Malta and international press digest

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

The Times leads with the safe crash landing of a light plane near Dingli yesterday, saying the pilot drew praise for his skill in avoiding high tension wires. It also reports that Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni is backing Maltese calls for a stronger office in Libya to receive applications for protection in Libya.

The Malta Independent also leads with the crash landing. It also reports the adoption of a report by the EU on Malta's excessive deficit.

In-Nazzjon features a press conference by Social Affairs Minister John Dalli on an action plan for social policy.

l-orizzont says three trade unions are in dispute with the GO group on an early retirement scheme and the threat of dismissals. It also carries comments by 11 trade unions which said that the regulator was not appreciating the problems being caused by the high utility tariffs.

The Press in Britain

The Daily Telegraph continues its revelations about MPs' expenses, saying that former Labour minister Elliot Morley claimed more than £16,000 for a mortgage which had already been paid off.

The Guardian says senior Labour figures will tell the Speaker of the Commons he must stand down by the next election because of the row over MPs' expenses.

The Daily Mail reports the British Association for Adoption and Fostering has described people with concerns about gay couples adopting children as "retarded homophobes".

According to The Independent, a charity said to be a front for the militant group linked to the Mumbai terror attacks is helping hundreds of refugees flee Pakistan's war on the Taliban despite being outlawed six months ago.

The Times reports rape victims will be asked why they feel they are being failed by the criminal justice system amid concern over plummeting conviction rates.

The Daily Express leads on wealthy illegal immigrants being smuggled into Britain by flying into the Republic of Ireland and walking over the border before taking a ferry to England or Scotland.

The major tabloids - The Sun, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star - focus on dressage coach Andrew Gould's night out with Katie Price just before her split from Peter Andre an "acrimonious war of words" that has broken out between the couple over their children.

And elsewhere...

Ynet News reports Pope Benedict has condemned Israel's security wall during visit to Palestinian refugee camp after holding mass in Bethlehem, and, in his strongest public backing yet, told Palestinians he endorsed the establishment of an independent 'sovereign homeland in the land of your forefathers'. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has resisted international pressure to endorse the idea of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

The International Herald Tribune says that as Belgium diagnosed its first case of swine flu, WHO has urged countries to limit the use of the Tamiflu anti-viral drug to only high-risk patients to ensure adequate supplies in case the virus becomes more dangerous. There are now 34 countries reporting an estimated total of 5,916 confirmed swine flu cases and 63 deaths.

Berliner Zeitung quotes the European Trade Union Confederation saying that some 200,000 people are expected to take to the streets of Madrid, Brussels, Prague and Berlin between today and Saturday in a series of demonstrations to raise awareness of the issues facing European workers.

San Francisco Chronicle reports that American computer chip giant Intel has slammed the European Commission after being served with a record €1.6 billion fine for breaching EU rules on fair competition. The Commission found Intel guilty of harming millions of European consumers for many years by deliberately keeping rivals out of the global market for computer chips. Intel denied the charge.

The Washington Times says President Barack Obama has defended his decision to try to block the release of photos showing alleged abuse of prisoners by US troops, saying their release threatened the safety of US military personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan. The President's administration initially agreed to comply with a court order to publish the pictures by May 28.

The Bangkok-based, Burmese-exile magazine The Irrawaddy reports that Burma's detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be put on trial in connection with the intrusion of an American who sneaked uninvited into her compound. The American was arrested last week for allegedly swimming a lake to secretly enter Ms Suu Kyi's home and stay there for two days.

San Jose Mercury News says Atlantis' astronauts have reached out and grabbed the Hubble Space Telescope, setting the stage for five days of treacherous spacewalking repairs in a lofty orbit littered with space junk. It was the first time anyone had seen the orbiting observatory up close in seven years.

Le Monde reports that the French Senate has given final approval to a law that would punish people who download music and films illegally by cutting off their internet connections. However, it reports that the law's future is in doubt because of a European Parliament measure that would prohibit cutting off an internet connection without a court order.

Münchner Merkur says doctors have determined that 89-year-old John Demjanjuk is fit enough to remain in custody at Munich's Stadelheim prison. He is being held on suspicion of acting as an accessory to the murder of 29,000 people at a Nazi death camp.

Chumhuriyet reports Mehmet Ali Agca, who shot Pope John Paul II in 1981, says he would like to convert to Christianity at a baptism ceremony at the Vatican after his release from prison in January. Agca served 19 years in an Italian prison for the attack and is currently serving a prison term in Turkey for killing a journalist.