Malta and international press digest

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

The Times leads with Malta’s offer to host the European Asylum Support Office

The Malta Independent says projections of a dip in tourism arrivals in January have now come true.

l-orizzont says inflation in Malta is highest in the EU. It also says 11 trade unions will hold a rally against the utility tariffs today

In-Nazzjon leads with comments by Finance Minister Tonio Fenech that Malta must recognize the opportunities, and not just the difficulties, caused by the international recessions. It also reports that the majority of Danes now back adopting the euro.

The Press in Britain

The refusal by Sir Fred Goodwin, former Royal Bank of Scotland Chief Executive Officer, to give up any of his £693,000-a-year pension from the bank makes the front page of seven major national UK dailies.

The Daily Telegraph says that in a letter to Lord Myners, Sir Fred claimed the Treasury Minister was aware of the details of his entitlement at the time of his departure.

The Independent quotes Sir Fred saying he’s keeping the money, even if Lord Myners branded the £16.6 million pension pot "unacceptable".

The Daily Mail says Sir Fred has no intention of handing back any of the cash.

The Daily Express criticises the failed boss, amid news of his former bank's multi-billion pound losses.

The Financial Times leads with the government's injection of funds into the bank which has posted a 2008 loss of over £24 billion – the largest in British corporate history.

The Daily Star leads with tributes to the late British Eastenders and Mind Your Language favourite Wendy Richard, who at 65 has lost her battle with cancer.

The Sun sees the Eastenders’ star off in its inimitable style, including a personal farewell from Jade Goody.

The Daily Record says a lesbian couple has won its battle to get help from their local health authority, NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, to have a baby.

And elsewhere…

Al-Ahram announces that rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas have agreed to set up a new unity government by the end of March.

Al Jazeera quotes Lebanese army officials saying six Israeli warplanes violated the country's airspace by flying for an hour over the border village Kfar Kila.

The International Herald Tribune reports that a UN tribunal has acquitted former Serbian president Milan Milutinovic of war crimes in Kosovo in 1999.

The Washington Post says US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to hold regular three-nation talks aimed at plotting a new strategy to fight the threat of Islamist extremists.

USA Today reports that Britain's government has for the first time admitted direct involvement in the controversial US programme of extraordinary rendition.

The Washington Times says President Obama has unveiled a draft budget in excess of $3.5 trillion. It outlines aggressive plans to boost the recession-hit US economy and overhaul the health care system.

Aftenbladett reports that Iceland has passed a law which will effectively force Central Bank chief David Oddsson from office.

The Catholic Herald says a Roman Catholic bishop who caused an uproar by denying the scale of the Holocaust has apologised for his remarks in a letter to the Vatican.

Berliner Morgenpost quotes a report published by Human Rights Watch that the law banning female teachers from wearing the Islamic headscarf in parts of Germany violated the rights of Muslim women.

Christian Science Monitor says a national US civil rights organisation is planning protests in dozens of US cities over the New York Post cartoon that critics say likened a violent chimpanzee to President Barack Obama.

The Irish Independent says a rare, fine copy of the Action comic book that launched Superman as the first superhero is up for auction. The bidding starts at €782,764.