Malta and international press digest

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

The Times reports how the MLP has appointed a commission charged with making the party more effective. It also reports that Russia has agreed on a troops pull-out from Georgia. Talks were held in Moscow yesterday by French President Sarkozy.

The Malta Independent leads with the Victory Day celebrations held yesterday. It also reports that the local property market is still experiencing capital appreciation despite the situation abroad.

l-orizzont reports that police have been ordered to be tough against littering, fining people even for throwing away a cigarette end. They have to issue a specific number of citations.

In-Nazzjon leads with the homily by Archbishop Paul Cremona during the Victory Day Mass, when he underscored the need to defend human values in the face of secularism. It also reports on suggestions made as part of the rent reform process.

The Press in Britain…

The Daily Mirror pictures 'miracle' toddler Leona Baxter with her mother Beverly. Leona was rescued by her father from a river after falling 200ft through a storm drain.

The Sun brands the three-year-old the luckiest girl alive after she "cheated death".

The Times’ main story concerns crisis meetings between the police and prosecutors following the liquid bomb trial. The jury's indecision is expected to lead to a re-examination of the public's perception of the current extremist threats to the country.

The Guardian reports calls for a relaxing of airport security after evidence linking the group to planned attacks on transatlantic airliners proved inconclusive.

The Independent quotes Abdulla Ali, one of three men convicted at the trial, from a video predicting death and destruction, made amid plans to bring terror to Heathrow Terminal 3.

Metro says the convicted extremists wanted to cause "unprecedented" carnage at a number of British landmarks.

Daily Express reports fears that environmental plans being drawn up by the Government could end up forcing gardeners to apply for planning permission to make changes in their garden.

The Daily Mail reports the court case surrounding the tragic death of a four-year-old with cerebral palsy who was allegedly drowned in the bath by her own mother.

The Financial Times says the US government's takeover of home loan giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has gone down well with investors.

And elsewhere…

The BBC reports that President Bush is set to announce plans to withdraw about 8,000 troops from Iraq by February and to send additional forces to Afghanistan. Mr Bush will say in a speech later today that the improving security situation in Iraq will allow a "quiet surge" of troops in Afghanistan in coming months. There are currently 146,000 US troops in Iraq and 33,000 in Afghanistan.

Afghan Daily says that two videos showing the bodies of at least 10 children and many more adults covered in blankets appear to contradict a US military investigation that found only seven civilians were killed in a US-led raid last month.

Georgia Times quotes President Mikhail Saakashvili saying any ceasefire settlement with Russia must respect Georgia's territorial integrity.

Pravda says the deal envisages the withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia's heartland within a month but excludes the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The Washington Post reports that the US has suspended a civilian nuclear accord with Russia. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the current environment wasn't right for the agreement. The statement did not mention the war last month between Moscow and Tbilisi over the Georgian breakaway region of South Ossetia.

Nueva Cuba says hurricane Ike roared across Cuba, blowing buildings to rubble and sending waves surging over homes. More than 900,000 Cubans evacuated from its path, which forecasters said could take it to Louisiana or Texas later this week.

Angola's state news agency Angop says the opposition party UNITA has acknowledged defeat in last week's parliamentary election.

Las Vegas Sun says the judge trying OJ Simpson over kidnapping and armed robbery today warned prospective jurors against trying to punish the former American football star over the death of his wife. Simpson was cleared of murdering his wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend, Ronald Goldman, in the so-called “trial of the century” 13 years ago.

USA Today reports that a mother who killed her month-old baby daughter by burning her in a microwave was sentenced to life in prison. The 28-year-old woman intentionally put her baby in the microwave after a row with her boyfriend in 2005 over whether he was the biological father.

Le Parisien says a 59-year-old unidentified woman in France has given birth to triplets – two boys and a girl – after going to another un-named country to get donated eggs. The babies weigh between 2.09 and 2.4 kilograms. French law concerning egg donation excludes women over 42 from access to the procedure.