Malta and international press digest

The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.

The local newspapers are dominated by the unions’ protest against the utility tariffs.

The Times says the trade unions will join forces in a historic protest against the tariffs on Friday.

The Malta Independent says the unions will rally together in a historic event. It also reports that a new phase of the Mosta distribution centre has been opened in Mosta, a move which should lead to better management of power distribution losses.

Malta Today Midweek leads with the unions’ alliance against the tariffs. It also reports that the MLP will raise the issue of refunds on VAT paid on car registration tax with the European Commission.

l-orizzont says the GWU has managed to bring the unions together to protest against the water and electricity tariffs.

In-Nazzjon says the unions will hold a manifestation together on Friday. It also reports that half a million passengers have arrived on cruise ships so far this year.

The Press in Britain…

Most newspapers lead with the tragic case of a 17-month-old baby boy who died after suffering more than 50 injuries at the hands of his mother, her boyfriend and another man. The Guardian says the case has lead to an urgent review of child protection procedures while Metro reports that social workers missed more than 60 chances over eight months to remove the baby from the abuse he was suffering at home.

The Daily Mail has an interview with a 13-year-old leukaemia sufferer who has decided not to have a potentially life-saving heart transplant as she wants to spend her days at home, even if it means her life may be shorter.

The Times has a picture of Barack Obama embracing Iraq war veteran Major Tammy Duckworth - mentioned as a possible successor to Mr Obama as Senator for Illinois.

The Telegraph reports that borrowers taking out tracker mortgages are paying the highest rates in more than seven years.

The Independent dedicates its front page to a special report on the recession, looking at the small sequences of events across Britain that are leading to an alarming loss of jobs.

The Financial Times says some Barclays shareholders have threatened to vote against the bank's planned £7bn capital injection, after complaining they were not consulted over the terms.

The Daily Express reports Employment Minister Tony McNulty admitted that soaring Treasury borrowing may need to be funded by taxation.

And elsewhere…

The Wall Street Journal reports that the World Bank is planning to triple its financial aid to developing countries this year to 35 billion dollars due to the global financial crisis.

The New York Times says the UN has accused government forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo of a persistent wave of looting, rape and brutality against civilians in several eastern towns.

The International Herald Tribune reports world-wide cereomonies have been held to mark the 90th anniversary of the end of World War I. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Britain's Prince Charles laid a wreath near the French city of Verdun to pay tribute to the millions who died during the four-year conflict.

Kigali’s New Times says Rwanda is expelling the Germany ambassador and recalling its own ambassador from Berlin over a row that was sparked by the arrest of a top Rwandan official suspected of being involved in the 1994 genocide of up to 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Christian Science Monitor reports that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has invited Saudi King Abdullah and Israeli President Shimon Peres to attend a dinner in New York.

Asia Observer says Indonesia has launched a new high-tech tsunami warning system, aimed at preventing a repeat of the 2004 Asian tsunami which killed around 170,000 people.

Irrawady quotes relatives of Burmese activists who were arrested during anti-regime protests last year saying 23 of them have each been jailed for 65 years.

Al-Ahram says a new 4,300-year-old pyramid has been discovered in the Egyptian region of Saqqara. The pyramid – the 118th discovered so far in Egypt – belongs to Queen Sesheshet, the mother of King Teti who was the founder of the 6th Dynasty of Egypt’s Old Kingdom.

The Jerusalem Post reports that one of Tony Blair’s guards accidentally fired his gun in Israel’s Ben-Gurion International Airport as the former British prime minister was boarding a plane. The incident happened as the guard was unloading his gun prior to getting on the flight. Mr Blair is the envoy of the Quartet of Middle East peacemakers – the US, UN, EU and Russia.

Asia Times says researchers in Japan have found that getting too little sleep can dramatically increase the risk of potentially fatal heart conditions in people with high blood pressure

USA Today reports that 56-year-old Ohio woman who gave birth to her own triplet granddaughters said she was hopeful that one of the girls will be home from the hospital by Saturday. Jaci Dalenberg carried the children as a surrogate for her daughter, Kim Coseno, gave birth to two identical twins and their sister by caesarean section last month. They were more than two months premature and each weighed less than three pounds.