Malta and international press digest

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

The Times says the Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses has suspended industrial action as talks start with Social Policy Ministry John Dalli. It also reports that there is a dispute within the CMTU over an MUT proposal for the formation of a trades union council. The MUT, a member of the CMTU, did not turn up for a CMTU meeting to present its proposal.

In-Nazzjon highlights the first anniversary of the migration of services to Mater Dei Hospital, saying patients are receiving a better service.

On the same story, The Malta Independent says an average of 114 more operations per month have been performed at Mater Dei in the past year than at St Luke’s Hospital.

In-Nazzjon also reports comments by the Prime Minister that MEPA reform is linked to other reforms, particularly the revision of the rent laws.

l-orizzont reports Dr Gonzi saying that all illegal building will be removed. The newspaper also quotes Dr Marie-Rose Cassar claiming that in a year there had only been half a dozen complaints at Mater Dei Hospital.

The Press in Britain…

Daily Star announces that petrol prices in the UK are set to tumble by more than 10p a litre. The Sun says a terrorist involved in a plot to bomb London was taught how to be a stand-up comic at his prison.

According to the Daily Mirror, Guy Ritchie was celebrating ahead of his divorce from Madonna today.

The Daily Express quotes immigration officials saying less than a third of foreign criminals released have been deported.

The Daily Mail reports Chancellor of the Exchequer Alistair Darling is so exasperated by the "moral failure" of banks to help small firms and families that he is poised to toughen the law.

The Times says more than one in five homes on the market are there as their owners cannot afford the mortgage repayments.

Research quoted by The Daily Telegraph shows tens of thousands of civil servants are being recruited despite the economic crisis and the poor state of public finances.

The Guardian quotes experts forecasting that the world is entering an unstable and unpredictable period in which the US will no longer be able to "call the shots".

The Financial Times reports that annual public borrowing is set to rocket towards £120bn over the next two years - far higher than City forecasts.

And elsewhere…

Wall Street Journal reports that global stock markets have tumbled following news of a sharp rise in jobless figures in the US and worldwide and deepened fears of recession. Meanwhile weak demand has forced the price of oil to drop, selling briefly for under $50 a barrel in London.

Pravda quotes Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin placing the blame for the world economic crisis squarely on the US. He said,“Cheap money doping and mortgage troubles in the United States have caused a real chain reaction, paralysed the global financial system and brought global distrust to the market.”

EU Observer announces that the EU has managed to come to an agreement on controversial reforms to its Common Agricultural Policy.

The Washington Times says a US federal judge has ruled that five Algerians, imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay have been illegally detained and has ordered their release.

Brisbane’ Courrier-Mail says a second series of storms in a week brought death and destruction to Australia’s Queensland. One woman died after being swept away in her car near Brisbane as almost eight inches of rain fell in a few hours. Thousands of homes were without power.

The New York Times says the UN has agreed to boost its forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo by some 3,000 troops, from 17,000 to 20,000. The reinforcement is intended to help prevent a new war in Congo's east.

Istanbul’s Daily News reports that Turkey’s social services have called for the Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson to be prosecuted for secretly filming orphanages in the country. The duchess secretly filmed images showed children tied to their beds or left in cribs at an orphanage near the capital city of Ankara. The government has accused the duchess of smearing Turkey’s image.

Athens News says archaeologists have discovered the ruins of a 6,500-year-old farming settlement in central Greece. The finds include remains of houses built of wood and unbaked clay, together with pottery vases, ovens and stone tools. The Neolithic-era finds were discovered during work to lay a gas pipe.

Gazeta Polska quotes Polish and Swedish scientists saying they have identified remains found in 2005 as those of Nicolas Copernicus who is considered to be the father of modern astronomy.

Helsinki Sanomat says the world's biggest ever cruise ship will feel the sea underneath her for the first time when the milestone float-out ceremony takes place later today. The 220,000-tonne leviathan called “Oasis of the Seas” is being built in Finland. The 1,187ft-long vessel, which can carry 6,296 passengers, is 40% bigger than any other cruise ship afloat.

Aftonbladet reports that a Swedish woman gave birth to a girl 33,000ft over Kazakhstan on a Finnair flight from Bangkok to Helsinki. Mother and baby are doing fine in a Helsinki hospital.

Brazil’s O Globo quotes Sao Paulo research suggesting pregnant women who regularly take aquarobics classes are far less likely to need pain relief during labour.