Press digest

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

The Times says the Finance Minister has asked Enemalta to describe the abnormal demand which led to the Good Friday power cut. It also refers to Eurostat figures confirming economic recovery at the end of last year.

The Malta Independent says that former PL General Secretary Jason Micallef is planning to contest the general elections. The PL still has to confirm the nomination.

l-orizzont quotes the GWU which in a statement said that the Enemalta report on the power cuts could not be taken seriously. It also says the the company of GRTU Vice-President Mario Debono was awarded a €115,000 contract by the Health Department last year even as he was under investigation for alleged unlicensed medicinal imports.

In-Nazzjon highlights the increase in airport passenger traffic in March and the works now in progress at Freedom Square. It says demolition of City Gate and the Freedom Day shops is due to start in mid-summer.

The overseas press:

The opposition in Kyrgyzstan has declared it is in full control of the country and is setting up an interim government after clashes left dozens dead. Russian news agency RIA quoted opposition leader and former foreign minister Roza Otunbayeva as saying that the opposition had seized power after a second day of violent and deadly anti-government protests in the country.

Times of Central Asian reports there were conflicting reports on casualties. It is not clear how many people died so far during the clashes. The opposition claims up to 100 are dead, while the Health Ministry said earlier that 40 people died.

The New York Times quotes UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon saying he was "shocked by the reported deaths and injuries in Kyrgyzstan. He urgently appealed for dialogue and calm to avoid further bloodshed.

Der Kurier says the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has called on Bishkek to "seek a dialogue" and has offered its help in solving Kyrgyzstan's problems.

USA Today says Washington has also condemned the violence.

According to Pravda, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has denied that Moscow had played any role in the unrest, saying it was a "domestic affair" and that there should be "restraint".

Kathemerini reports that IMF representatives have arrived in Greece to help balance the budget, claiming that austerity measures implemented by Athens have done little to stabilize the troubled Mediterranean country. Greece's finance minister has denied media reports the country is seeking to amend last month's rescue plan, which is intended to prevent Greece from defaulting on its debt.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal reports that the dollar rose as renewed jitters over Greece's debt crisis and the prospect of a faltering recovery in Europe drove investors to safer havens such as the US currency and the Japanese yen.

Le Parisien says Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in Paris for talks with President Sarkozy, has described Israel as the "main threat to peace" in the Middle East. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded saying he regretted Turkey's "repeated attacks" on Israel.

Gazeta Polska reports Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and his Polish counterpart Donald Tusk yesterday mourned the 22,000 people murdered by Russian forces in the Katyn Forest in World War II. It was the first joint commemoration, marking a turning point in diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Asia Observer says Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has declared a state of emergency in Bangkok in an attempt to restore order after weeks of protests by anti-government demonstrators.

O Globo declares that the death toll from floods and mudslides in southeastern Brazil has risen to 102. Officials say 37 people were killed in Rio but the hardest hit was Niteroi, a city on the other side of the bay from Rio, where 53 people were killed.

Al Ayyam reports that as the European Union announced that it was pulling its election observers out of the Darfur region over security fears, one of Sudan's key opposition parties announced it planned to boycott the country's elections.

El Pais says Spanish judge Baltazar Garzon, who became an international hero by going after Augusto Pinochet and Osama bin Laden, has been indicted for having dared to investigate atrocities committed during and after the Spanish Civil War, even though the crimes were covered by a 1977 amnesty. Garzon does not face jail time but if convicted he could be removed from the bench for 10 to 20 years, effectively ending his career as a judge.

USA Today reports tennis legend Martina Navratilova, 58, has revealed she is fighting breast cancer. The nine-time Wimbledon champion, who has inspired millions with her sporting prowess and support for gay rights, has had the lump removed and is due to begin six weeks of radiation therapy in May.

The Washington Post says a jury took less than 20 minutes today to acquit a Virginia man accused of indecent exposure while walking naked around his own house. Erick Williamson, 29, was spotted wandering around his house in the nude by a passerby who was walking her seven-year-old son to school. Prosecutors said he made no effort to cover himself and was intentionally exposing himself, Williams told the court he never intended to expose himself. However, he insisted that he had a right to be naked in his own home.