Malta and international press digest

The following are the top stories in today’s Press:

The Sunday Times says the inquiry into the disappearance of the fishing boat Simshar is continuing and the inquiring Magistrate is to interview sole survivor Simon Bugeja once more. It also carries a picture of President Eddie Fenech Adami, who turned 75 yesterday.

The Malta Independent on Sunday pictures Chiara upon her third victory at the Malta Eurosong contest last night. It also reports that a Mepa lawyer has called for an investigation into the Ulysses Lodge appeal fees. In a third story, it says that an explosion in 1980 at the Bologna railway station has been linked to Italy’s obligations to Nato to defend Malta.

MaltaToday says the Prime Minister has decided that Richard Cachia Caruana will become the next EU Commissioner nominated by Malta, while Simon Busuttil, currently an MEP, will become Malta’s permanent representative to the EU. It also says that according to a survey, 50% of drivers suffered a puncture last week because of the poor state of the roads

KullHadd says the Gozo public registry is moving to hotel. It also says an ADT employee was given a €35,0000 golden handshake despite incompetence.

Illum says that over the past two years, 53 requests were made for investigation of local councils with allegations on spending, contract awards and nepotism, among others.

Il-Mument features Chiara’s win at the Malta Eurosong contest. It also reports on extensive promotion for SmartCity.

It-Torca reports that a prisoner was treated inhumanely at the prisons YOURS section by being left in his cell in his underpants after a fight with another inmate.

The Press in Britain…

The Sunday Mirror speaks exclusively with the mother of Jade Goody on the reality TV star's battle with cancer.

Jade also features on the front page of the News of the World which leads with football fixing after Premier League players were accused of picking up suspensions deliberately in order to miss matches.

Paul Gascoigne's daughter is pictured on the front of the Daily Star Sunday after an alleged heavy drinking session.

According to the Sunday Express, after being sacked by the BBC for describing a tennis player as resembling a 'golliwog', Margaret Thatcher's daughter Carol has been sent death threats.

The Mail on Sunday says the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has claimed £116,000 in Commons expenses for a 'second home' while effectively lodging with her sister. The paper also features Peaches Geldorf, who is to divorce after six months’ of marriage.

The Sunday Telegraph claims the Royal Bank of Scotland is proposing to pay close to £1bn in bonuses to its staff, just months after it was rescued by a £20bn taxpayer bailout.

The Sunday People leads with the story of a three-month-old baby boy who was mauled to death by family pet dogs.

The Independent on Sunday also leads with the bonuses row, accusing the government of mis-handling the affair.

And elsewhere…

Suddeutsche Zeitung quotes US Vice President Joe Biden promising a "new tone" in Washington's foreign policy. Speaking at the annual Munich Security Conference, Biden said the US would seek a stronger unilateral approach but at the same time demand greater commitment from its partners and NATO allies.

Gazete Ankara reports Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called on the international community to send more humanitarian aid to Gaza. Speaking during a visit to Turkey, Abbas said that more support was urgently required in the war-torn enclave as current aid shipments were only meeting one-fifth of the actual need.

Melbourne Observer says bushfires in southeastern Australia have killed at least 25 people. Police expect the number to rise above 40 as they pick through the wreckage of homes and vehicles.

Corriere della Sera says that in a race against time, Italy's government is expected to table in parliament early next week a controversial bill to re-connect a life-support system to a comatose woman, Eluana Englaro, at the canter of a right-to-death debate. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi on Friday announced the government would press forward with a law after Italian President Giorgio Napolitano refused to sign a government decree overturning a court order allowing the termination of Englaro's life.

Madagascar Tribune reports that more than 20 people have been killed and 300 others injured after police opened fire on an opposition demonstration in the capital of Madagascar.

Les Echos reports that a classic Bugatti car, which gathered dust in a Tyneside garage for half a century, has been sold for €3.4 million at an auction in Paris. Bonhams had listed it as a "motoring icon" with an engine that has not been fired up for 50 years. Only 17 were built.

New Strait Times says a pair of Malaysian identical twin brothers have escaped hanging for drug trafficking as a court failed to decide which brother was the criminal, and cleared both.