Malta and international press digest

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

The Times says that the Home Affairs Ministry official who was on the recipient list of the infamous e-mail sent by Nationalist general secretary Paul Borg Olivier has denied having ever been part of PN’s strategy meetings and said the message was directed to him by mistake.

The Malta Independent quotes Labour leader Joseph Muscat saying former agents of the Security Service were involved in the PN espionage net.

In-Nazzjon leads with yesterday’s fund-raising marathon which raked in €402, 531 for the PN. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi thanked all donors. The party is to cease political activity over the Christmas period, starting today. The newspaper also says that the police are about to make arraignments over corruption in football.

l-orizzont also leads with yesterday’s fatal traffic accident in Birzebbuga. In another story it quotes Dr Muscat saying people involved in the country’s assets were also embroiled in the PN espionage scandal.

The Press in Britain…

The Financial Times quotes the head of the Europe's Central Bank saying European lawmakers must not tear up rule books when launching emergency economic rescue packages.

The Independent reports the plummeting pound will not be propped up by Government intervention.

The Daily Telegraph leads with the chief of Barclays bank's prediction that property prices will fall by 30 per cent from their peak.

The Daily Mail claims it has successfully campaigned for severely-wounded soldiers and says the compensation limit will increase from £285,000 to £570,000.

The Daily Express says millions of people face being struck down by a deadly winter vomiting bug sweeping the country.

The Daily Mirror reveals the BBC is embroiled in another voting fiasco. It says angry viewers have criticised the corporation for refusing to refund the cost of voting on Saturday night's Strictly Come Dancing.

And elsewhere…

The Washington Times leads with President Bush’s surprise visit to Baghdad on a farewell visit to US troops a month before handing over the presidency. There was a minor incident during a press conference when an Iraqi journalist insulted Bush and threw his shoes at the president without hitting him.

The Pakistani Times reports that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has sealed a "pact against terror" between the UK and Pakistan, pledging £6 million (€7 million) to help it tackle extremists.

The Jerusalem Post confirms that Israel is today expected to release 229 Palestinian prisoners, all members of the Fatah movement, as a goodwill gesture to the western-backed government of President Mahmoud Abbas.

Meanwhile, the exiled leader of the militant Palestinian group Hamas says a six-month truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip will not be renewed once it expires next Friday.

Pravda reports that Russian police have arrested some 150 demonstrators who participated in an anti-Kremlin protest organized by Garry Kasparov's opposition movement.

Dhaka Post reports that a British NHS doctor, freed by the courts after being held captive by her family in Bangladesh, is due to land back in Britain this afternoon. Dr Humayra Abedin, 33, from east London, was being held by her parents against her will in Dhaka and was put under pressure to marry.

The International Herald Tribune says that some 22 million toys were withdrawn from shops worldwide during a five-year period over safety fears. The figure was disclosed in a report examining EU proposals to boost safety regulations for toys.

According to Al Ahram, a bus travelling along a narrow road in southern Egypt plunged into an irrigation canal as it swerved to avoid an oncoming pickup truck, killing 53 people.

Alaska Daily quotes governor Sarah Palin saying an arson attack on her church could have been linked to her failed Republican vice-presidential campaign. No-one was injured in the fire but damage to the Wasilla Bible Church was estimated at a million dollars (€750,000).

South Africa’s Mail & Guardian quotes Russian student Kseniya Sukhinova saying she was "excited" after being crowned the 58th Miss World from 108 contestants in a two-hour competition in Johannesburg. Second was Indian Parvathay Omanakuttan and third Gabrielle Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago.

Arab Business reveals that the 50 world richest Arabs have lost some $25 billion in the global finacial crisis. Saudi Prince Walid Ben Talal lost $4 billion and saw his fortunesfall to $17.08 billion. Notwithstanding, the prince still leads the table of the richest peole in the Gulf.