Press digest

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

The Times says 98 Maltese are waiting to leave Libya.

In-Nazzjon says the evacuation from Libya is picking up momentum. It also says Maltese workers are due back from Benghazi today.

l-orizzont reports about the calls for the arrest in Malta of a man alleged to be the chairman of an airline which ferried mercenaries to Libya.

The overseas press:

Al Jazeera reports foreign mercenaries and Libyan militiamen loyal to Muammar Gaddafi have launched attacks on towns near Tripoli in an attempt to push back the uprising against his rule that has advanced closer to his stronghold in the capital. Some of the heaviest fighting was to the west, in Zawiya, where witnesses said heavy weapons were used to attack protesters inside a mosque killing at least 17 people. To the east, there was a fierce battle near Misurata, where the rebels made new gains, seizing a military air base, as Gaddafi blamed Osama bin Laden for the upheaval. According to London’s The Guardian, many as 2,000 may have died in the uprising.

The Washington Times says President Obama has called the leaders of Britain, France and Italy to discuss ways to respond to the crisis in Libya. The US is backing a European effort to expel Libya from the UN’s top human rights body – a move that would require two-thirds approval of all the 192 countries in the United Nations. They also seek to name a special investigator to look into alleged atrocities committed by Gaddafi’s regime.

Tribune de Genève says the Swiss authorities have ordered the immediate freeze of any Swiss assets belonging to Gaddafi or his entourage, saying it wanted to prevent the possible misuse of state funds.

Al Ahram has announced the arrest of the country's former information minister and the chairman of state TV and radio on corruption allegations. Security officials said this was one of the latest moves by the country's ruling military against senior officials of Hosni Mubarak's ousted regime.

El Khabar reports that the state of emergency in Algeria, which had been in force for 19 years, has officially come to an end. It was imposed by the Algerian authorities in 1992 to suppress dissent by Islamists. Opposition groups behind the recent anti-government protests had been calling for it to be lifted.

Iran is expanding its covert global search for the uranium it needs for its nuclear activities and a key focus is Zimbabwe, says a new intelligence report acquired by The Associated Press. The report is in line with international assessments that Iran's domestic supplies cannot sustain its nuclear programme that could be turned toward making weapons.

The Times says WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lost his court battle not to be extradited to Sweden in a sex crimes inquiry. A British judge rejected claims that he would not face a fair trial there. Assange's lawyer said he would appeal.

Florida Post reports that Discovery, the world's most travelled spaceship, thundered into orbit for its final mission, heading toward the International Space Station on a journey that marks the beginning of the end of the shuttle era. The six astronauts on board, all experienced space fliers, were thrilled to be on their way after a delay of nearly four months for fuel tank repairs. But it puts Discovery on the cusp of retirement when it returns in 11 days and eventually heads to a museum.

Aviation Week says the American aircraft manufacturer Boeing has won one of the biggest contracts in military history. The order, worth about $35 billion is to replace the US Air Force’s entire fleet of in-flight refueling aircraft which have been in service for more than 50 years. Boeing faced stiff competition from its European rivals.

According to Irish Independent, more than three million voters in the Republic of Ireland head go to the polls today in the country's first general election since it was bailed out by the EU and the IMF. There are 566 candidates fighting in 43 constituencies for 165 seats in the Dail. Only 85 female candidates (15 per cent of those contesting the election) are seeking seats.

Los Angeles Times says CBS and Warner Bros Television announced they were ending production of "Two and a Half Men" in the wake of remarks by star Charlie Sheen. They said they were basing their decision on the "totality of Charlie Sheen's statements, conduct and condition". Earlier, it was announced the series would resume recording next week. But that was before the 45-year-old actor's rambling, often vitriolic radio interview in which Sheen derided the series’ producer Chuck Lorre and others including Alcoholics Anonymous.

Texas Globe reports scientists have discovered that new-born mice can re-grow their own hearts – the first time the process has been observed in mammals. They found that after a large section of the heart of one-day-old mice had been cut away, the tissue fully restored itself within three weeks.

Shanghai Post says from May a one-dog policy would be introduced in the city and more than 600,000 unlicensed dogs would be declared illegal. Last year more than 140,000 people told police they had been bitten by an unlicensed dog. The city already follows China's one-child policy.