Local and International press digest

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

The Sunday Times quotes Frontex chief Illika Laitinen admitting that anti-immigration patrols in the centre of the Mediterranean were not reaping the desired results and were failing to prevent an increase in clandestine migrants reaching Italy, Malta and Greece by sea. It also carries an interview with former Labour Minister Lino Spiteri, who admits to having been ‘an idiot’ for not having resigned when Alfred Sant committed the MLP to removing VAT, without consulting him as finance spokesman.

The Malta Independent on Sunday reports that a “giant step” has been taken towards the first offshore oil well in Malta after Mediterranean Oil & Gas was granted an exploration licence.

Malta Today notes that the MLP yesterday held a celebration at Charles (Caqnu) Polidano’s wine vaults to mark Labour leader Joseph Muscat’s entry to Parliament. It says Polidano “is no longer the Opposition’s persona non grata”.

Il-Mument focuses on the PN’s mass meeting as part of the Independence Anniversary celebrations and quotes Prime Minister and party leader Lawrence Gonzi saying that Malta has the largest-ever number of men, women and aged in employment.

Illum leads with the case of four Gozitans charged in court in connection with the rape of a 15-year-old girl, two of whom are brothers of Parliamentary Secretary Chris Said. It says that the junior minister immediately informed the prime minister after learning of their arrest in a bid to pre-empt a potentially-embarrassing situation for the government. He is keeping his distance from the case.

it-torċa leads with the news that Labour MP Joseph Cuschieri will be relinquishing his parliamentary seat to Labour leader Joseph Muscat who will be appointed Leader of the Opposition later in the week.

KullĦadd carries the same story. In a second lead, the paper claims that the trouble leading to last Tuesday’s murder started when the victim, Martin Scicluna, was caught by his wife having an affair with a Russian and the alleged misappropriation of some €200,000 of company funds.

The Press in Britain…

The Observer reports that a poll suggests Prime Minister Gordon Brown is set to lead Labour into an "election bloodbath" that could take the party a decade to recover.

But The Sunday Telegraph highlights that Brown is launching his political fightback with an ambitious pledge to provide free nursery places for every two-year-old.

The News of the World claims the economic meltdown will cost the British government a crippling £142bn over the next three years.

The Mail on Sunday says City watchdogs are to probe how speculators made £190m from Bank of Scotland (HBOS) shares in a frenzied two minutes of trading before news of its rescue.

The Sunday Mirror claims Newcastle football club owner Mike Ashley has lost £300m betting on HBOS shares to go up.

The Sunday Times says leading economists have warned that taxpayers in Britain face up to 5p in the pound in extra taxes because of the credit crunch.

The Sunday Express reports that shoppers have been out in force amid renewed hope after the stock market's dramatic recovery.

The Daily Star Sunday leads on the former lover of socialite Paris Hilton, former Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, being seriously wounded in a plane crash that killed four people.

And elsewhere…

Dawn reports that President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan has pledged to eliminate terrorism in his country after a suicide truck bomber killed at least 40 people at the Marriot Hotel in Islamabad.

Le Monde reports that the European Union, the US, Britain and the United Nations all condemned the attack. A statement from the EU Presidency, currently held by France, said the EU will "more than ever stand side by side" with Pakistan in its struggle against terrorism.

South Africa’s Globe and Mail leads with President Thabo Mbeki’s agreement to resign after his African National Congress party asked him to leave office. Last week a High Court dismissed graft charges against ANC leader Jacob Zuma and suggested Mbeki may have conspired to push corruption charges against his long-time rival.

Die Tageszeitung estimates over 5,000 people have participated in peaceful rallies in Berlin and Stuttgart to protest Germany's military role in Afghanistan

Switzerland’s Sonntag Zeitung says the huge particle-smashing machine built to simulate the conditions of the "Big Bang" has malfunctioned and is to be shut down for at least two months. Scientists from the European Organisation for Nuclear Research said a helium leak in the tunnel of the Large Hadron Collider was the problem.

Christian Science Monitor reports that a former US Army Special Forces commander, passed over for a job because he was going through a sex change, has won a discrimination case.

The New Tork Times quotes the head of the UN humanitarian agency saying nearly 17 million people in the Horn of Africa urgently need food, up from nine million in early 2008.