The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times leads with a report on yesterday’s PN mass meeting under the heading: PN always on the right side of history. It also reports on discontent among the members of the judiciary over working conditions.
The Malta Independent reports that Tripoli’s Mitiga Airport could reopen today, but it is not clear if Air Malta will be there.
MaltaToday in its report on the mass meeting, says Lawrence Gonzi has gone on the offensive and has vowed to rein in the deficit.
l-orizzont quotes Tony Zarb saying a new era in trade union relations could emerge after last week’s meeting between the big trade union groups in Malta. It also features a warning by Labour leader Joseph Muscat that local councils must not be an extension of central government bureaucracy.
In-Nazzjon quotes the prime minister saying the PN is forging a future the country can be proud of.
The overseas press
The International Monetary Fund has cut its forecast for global growth to four per cent and warned of “severe repercussions” to the global economy unless euro-zone nations strengthened their banking system and the US got its fiscal affairs in order. The Wall Street Journal reports the IMF's World Economic Outlook warned that the US and European economies faced recession and a “lost decade” of growth unless governments around the world took concerted actions to revamp economic policies. Analysts said that for the US, that meant less dependence on debt; for the eurozone, a resolution of the sovereign-debt crisis; for China, increased reliance on domestic demand; and for Brazil, cooling an overheating economy.
The IMF's revised forecasts came after Standard and Poor's downgraded Italy's sovereign debt from A+ to A. Ansa says the move sparked the ire of Premier Silvio Berlusconi's government. A statement issued on Tuesday dismissed the Standard & Poor's decision, He called the downgrading political and said it reflected media reports rather than economic reality, a claim S&P rejected. In Brussels, the European Commission supported Italy’s austerity measures, saying the country would manage to pay off its sovereign debt by 2013.
Kathimerini says Greece has reported progress in talks over fresh austerity measures the country must take to meet its deficit goals. However, it failed to clinch a deal that would secure the country its next installment of badly needed aid. Greece's finance ministry said the negotiations would continue over the weekend in Washington, during the annual meetings of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
Deutsche Welle reports that Amnesty International has launched a scathing attack on the European Union, accusing it of turning its back on thousands of refugees trying to escape conflicts in North Africa. A paper published on Tuesday said that some 5,000 refugees were living on Libya's borders with Egypt and Tunisia in what it called "grim" conditions. AI called on EU member states to open their borders to help bring relief to the thousands of displaced prsons, adding that it was time Europe shouldered some responsibility for the crisis.
US President Barack Obama has promised the Libyan people that the world would stand by them as they reshaped their country following the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. NSNBC reports that speaking a high-level UN meeting on Libya, the president warned that there would still be difficult days ahead in Libya, as Gaddafi loyalists make a final stand. He praised the international community for having “the courage and the collective will to act” in Libya. He said that while global powers could and should not intervene every time there was an injustice in the world, there were times when nations must join forces to prevent the killing of innocent civilians.
Kabul Times says former Afghan President and peace negotiator Burhanuddin Rabbani has been assassinated by a suicide bomber hiding an explosive in his turban. Four bodyguards also died and a key presidential adviser was wounded in the attack at Mr Rabbani's home in the capital Kabul.
Corriere della Sera says seven scientists and other experts went on trial on manslaughter charges today for allegedly failing to sufficiently warn residents before the devastating earthquake that killed more than 300 people in L’Aquila, central Italy, in 2009. The case is being closely watched by seismologists around the globe who insist it is impossible to predict earthquakes.
The Guardian reports that Scotland Yard had decided to drop its legal bid to force the Guardian to reveal the sources it used for stories about phone hacking. A hearing was scheduled for Friday but police said it had consulted the Crown Prosecution Service and opted “at this time” not to go ahead with the hearing. Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger said the paper welcomed the Met's decision “to withdraw this ill-judged order”.
Sky News reports that abiraterone, a new drug for advanced prostate cancer, has been launched in the UK, following approval by European medical authorities two weeks ago. Clinical trials showed the £3000-a-month drug could extend survival by around five months. But doctors say some men live considerably longer. During trials, the quality of life of men treated with the drug improved and tests showed the cancer getting better.