Malta and international press digest

The following are the leading stories in the Maltese press:

The Times says the Bill on rent reform has started being debated in Parliament. It also reports from Brussels, where proposals to compromise with the Republic of Ireland ahead of the holding of a second referendum on the Lisbon Treaty top the agenda. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi remained non-committal.

The Malta Independent reports on how former MUMN council members are circulating a petition calling for an extraordinary general meeting. It also reports the arrival of the ‘Light of Peace’ from Bethlehem.

l-orizzont leads with the appeal by a number of trade unions including the GWU for the government to reconsider the electricity tariffs.

In-Nazzjon says the Prime Minister has had a meeting with EU Commission President Jose' Manuel Barroso. It also reports Social Policy Minister John Dalli calling for constructive debate on rent reform.

The Press in Britain…

According to the Daily Express, the pound has slumped to just €1.07, confirming Britain's slide into recession.

The Daily Mail also reports on the slump in value of the pound and warns readers that foreign holidays will now be more expensive.

The Times also reports on the fact that the pound is now almost on parity with the euro, raising fresh concerns about the state of the British economy.

The Financial Times reports unions representing steelworkers have offered to take a 10 per cent pay cut across Corus's entire UK workforce to stop a large factory in Wales from closing.

The Daily Telegraph reports a coalition of MPs is calling on the government to give nine million pensioners tax cuts on their savings and investments because OAPs' nest eggs have dwindled in the credit crunch.

The Independent reports on the decision by Woolworths to launch a final closing down sale after the high street chain went into administration. Some 25,000 jobs at the retailer's 813-strong-chain are under threat.

The Scotsman says SNP ministers have revealed scaled down plans to replace the Forth Road Bridge.

The Herald reports on a massive package of road and rail improvements costing £25 billion that has been hailed as Scotland's 'most ambitious' transport plan ever.

According to the Daily Mirror, a report by Education watchdog Ofsted reveals 210 children died in the last year after being abused in the same way as Baby P.

Daily Star says that based on current projections, almost 13 million men and women, or one in three adults, will be obese by 2012.

And elsewhere…

Athens Post quotes Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis pledging to protect Greek citizens and offering compensation for businesses damaged in five days of rioting.

Pakistan Observer confirms the arrest of two men wanted by India in connection with last month's terrorist attacks in Mumbai. Prime Minister Gilani told reporters in Islamabad the two men were in Pakistani custody and undergoing interrogation. He repeated, however, that Pakistan would not hand over any suspects to India.

The Washington Post says US Congressional leaders have struck a deal on a $15-billion bail-out for the so-called "Big Three" US car makers - General Motors, Ford and Chrysler.

Accra Daily Mail quotes Ghana's electoral commission announcing the presidential election is headed for a second round run-off, with neither of the front runners securing an outright victory.

East African Standard says talks in Nairobi to end the conflict in eastern Congo are being delayed because rebel negotiators lack the authority to make decisions. UN envoy Olusegun Obasanjo said however that the talks had not collapsed.

The New York Times says the UN Security Council will meet next week to discuss further action against Robert Mugabe's regime in Zimbabwe.

Meanwhile, La Tribune de Geneve quotes the World Health Organization saying a total of 774 people have now died in the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe, 200 more than an estimate released on Tuesday. Nearly 16,000 people are thought to be suffering from the disease.

Adevarul says Romanian President Traian Basescu has named the Liberal Democrat leader, Theodor Stolojan, as the country's new prime minister.

Helsinki Sanomat leads with the ceremony in which Finland's former president, Martti Ahtisaari, has received the Nobel Peace Prize for his three decades of work mediating conflicts. In his acceptance speech Ahtisaari called for greater efforts to resolve the Middle East conflict.

Used oil from electrical transformers may have caused the dioxin contamination in animal feed that has led to an international recall of Irish pork and beef products. The Irish Times reports that waste oil originating in Northern Ireland had not been stored and destroyed, but may have been mixed into animal feed to dispose of it.