The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times says Brussels has written to the Maltese government voicing doubts on Air Malta’s restructuring. It also reports how three men were hurt in two separate explosions yesterday.
The Malta Independent also reports on the explosions in a section of a Kirkop fireworks factory and
In-Nazzjon says a tragedy was avoided at Kirkop thanks to attention and precautions. It also reports that Moody's has downgraded Malta and eight other countries.
l-orizzont says former PN treasurer Peter Darmanin waited months before he was given the last part of his pay upon retirement from the PN.
The overseas press
Bloomberg reports that Moody’s has downgraded its credit ratings on Italy, Portugal and Spain, while France, Britain and Austria kept their top ratings but had their outlooks dropped to negative from stable. Moody’s also cut its ratings on Malta (from A3 from A2), Slovakia, and Slovenia. All nine are EU member states. The agency said it took the actions due to the uncertainty over EU financial reforms, the region’s weak economic outlook and the resulting pressure on fragile markets.
European Parliament President Martin Schulz has criticised the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (Acta). On German television network ARD, Schulz said he did not find the treaty “good in its current form”, adding that the balance between copyright protection and the individual rights of internet users was only “very inadequately anchored in this agreement”. His comments followed mass protests across Europe against the agreement over the weekend.
The New York Times quotes the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay telling the UN that the recent Russian and Chinese veto of a resolution on Syria had encouraged President Assad’s government to carry out indiscriminate shelling of civilians in Homs. She accused the Syrian government of launching “an all out assault” to crush opposition dissent.
The Daily Mail reports radical Muslim cleric Abu Qatada, accused by Britain of being a leading member of Al Qaeda, has been released from prison on strict bail conditions. He had been held in Britain for more than six years awaiting deportation to Jordan where he faces terrorism charges. A judge ended his six-year detention last week after the European Court of Human Rights banned him from being deported to Jordan.
Corriere della Sera says a Swiss billionaire and a Belgian baron have been convicted in Italy of negligence that led to more than 3,000 alleged asbestos-related deaths. They were each sentenced in their absence to 16 years in prison and ordered to pay €30,000 in damages to relatives of people killed and €35,000 for every sick person, as well as other payouts set to total hundreds of millions of euros.
According to The Wall Street Journal, President Obama has unveiled a US federal budget that is expected to form a basis for his economic platform in November’s presidential election. His proposals include tax increases for the wealthy and reducing corporate tax avoidance.
The Dominion Post reveals that New Zealand's first profoundly deaf MP has been told parliament would not pay for the technology she needs to fully participate in debates. Green Party MP Mojo Mathers has been told the cost of the technology, estimated at around €19,000, must be met from her own parliamentary budget. The Greens say the cost amounts to her entire office budget, and say she will be unable to take part in debates without electronic note-taking equipment. Ms Mathers' election last November was heralded as giving a real voice to the profoundly deaf.
A study published today in the Australian medical journal Cancer Cell suggests that scientists from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute in Melbourne have made an important discovery about how cancer spreads. Researchers say they have found a link between drugs like aspirin and the ability for cancer tumours to spread in the body. The institute's associate professor Steven Stacker says the discovery unlocks a range of potential new pathways for treating cancer. It could lead to an early warning system to help doctors work out if a tumour is likely to spread.
Pravda publishes photographs showing members of Femen, the Ukrainian group of young feminists, targeting the headquarters of Gazprom in Moscow – naked from the waist up in temperatures of minus 25 degrees. They said they were protesting against Gazprom’s decision to curtail gas supplies to the Ukraine “which has caused dozens of deaths”. They have also asked for a review of the prices being charged. One of the activists even succeeded in hoisting a Ukrainian flag on the roof of the building before the police intervened and dragged the protesters away.
ABC says Australians are being warned not to fall prey to online dating scams if they are looking for love this Valentine's Day. Last year 2,100 victims reported online dating scams to the national consumer watchdog, with their losses totalling more than €17 million.