Local and International press digest

These are the main headlines of the local and international newspapers.

Most newspapers feature the Transport Federation’s threat to strike unless the government withdraws permits for the operation of new hearses.

The Times says that reacting to the threat, the Transport Ministry said the liberalisation of the hearses market was final.

The Malta Independent reports on the court arraignment of a policemen charged with defiling his partner’s 13-year-old daughter.

In-Nazzjon says Eurostat figures show that the Maltese are among the least taxed of the 27 European Union member states.

l-orizzont leads with police investigations into the mysterious death of a 59-year-old Marsa woman. Her husband is helping the police in their inquiries.

Il-Ġens Illum quotes Parliamentary Secretary Joe Cassar saying that a strategic plan for the health service is expected to be presented in the coming months.

The Press in Britain…

The Daily Mail says the scourge of knife crime gripping Britain has reached new depths with six murders across the country in less than 24 hours. Four of the killings were in London in an appalling day of bloodshed - and yet another teen lies in hospital after a stabbing in Bolton.

The Daily Express reports stunned police and MPs are desperately trying to find a solution to the growing carnage.

The Sun leads with the story about crime in the UK after the deaths of five people, under the headline 'Broken Britain'.

News of record fines being handed down to cigarette companies over price fixing makes the front page of the Financial Times.

The Daily Telegraph leads with the story about market meltdown, and how millions saw a significant fall in the value of their savings, pensions and other investments as the stock market suffered a torrid day.

The Guardian claims householders face a bill of nearly half a billion pounds after water companies have been asked to slash the amount of water they take from rivers and aquifers and find alternative supplies.

The Times claims professionals such as teachers and engineers can no longer afford to give their children a private education.

The London Evening Standard claims the mayor's former deputy Ray Lewis is implicated in another scandal, with allegations a second woman accused him of improper behaviour.

The Independent predicts the world trade in ivory, banned 19 years ago to save the African elephant from extinction, is about to take off again, with the emergence of China as a major ivory buyer.

The Jewish Chronicle says Israel is hoping that the ballistic missile test by Iran on Wednesday will help to persuade the United States to give it the “green light” to attack the country’s nuclear installations.

Metro reports that urgent talks to heal a race row at the top of British policing appear to have stalled in a dispute over legal fees.

The Daily Mirror leads with a story about Madonna being rocked by a series of claims in her brother's tell-all book.

The Morning Star warns that the private consortium handed the multibillion-pound contract to run the Sellafield nuclear site is poised to "cut corners and jobs."

And elsewhere…

The New York Times leads with Russia’s and China’s veto in the UN Security Council to a US-proposal to an arms embargo on Zimbabwe as well as financial and travel restrictions on President Mugabe and 13 of his top officials.

European Voice says the EU has expressed concern after Iran test-fired missiles, saying the tests would compound worries over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the results of the tests prove the uselessness of US plans to build a missile shield in Eastern Europe because of their short range. Negotiations on the shield, however, continue.

Belgium’s De Standaard reports that international donors led by the European Commission, the US, and Germany have pledged 1.2 billion euros to help build Kosovo's battered economy. Unemployment lies at around 40 percent in the former Serb province that declared independence in February. Some 40 countries, including much of the EU, recognise Kosovo as an independent state. Serbia and its ally Russia do not.

Die Welt says Kurdish militants, holding three German hostages, have told Turkey's military to call off their search for the hostages in the country's east. Meanwhile, Nigerian gunmen have kidnapped two Germans in the country's oil-producing Niger Delta region.

Hague News reports prosecutors from the International Criminal Court are to seek an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur. More than 300,000 people are believed to have been killed in the conflict and another two million have been displaced.

The Jerusalem Post says Israeli police have widened an investigation against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for alleged corruption. The premier is suspected of fraud by sending multiple bills for the same trip to various entities including the state.

El Universal quotes Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his Colombian counterpart Alvaro Uribe say they want to promote closer ties, after months of political tension over the FARC, the leftist guerrilla group in Colombia. Speaking after a one-day meeting in Venezuela, Chavez said that a new era of co-operation was dawning.

Granma quotes Cuban President Raul Castro telling Cubans to expect hard times from the effects of the international economic crisis, including greater government control of revenues and more work especially in the farming sector. In a televised address before the national assembly, Castro said he would have to lift restrictions on salaries more slowly than anticipated.

L’Osservatore Romano says Pope Bednedict leaves Rome’s Fiumicino Airport later today (10 a.m. Malta time) on his ninth apostolic trip outside Italy. Following a flight of 13,269 kilometres lasting 15 hours and 45 minutes, the Pope's plane is due to arrive at Richmond airbase near Sydney, at 7 a.m. tomorrow. The culminating moment of this apostolic trip will be the prayer vigil and Mass in the presence of thousands of young people gathered from all over the world for 23rd World Youth Day.