The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times leads with a comment by the Prime Minister yesterday that repatriation remained one of the government’s priorities as a way to tackling immigration. He was speaking during a debate on immigration in Parliament.
The Malta Independent also leads with the debate, quoting the Prime Minister saying there was a need for realistic solutions. The newspaper also asks when the reform of local councils will come about.
MaltaToday quotes Home Affairs Minister Carm Mifsud Bonnici saying in Parliament that Libya should not be criticized over illegal immigration.
l-orizzont says the inquiry into the accidental death of Gunner Matthew Psaila found that the water in which he fell had a temperature of around 3 degrees.
In-Nazzjon says a European Parliament committee had proposed a compulsory migrants’ burden sharing mechanism.
The Press in Britain
Most newspapers carry pictures of actress Natasha Richardson, daughter of Vanessa Redgrave, who became critically ill with a head injury following a fall while skiing in Canada. At the request of her family, she was later flown by private jet to a specialist medical facility in New York. The Daily Mirror says actor Liam Neeson, who was filming in Toronto, kept vigil beside his actress wife. The Daily Star and The Times declare that the actress is “brain dead”.
The Daily Mail says one in seven primary school pupils does not speak English as a first language.
The Guardian reports that new research shows that girls are far more likely to thrive, get good results and stay in education if they go to a single-sex school.
The Independent says warning signs of poor practice in hospitals across the UK are to be urgently reviewed after an investigation uncovered "appalling" standards of care at one hospital which may have led to hundreds of deaths.
The Daily Telegraph reports that up to 1,200 people may have died at a Staffordshire hospital due to poor care.
The Times reveals Royal Bank of Scotland has agreed to pay a £1.8 million tax bill on behalf of its chief executive Sir Fred Goodwin on top of his £16.9 million pension pot.
The new pension scandal surrounding RBS disgraced boss 'Fred the Shred' is also the lead story in the Daily Express.
Metro says a joint Anglo-French detention centre is being planned for Calais to hold hundreds of migrants gathering near the Channel port to try to enter Britain illegally.
And elsewhere…
Prague Tribune announced that the Czech government has temporarily withdrawn controversial missile defence treaties from a parliamentary ratification process. Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said his coalition currently did not have enough support for the proposal in the lower chamber. The Senate approved the radar treaties in December.
The Washington Post says an EU delegation has questioned the Obama administration about Guantanamo Bay as member states consider whether to accept a US request to take some of the detainees when the controversial jail is shut.
Le Messager leads with Pope Benedict’s arrival in Cameroon on his first official visit to Africa. On arrival, Benedict called on Christians to tackle violence, poverty, corruption and abuse of power in Africa. Prior to his arrival in Cameroon, the Pope reiterated the Vatican's stance against condoms saying they were not a solution to Africa's AIDS problems.
Le Monde reports that the government of President Sarkozy has won a confidence motion in parliament, which was prompted by plans to rejoin NATO's integrated military command. Lawmakers voted 329 to 238 in favour of the president's foreign policy decision, following a debate in the National Assembly.
Pravda says Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has unveiled ambitious plans to modernise his country's armed forces, including its nuclear weapons. Speaking at an annual defence ministry meeting, Medvedev said a modern military was the best guarantee for the country's security.
L’Express quotes Madagascar's military chiefs saying they have formally endorsed opposition leader Andry Rajoelina as president of a transitional administration.
Der Kurier says an Austrian court has watched video testimony of Elizabeth Fritzl, the woman whose father held her captive in a cellar for more than 20 years and had seven children by her. Seventy-three-year-old Josef Fritzl has pleaded guilty to seven counts of incest, rape and false imprisonment but not guilty to murder and slavery charges. Prosecutors allege that he failed to seek medical help for a new-born baby who died in 1996. The court is expected to hand down a verdict as soon as Thursday. If convicted, Josef Fritzl could spend the rest of his life behind bars.
San Francisco Chronicle reports that the family of the woman horribly mauled by a friend’s chimpanzee last month is seeking damages totaling €38.6 million from the owner. Charla Nash is still seriously ill in hospital. The 55-year-old lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids and may be blind and suffering brain damage after the attack in Stamford. The 200lb chimp was shot and killed by police.