Press digest

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

The Sunday Times says obese people are costing the country €18 million a year in health costs, according to a study. It also reports that the Budget is to feature incentives for SMEs including tax credits available for some 30,000 companies.

The Malta Independent says 2010 is being seen as a turning point for the government, with several projects being launched or coming on stream. It also says that Opposition MPs are complaining that ministers are not taking parliamentary question time seriously. The newspaper says the Budget will focus on jobs and social cohesion.

MaltaToday says Tonio Fenech has denied any involvement in links between a small contractor he uses for work at his home, and the sale of the Jerma Hotel.

Il-Mument quotes financial consultant Alfred Mifsud saying leaders should focus on national not partisan needs in the Budget. It also says that the people of Zebbug are calling for the resignation of the mayor for allegedly using council workers for jobs in his own home. The newspaper also carries a focus on the work of the foreign ministry, saying 48 agreements with 26 countries were signed in the past few months, including 14 double taxation agreements.

Illum features the Malta rugby team's victory over Sweden. It also reports that Castille has ordered GO plc to postpone over 100 dismissals. On the Budget, it says figures will show a government deficit of 5%.

It-Torca says John Dalli has belied claims that he has accepted to be the new Maltese European Commissioner. The newspaper says the decision by the European Human Rights Court on crucifixes will not affect the teaching of religion. In another story, it quotes GWU General Secretary Tony Zarb insisting that profit should not be the aim of education.

KullHadd says Claudio Grech, recently CEO of SmartCity, is to become CEO of Polidano Brothers. It also reports that Gozo Channel has suspended its human resources manager while investigations continue into irregularities, including false qualification certificates.

The Press in Britain...

The Independent on Sunday calls for a withdrawal of British forces from Afghanistan, saying that one by one over the past eight years, the arguments for the continued presence of Nato troops in Afghanistan have fallen away. According to the Sunday Mirror, Gordon Brown is facing questions within his Cabinet for the first time over the war in Afghanistan

The Times says Army chiefs are already planning for a withdrawal of troops from "outlying bases" in Afghanistan.

Daily Star Sunday reports on the confusion surrounding the real winners of the multi-million lottery draw amounting to £91 million.

The Mail on Sunday also reports on the mystery surrounding the identity of the lucky ticket holders.

The Sunday Telegraph leads with news of the less-than-lukewarm response to Gordon Brown's "bank tax" from the US Treasury.

The Observer says Gordon Brown stands accused of misleading the public over plans to aid young people through the recession.

According to The Guardian, the Government's plan to train a generation of apprentices faces a cut of £350m.

The Sunday Express says Kate and Gerry McCann want Scotland Yard to take control of the new information reaching investigators searching for their daughter Madeleine.

The News of the World claims England football captain John Terry's father was caught on video selling deadly cocaine.

And elsewhere...

The Washington Times reports that decrying President Obama as "white power in black face", hundreds of African Americans marched on the White House accusing him for continuing what they described as Washington's "imperialist" agenda around the world.

Berliner Zeitung says massive colourful dominoes have been placed along the former path of the Berlin Wall to mark the 20th anniversary of the opening of the barrier that divided the city for nearly three decades. Approximately 1,000 upright 2 metre-high plastic foam dominoes, created by German students, will be toppled tomorrow as part of wider celebrations of the wall's fall.

The International Herald Tribune says a Nato airstrike in the western province of Badghis has mistakenly hit a joint base housing coalition troops and Afghan security forces, killing four Afghan soldiers and three policemen. Afghanistan's Defence Ministry said 15 Afghan soldiers and one policeman were also wounded.

Resonansi reports that opposition demonstrators have rallied in the Georgian capital to protest against the policies of President Mikhail Saakashvili. Protesters carrying banners demanded political reforms and more media freedom. Some even called for Saakashvili's resignation.

According to El Universal, rains have flooded the homes of more than 200,000 people along Mexico's Gulf coast, leaving authorities struggling to reach all those affected.

Environmental Daily quotes the UN World Food Programme saying it was running out of food for millions of starving Somalis in part because the United States is delaying aid amid fears it could be intercepted by militants linked to al-Qaeda. Food rations have been cut by half and will run out of supplies in December.

The New York Post reveals that New York City office workers who got carried away during the Yankees victory parade on Friday apparently began tossing files and documents out of the window when they couldn't get their hands on confetti. All sorts of personal financial documents were found in the mountains of shredded paper tossed from skyscrapers as the players rode up Broadway. They included pay stubs, banking data, law firm memos and even some court files.

The Sunday Herald Sun reports that a cheating husband has paid his former lover more than $100,000 (€62,000) under Australia's new "mistress laws". In the first known case of its kind in Victoria, the Melbourne businessman was sued under changes to the Family Law Act, which gives rights to people in de facto relationships and same-sex marriages. The case was prompted by the end of an affair of more than 20 years.

Bild reports British boxer David Haye won the WBA heavyweight title when he beat on points Russian Nikolai Valuev in Nuremberg. The fight had been billed as a "David versus Goliath" match up by promoters, owing to the dramatic height and weight differences of the fighters. The 29-year-old Londoner is 29 centimetres smaller and 44.5 stone lighter than the Russian.