Malta and international press digest

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

The Times says the rift between the Confederation of Malta Trade Unions (CMTU) and the Malta Union of Teachers (MUT) has widened. The CMTU has welcomed the revised power tariff system but the MUT, an affiliate of the CMTU, said the government proposal is not clear enough.

The Malta Independent says the MUT has expressed no confidence in the CMTU leadership. It also says that according to estimates of the World Health Organisation, 13,000 Maltese are infected with sexual diseases every year.

In-Nazzjon says the privatisation of the gas division means the new company, Gasco, will introduce new products and services. It also reports that the MLP has promoted reporter Charlon Gouder to media executive

l-orizzont reports how a court has ordered the government to reimburse a man who was refused free medical treatment abroad but still went ahead after making his own arrangements.

The Press in Britain…

The newspaper front pages are dominated by coverage of the terrorist attacks in Mumbai as Indian commandos killed the last three gunmen at the landmark Taj Mahal hotelin a bid to rid India’s financial capital of terrorists responsible for at least 125 people dead.

The Daily Express leads with the story of British shipping tycoon Andreas Liveras, who was killed in the massacre as survivors relived the terrifying moments.

The Independent carries a quotation from Briton Andreas Liveras, who gave an eyewitness account of his terror ordeal to British media moments before being killed.

The Times muses upon Pakistani involvement in the terror attacks, reporting on Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's comments that India's neighbours were involved.

The Guardian prints a graphic photograph of a bloodied victim of the attacks, as it records eyewitness accounts of panic in one of the city's targeted hotels.

The Daily Telegraph says hundreds of Britons were still trapped in two luxury hotels in Mumbai last night as Indian commandos battled to free hostages.

The Financial Times says Eurozone official interest rates are almost certain to be slashed again next week by at least 0.5 per cent.

The Daily Mail leads on the arrest of Tory immigration shadow minister Damian Green, who was held for nine hours in custody answering questions about leaks of politically sensitive information from the Home Office.

The Daily Mirror reports that celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay chose a live cooking demonstration as the forum to announce that he did not have an extramarital affair.

And elsewhere…

EU Observer reports that the European Union is planning to admit as many as 10,000 Iraqis for permanent settlement. Member states would take in particularly vulnerable refugees currently living in camps in Syria and Jordan. These include people with special medical needs, trauma or torture victims and members of religious minorities.

The International Herald Tribune says the upper chamber of the Czech parliament has approved a bilateral agreement signed with Washington on stationing a US radar base in the Czech Republic.

Bangkok Post leads with the Thai prime minister’s declaration of a state of emergency at Bangkok's main airports, in an effort to clear them of protesters. The People's Alliance for Democracy protest movement seized control of the airports in an effort to force Somchai Wongsawat’s government to hold new elections.

Chumhuriyet reports Turkish MEPs have condemned their country’s administration for cyber censorship - and for being the only country in the world which bans YouTube.

De Standaard reports that an EU-wide missing child alert system is likely to come a step closer at talks in Brussels this week. EU justice ministers are today due to approve plans for closer co- operation between national authorities when a child is abducted. The issue was highlighted after the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in Portugal last year, and the alert idea has been championed by her parents.

Aftenposten says that a new national screening strategy by Denmark has halved the number of infants born with Down's Syndrome. According to new research, the move has increased the number of infants diagnosed before birth by 30 per cent.

Japan’s Yomiuri quotes Prime Minister Taro Aso saying elderly Japanese were a drain on the state. His comments came during a discussion of the nation’s social welfare system and medical care – topics of great concern for Japan, a rapidly ageing nation where growing medical and pension expenses are critical issues. He later apologized for his comment.

USA Today announces the death of Edna Parker, the world’s oldest person at the age of 115 and 220 days. Mrs Parker had been a widow since her husband, Earl, died in 1939 of a heart attack.