Malta and international press digest

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

The Times leads with the arrival of the first consignment of Herceptin, which will be administered in state hospitals for certain conditions of breast cancer.

The news also features in MaltaToday Midweek. It also reports that there are heaters for dogs but not for people at a detention centre.

The Malta Independent quotes Finance Minister Tonio Fenech saying the financial crunch has made Maltese financial services more attractive, showing the efficiency of the regulator.

In-Nazzjon leads with the price reductions in company registration fees for SMEs, announced yesterday by Mr Fenech. It also reports on a ‘message of courage’ from the main victim of last Saturday’s shooting in Mqabba.

l-orizzont greets the refunds to be given to petrol station owners following the fuels price drop. It asks, however, whether other sectors will be compensated too. It also reports that the Director of Labour has been asked to intervene over the dismissal of 148 dockyard workers. The GWU is insisting that foreign workers should have been dismissed first.

The local newspapers will not be published tomorrow and on Boxing Day.

The Press in Britain…

The Daily Telegraph reports that the recession hitting Britain will be worse than first thought.

According to the Daily Express, experts are predicting energy bills will be slashed by up to 30 per cent next year.

The Financial Times reports that the City watchdog has handed out a record number of fines this year as it cracks down on consumer issues.

As the rail network prepares for a 58-hour shutdown over Christmas, The Independent reports the rail industry, the government and regulators locked horns over who is to blame.

The Times says children who suffered abuse from their parents have been given the green light to sue councils for damages.

The Daily Mail pictures two-year-old Oliver Taplin at home with his mother after a battle against illness since he was born..

The Sun pictures British soldiers in Afghanistan defending themselves against the Taliban as their carol concert comes under fire.

And elsewhere…

Pravda quotes Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin predicting the world financial crisis and rising costs mean the price of natural gas is going to rise. His comments came as gas exporting states finalised the creation of a new forum aimed at coordinating gas policy. The 14-nation group is to be based in Doha, Qatar.

Az-Zaman says the Iraqi parliament has voted to allow the presence of non-US foreign troops after December 31. The move allows some 4,100 British forces and other non-US foreign troops to remain beyond the expiration of a United Nations' mandate at the end of the year. US soldiers, who are 95 percent of foreign troops in Iraq, will remain in the country until the end of 2011.

According to Le Jour, confusion remains in the West African state of Guinea after a purported coup following the death of President Lansana Conte

O Globo leads with the signing of military contracts in Rio de Janiero between Brazil and France worth €8.6 billion. Brazil is to receive 50 military transport helicopters and five submarines from France in the deal that also includes the transfer of technology for Brazil to develop its own arms industry.

The International Herald Tribune says the Pope has unleashed angry reactions from homosexuals and gay rights activists after saying that saving humanity from homosexual or transsexual behaviour was just as important as protecting tropical forests. Gay campaigners in Europe regarded the comments as an attack against homosexuals, calling them irresponsible and promoting hate against homosexuals.

The New York Times quotes UN Children Fund's representative in Zimbabwe saying the death from cholera has risen to nearly 1,200. Roland Monasch said 23,000 cholera cases had now been reported in all the 10 Zimbabwean provinces.

Meanwhile, the pro-government Herald quotes President Mugabe dismissing calls by Britain and the US for him to step down as "stupid". He said only Zimbabweans could make such a decision.

Straits Times reported dozens of people were trapped hundreds of feet in the air for hours after fire broke out in the control room of the world's tallest observation wheel in Sngapore. During the six-hour ordeal, passengers were brought food and drink by rescuers tethered to harnesses. Some were eventually lowered to safety by rope. The 541ft Singapore Flyer, which has carried two million passengers, is about 100ft taller than the London Eye.

China Times reports the arrival in Taiwan of a pair of giant pandas as a "goodwill" gift from China in the latest move symbolising warming ties between the rivals.

The Jerusalem Post says the military has been carrying out an exercise preparing a new set of towns for rocket strikes by Gaza militants.

The New York Times has admitted it published a fake letter allegedly from the mayor of Paris criticising Caroline Kennedy's bid for a Senate seat.