Malta and international press digest

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

The Times says Malta and the European Commission still have to iron out disagreements on a draft tender document for the privatisation of Malta Shipyards.

The Malta Independent leads with a call by Opposition leader Joseph Muscat for the government to cut taxes. The Prime Minister, in a reply during a discussion on ‘Xarabank’ ,pointed out that the government cut taxes in the last two budgets.

In-Nazzjon’s focus is on the opening of the PN general council yesterday. It included a speech by PN Deputy Leader Tonio Borg on how the party always rose to the challenges facing the country. It also reports that an offshore windfarm has been earmarked for Sikka l-Bajda.

l-orizzont says international oil prices have dropped by 50% in three months. It also carries comments from the Farsons CEO that the company cannot take more shocks, a reference to proposed new higher utility tariffs.

The Press in Britain…

The Guardian says financial workers on Wall Street will be given $70bn (€52bn) in payouts for their work this year - despite the current global financial meltdown.

New figures quoted by The Independent show City bankers have not lost a penny of their multi-million pound bonus packages despite the recent economic turmoil.

According to the Daily Express, the Queen has lost up to £37m (€47.5m) in just a few weeks as a result of the global turmoil in the financial markets,.

The Financial Times says Chancellor Darling is drawing up plans to fast-track billions of pounds of public spending on building projects.

The Times says strict limits are to be imposed on immigration amid fears that unemployment rises in the current financial climate will fuel racial tension

The Evening Standard says British police have shut down a website that allowed fraudsters around the world to trade in stolen credit card details and find out about the latest online scams. Some 60 people had been arrested worldwide.

The Daily Telegraph reports traders who sell food using imperial measures are to escape prosecution after the Government backed down.

The Daily Mirror continues giving the Madonna-Guy Ritchie divorce the front page treatment. It says Ritchie's father has branded Madge as 'beastly' for a public attack on his son.

And elsewhere…

The New York Times quotes UN climate chief Yvo de Boer expressing concern that the European Union might miss its deadline on a policy of emissions cuts.

The Washington Times says President Bush has defended his government's policy to tackle the financial crisis.

Börzen-Zeitung reports President Horst Köhler has signed into law a €480-billion rescue package for the German banking industry, just hours after both houses of parliament approved the move.

The New York Times says the United Nations General Assembly has chosen five new members to join the Security Council. Japan, Turkey, Austria, Mexico and Uganda won non-permanent seats for the duration of two years. They are replacing Belgium, Indonesia, Italy, Panama and South Africa.

USA Today reports US officials saying North Korea has stepped up disablement of a nuclear reactor it had been threatening to reactivate.

The People’s Daily says China is easing restrictions for foreign journalists.

Chumhuriet reports that Turkish warplanes have bombed rebel Kurdish bases in the Qandil mountains inside northern Iraq.

Nature quotes a new climate change report showing Arctic temperatures are at a record five degrees Celsius warmer than they should be for autumn.

The New York Post quotes the UN refugee agency saying it expects the number of people claiming asylum in industrialised countries to rise by 10 percent to 360,000 this year.

According to Zimbabwe Independent four days of "intense" negotiations have failed to break the deadlock in power-sharing talks as Morgan Tsvangirai and President Mugabe failed to agree on the allocation of key ministries.