Malta and international press digest

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

All the newspapers carry front page reports on the autopsy on the body of a 16-year-old boy which was found to have drowned in Grand Harbour.

In other stories, The Times quotes a senior AFM officer saying the large migrants’ boats which arrived in Malta over the past few weeks may have been heading for Sicily, avoiding Lampedusa because of problems for the migrants there.

The Malta Independent continues its focus on the controversy over the eco-contribution on plastic bags. It quotes a plastic bags importer as asking who is running the country, the government or the GRTU?

l-orizzont says court documents on the kidnapping of young Nicole Satariano have disappeared from Moldova. Satariano was taken to that country by her mother. The newspaper also reports the funeral of former GWU general secretary Gorg Agius.

In-Nazzjon quotes the Director-General of the Malta Employers’ Association, Joe Farrugia, saying that Malta may not be severely hit by recession.

The Press in Britain

Ulster News leads with the news that a policeman has died after he and a fellow officer were ambushed by gunmen in Northern Ireland, heightening tensions in the province after the Real IRA murder of two British troops in Antrim on Saturday.

The Daily Telegraph says the Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams is accused of “playing politics” with the murder of the two soldiers killed in Northern Ireland.

Like the Telegraph, the front page of the Daily Mail is dedicated to a picture of Mark Quinsey, one of the shot soldiers, who it says was never given the chance to show his dedication to others.

The Daily Mirror also runs with the story of the soldiers killed in Northern Ireland, under the headline "Our Brave Boys". Police have said the attack was captured on CCTV.

The Independent leads with a story of a nation divided by the recession. It compares young, affluent households to struggling pensioners.

The Guardian says Britain has been condemned in a UN report for breaching basic human rights and "trying to conceal illegal acts" in the fight against terrorism.

The Daily Star has exclusive pictures of Jade Goody's christening and says her condition has improved since the baptism.

But The Sun says Jade is losing her eyesight in her battle with cancer.

The Daily Express quotes Lord Mandelson suggesting British workers are too lazy to take jobs being snapped up by immigrants.

The Record says more than 100 stars from East Enders past and present cast paid their last respects to Wendy Richard.

The Financial Times warns Barclays will face detailed scrutiny if it dumps toxic assets on the taxpayer.

The Scotsman claims Sir Fred Goodwin was paid nearly £190,000 in the two months after he stepped down as chief executive of Royal Bank of Scotland.

And elsewhere…

Börzen Zeitung reports that the 16 Eurozone countries have rejected US urging to plough more taxpayers’ money into their economies to revive global demand.

The Wall Street Journal says the World Bank predicts a worldwide recession this year for the first time since World War II. The bank added that global trade was heading for its steepest decline in 80 years, and that the impact of the downturn would hit developing countries hardest.

El Mercurio quotes the Prince of Wales saying that tackling climate change should have a higher priority globally than fighting poverty. Speaking in Chile, he stressed that doing nothing about global warming would lead to "environmental refugees and decimated economies".

USA Today leads with President Obama’s official lifting of the ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. He claimed his administration was opening up a “new front” for US science free of political ideology. The s seen as a possible key to treatments for serious diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes.

The Washington Times reports that the United States has called on China to observe international maritime rules after accusing five Chinese ships of harassing an unarmed US Navy ship in international waters in the South China Sea. South China Morning Post quotes the Chinese saying the US navy vessel had been conducting “illegal surveying in China's special economic zone”.

The Zimbabwean quotes Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai saying there was "no foul play" involved in a car accident that killed his wife and left him injured.

Bild says German discount supermarket chain Lidl – known for low-priced groceries – has expanded into new territory by selling cars on its website.

Arab News reports that a Saudi mother who gave birth to a baby boy at Bahrain International Airport has been left in the lurch as Saudi authorities have reportedly declared her marriage illegal, the baby a foreigner and denied her entry. The husband of the 33-year-old woman, an Ethiopian national who works in Qatar, is now trying to acquire a visa for his wife and child from Qatar.

Gulf News says a 75-year-old Saudi widow has been sentenced to 40 lashes and four months in jail for mingling with two young men who were reportedly bringing her bread. Khamisa Sawadi, who is Syrian but was married to a Saudi, was convicted and sentenced last week for meeting with men who were not her immediate relatives. The two men, including one who was Sawadi's late husband's nephew, were also found guilty and sentenced to prison terms and lashes.