Malta and international press digest

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

The Times says the police are investigating Freddie Fenech, founder of the Abandoned Animals Association, after his helpers made allegations of repeated misappropriation of funds that run into thousands of euros. Mr Fenech has denied every accusation levelled against him.

The Malta Independent says economic growth dipped in the fourth quarter of last year. It also reports that 447 persons were reported missing last year, most of whom were later found.

MaltaToday asks if Malta is losing its religion.

l-orizzont continues to highlight the controversy over union recognition as representative of the port workers.

In-Nazzjon says the Maltese in l-Aquila, the earthquake-hit city in Italy, are all safe. It also reports how the VAT Department suspended six workers in an ongoing fraud investigation.

The Press in Britain

The Guardian runs a dramatic picture from footage which it says shows the man who died at last week's G20 protests being attacked from behind by police.

The Daily Mirror says two young brothers charged with attempted murder for the alleged torture of two boys were barely able to see over the dock when they appeared in court.

The Daily Telegraph claims tens of thousands of teenagers could be turned away from sixth-form courses after a last minute funding cut leaves a £200m financial shortfall.

Gordon Brown tells The Independent he wants green recovery to begin with the mass introduction of electric cars.

The Daily Mail claims Sinn Fein MPs have claimed £500,000 in expenses for flats in London despite refusing to take their seats in the Commons.

The Financial Times says that in its bid to remain competitive, one of the world's biggest insurance brokers, Aon, is halving contributions to its workers' pensions.

The Times calls yesterday 'the bleakest day of the year' after the Royal Bank of Scotland announced further job cuts and the Government's stake in the bank rose to 70 per cent.

The Daily Express leads with health experts' concerns that "binge tanning" is fuelling a skin cancer crisis.

And elsewhere…

Rome’s Il Tempo says hope is fading of finding more survivors of an earthquake in central Italy as the death toll reached 235. Premier Silvio Berlusconi said the rescue efforts would continue for two more days "until it is certain that there is no one else alive".

USA Today quotes President Barack Obama saying it was time for Iraqis to "take responsibility for their country" after America's commitment of six years and thousands of lives. Obama flew unannounced into Iraq on Tuesday to discuss security in the country in a surprise visit to the country.

The Washington Times says US Vice President Joe Biden has demanded that China and Russia get tough with North Korea, threatening the Stalinist state with new sanctions after its weekend missile test. Meanwhile, a North Korean diplomat has warned "strong steps" would follow should the UN take action against the country.

Correo reports that a special criminal court has sentenced Peru's former President Alberto Fujimori to 25 years’ imprisonment on human rights crimes. The charges were related to two massacres by military forces and the kidnappings of a prominent businessman and a journalist during his administration in the nineties.

The New York Times says a Chinese businessman and his company have been charged with illegally using New York banks to help Iran buy materials to make nuclear weapons.

El Universal reports that more than 18 tons of marijuana, cocaine and other drugs were burned at a Mexico military base in the border city of Ciudad Juarez.

Jurnal de Chisinau says Moldova's president has accused the opposition of attempting a coup after anti-communist protesters stormed Moldova's parliament in a violent demonstration against allegedly "fraudulent" elections.

Abendzeitung reports that a man involved in an inheritance dispute shot dead his sister-in-law before killing himself in a German civil court.

The Arizona Herald says a youthful-looking sex offender, who posed as a 12-year-old boy to enrol in several Arizona schools, has been sentenced to more than 70 years in prison. Neil Havens Rodreick, 31, pleaded guilty last year to seven criminal charges, two of which stemmed from the charade he pulled off for two years.

Phnom Penh Post reports that the former head of the Khmer Rouge’s most notorious prison told the court how he experimented with different torture methods in his early years to see how people reacted. Kaing Guek Eav – better known as Duch – is on trial for crimes against humanity and war crimes.

Az-Zaman says Muntadhar al-Zeidi, the Iraqi journalist who hurled his shoes at former President George Bush, had his prison sentence reduced from three to one year. He had described his action as a "natural response to the occupation."

Meanwhile, Times of India reports that Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram was forced to duck a shoe flung at him during a press conference in New Delhi in a virtual repeat of President George Bush’s Iraqi incident. Security officials removed the journalist who threw it.