The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports how a mother has denied having killed her Russian daughter. It also quotes doctors saying that multiple implants in IVF are ‘irresponsible’.
The Malta Independent also leads with the arraignment of a Russian on murder charges late yesterday. It also reports how Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has said he will not stand at the next election.
MaltaToday says Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando is continuing to challenging Austin Gatt and Eddie Fenech Adami on divorce.
In-Nazzjon reports that Malta had the steepest drop in unemployment within the EU last year.
l-orizzont says the internal PN debate on divorce has become a chess game. It also reports how the PL has proposed the appointment of a commission to set the pay of ministers and MPs.
The overseas press
“Idhab! Kifaya! – Enough! Go! We are not going to leave the square, President Mubarak! It’s we or he!” According to al Jazeera, that was the hostile reaction of the massive crowd at Tahrir Square after President Hosni Mubarak defied a quarter-million protesters demanding he step down immediately, announcing he would serve out the last months of his term and "die on Egyptian soil." He promised not to seek re-election, but that did not calm public fury as clashes erupted between his opponents and supporters.
The Washington Times says President Barack Obama’s reaction was that President Mubarak must begin a transition immediately toward a new government and assured protesters demanding the ouster of their longtime leader that "we hear your voices". The transition "must be meaningful, it must be peaceful and it must begin now", Obama said at the White House after speaking with the Egyptian president by telephone for 30 minutes.
Ad Dustour reports that King Abdullah of Jordan has dismissed his cabinet and appointed Marouf Bakhit as the new prime minister asking him to carry out "true political reforms". The change came amid large street demonstrations where the Islamist opposition had demanded action on unemployment and rising prices and the right to elect the prime minister. They blamed former PM Samir Rifai for the country's economic problems and had called on him to stand down.
Brisbane’s Courier Mail says that tens of thousands of people fled the path of a monster storm bearing down on northeastern Australia as officials warned that the life-threatening cyclone had increased in strength overnight. Queensland Premier Anna Bligh urged residents of low-lying areas to evacuate quickly as gusts up to 280 kph were expected ahead of Cyclone Yasi, forecast to hit Cairns late Wednesday.
Chicago Tribune reports a winter weather colossus roared into the nation's heartland Tuesday, laying down a paralyzing punch of dangerous ice and snow that served notice from Texas to Maine that the storm billed as the worst in decades was living up to the hype so far. Ice-covered streets were deserted in Super Bowl host city Dallas. Heavy snow shut down Oklahoma City and Tulsa. And more ice and snow were expected in what's shaping up to be a record winter for the region.
USA Today says an American woman has pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania to charges that she plotted to kill a Danish cartoonist who had depicted the Moslem prophet Mohammad with the body of a dog. Colleen LaRose, who allegedly called herself "Jihad Jane" also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to support terrorists and attempted identity theft. She faces a possible life sentence.
The Washington Post reports that buoyed by a federal court ruling, Senate Republicans maneuvered for a vote to repeal the year-old health care law while the party's potential White House contenders took turns urging them on. Despite the stepped up attack, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said the legislation was secure.
Aviation Week says US federal aviation officials have began testing a new, more modest body scanning system that would not be looking as closely under traveler's clothes. They hope it would assuage critics' concerns that the nearly 500 full-body scanners at 78 airports revealed too much.
Seattle Gay News reveals former President George W. Bush's daughter Barbara has announced her support for gay marriage, breaking with her father on a key social issue but joining her mother and other prominent Republicans who back same-sex unions. The Human Rights Campaign, a national gay rights organisation, released a video featuring the 29-year old Bush, a New York resident who runs Global Health Corps, a nonprofit public health organization.
Los Angeles Times quotes Zsa Zsa Gabor’s husband saying she had a high fever, and fluid in her lungs, following an infection that developed after her recent leg amputation. Speaking at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre as doctors worked to stabilize his wife in the emergency room, Frederic Prinz von Anhalt confirmed reports she had not recognized anyone since the surgery, leading doctors to say she probably suffered a stroke, her husband said Tuesday.
According to London’s Daily Express, airlines have been urged to introduce adults-only flights after a survey found that noisy children were passengers’ pet hate. The study found that nearly three-quarters of travellers flying business class or higher found youngsters annoying. Commentators said airlines should consider having child-free zones or even child-free planes, also arguing that the industry should consider following the example of train companies which have quiet carriages.