In-Nazzjon leads with a report on the major cannabis find. It also reports the formation of the ‘e-government alliance’ by the government and a number of software developers.
l-orizzont says the government in its reaction to a court protest for compensation for the Karin Grech letter bomb murder has argued that one cannot say what the motive behind the case was once it had not been solved. The government is considering ex-gratia payment. The paper also reports the resignation of Sylvana Cristina, head of news at PBS.
The Malta Independent reports how a Mexican was jailed for 12 years for importing drugs into Malta. It also carries a front page report on the ‘e-government alliance’.
The Press in Britain…
The leading story in most of the British papers is the crash-landing at Heathrow of a British Airways Boeing 777 airliner with 136 passengers and 16 crew on board.
Under the hading “Just 20 seconds from disaster”, The Daily Mail says that with both engines dead, the pilot grappled with the BA jet over London to crash-land yards off Heathrow runway.
The Daily Mirror says the plane's captain, 43-year-old Peter Burkill, deserves a medal “as big as a frying pan”. The Mirror calls the plane’s captain “a heroic British Airways pilot” who “averted catastrophe by gliding his jet into Heathrow after engine failure”. Only 18 needed treatment for minor injuries.
Under the heading The Great Escape of Flight BA038, The Times reports that the pilot did not even have time to radio a mayday or even warn the passengers that they should adopt the brace position.
The Herald says a suspected loss of engine power is thought to have caused the crash-landing and that the incident is being investigated.T
The Scotsman calls for changes to drink laws in the wake of the murder of a devoted father Garry Newlove by a group of yobs.
The Independent says a study of identical twin girls has led to a new understanding of the causes of childhood leukaemia. The Daily Star reports that singer Amy Winehouse went berserk in the street after her husband Blake Fielder-Civil told her from his prison cell that he wants a divorce.
and elsewhere…
Belgium’s De Morgen reports that European lawmakers have said the result of Kenya's election was not credible and called for a fresh vote if a fair recount was not possible. They also want to temporarily freeze 40.6 million euros of budgetary aid to Kenya as violence there continues. Meanwhile, Nairobi’s
The Nation reports Kenyans are facing a third day of opposition protests against President Kibaki's disputed re-election.
Le Monde reports Finance ministers from Britain, Germany, France and Italy have met in Paris to discuss a common European strategy to confront the growing turbulence on the financial markets.
The Jerusalem Post says Israel has ordered the closure of all border crossings between Israel and Gaza. The measure is to remain in effect for several days affecting both commercial traffic and individual travelers. The announcement comes after five more Palestinians were killed in Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip on Thursday bringing the death toll to 29 since Tuesday.
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has told Al Jazeera television Israel "would not dare attack Iran". In an interview after Israel said it tested a missile and warned against Tehran's nuclear program, Ahmadinejad "the Iranian response would make them regret it, and they know this”.
Brisbane’s Courier-Mail reports a boomerang stolen by an American tourist 25 years ago has been returned to the original outback museum in Queensland, where it used to be housed in. The boomerang, a flying blade used mainly by Aborigines to hunt animals, was posted home Vermont man who named himself in a letter only as Peter. According to a note read out to Australian media, Peter had removed the boomerang back in 1983 when he was “younger and dumber”. Peter had also sent a cheque.
The Washington Post reports that Hollywood directors have reached a “groundbreaking and substantial” tentative contract deal with studios – a development that could turn up the pressure on striking writers to settle their two-month-old walkout that has crippled the entertainment industry. The writers’ walkout has halted work on dozens of TV shows, disrupted movie production, turned the Golden Globes show into a news conference and threatened the upcoming Academy Awards ceremony.