The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press. The local papers are dominated by the Budget announced yesterday.
The Times says this was a Budget aimed at cutting the deficit.
The Malta Independent also says this was a Budget aimed at ‘balancing the books’.
In-Nazzjon says the Budget consolidated the people’s achievements.
l-orizzont on the other hand, says the Budget offered no remedies for the burdens shouldered by households, and actually made the situation worse.
The overseas press
Deutsche Welle reports that a German and French bid to rewrite the Lisbon Treaty sparked fresh criticism from fellow EU nations at a meeting of foreign ministers in Luxembourg. The issue is expected to be a major bone of contention when EU leaders get together for a summit in Brussels next Thursday. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Nicolas Sarkozy of France agreed a week ago to push for changes to the treaty to establish a permanent eurozone bailout system and strip countries that break euro rules of their voting rights.
Most of the focus at the Luxembourg meeting, however, fell on Serbia, EU Observer says that EU foreign ministers agreed to take a small step towards eventual membership on condition that the country step up its efforts to confront its violent past
The French government has warned that the ongoing national strikes are threatening the nation's economic recovery. Economics Minister Christine Lagarde told Europe 1 radio that the dispute over the proposed pension reform was costing the French economy between 200 and 400 million euros a day.
Kathemerini announces that a rapid intervention team from the EU border agency Frontex will be deployed for the first time to help Greece shore up the country's border with Turkey. The move comes after Greece put out an emergency call for the border team. According to the UN, between 300 and 400 illegal immigrants enter Greece very day, many of whom come from Africa and Afghanistan.
The Washington Post says the US has voiced concern about Iran's "negative influence" on Afghanistan, after Afghan President Hamid Karzai admitted receiving cash from Tehran. White House spokesman Bill Burton urged Iran to play a more positive role. Mr Karzai has denied any wrongdoing, saying the cash was part of a "transparent" process to help to run the president's office. He was responding to a report that Iran had been passing bags stuffed full of cash to his aides.
A new vaccine against the polio virus has helped reduce the number of cases by more than 90%. Research published online in the journal The Lancet, shows that the new vaccine is significantly better at protecting children against polio than the current popular vaccine. It has already been used in Afghanistan, India and Nigeria. The scientists behind the work believe this new vaccine could help to finally eradicate the disease.
Grandma says the authorities in Cuba have set out the rules for what they hope would be a transformation of the economy, allowing people to set up their our businesses and seek new jobs. Among other things the self employed will pay up to 50 per cent income tax and 25 per cent tax on social security. The aim was to fill the gap when up to 500,000 state jobs disappear early next year.
The New York Post reports teen model Rebecca Battino is suing Apple for up to €735,000 after a string of sexy self-portraits she took ended up in an iPhone app without her permission. The steamy photos, taken when she was 16, have been viewed by millions after they were used in the eXtreme Cam Girls application. Miss Battino, now 19, took the pictures of herself in the mirror with a digital camera and claims the images were hacked from her computer.
Pennsylvania Post says a woman killed at least four of her newborn babies and hid their remains in containers in a locked closet. Prosecutors said Michele Kalina, 44, conceived several children – possibly in an extramarital affair – hid the pregnancies, then killed at least four. The remains of a fifth baby were found at a local dump but tests could not show it had been born alive. Ms Kalina faces several charges, including one of criminal homicide. She was arrested last August after her husband and daughter found the bodies.