals used to make the date-rape drug GHB have raided some 600 homes and offices in Austria, Switzerland and Germany. The raids followed months of investigation launched after police became suspicious of online orders for GBL, a chemical found in industrial cleaners. The legal chemical can be used to manufacture GHB, a potent depressant sometimes called the date-rape drug.