The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports how Brussels yesterday proposed to reduce the cost of cross-border car registrations.
The Malta Independent quotes FKNK secretary Lino Farrugia saying it is cheaper to hunt lion in Kenya than birds in Malta.
In-Nazzjon leads with Eurostat figures issued yesterday showing a rise in retail sales in Malta in February, in contrast to the situation in most of Europe.
l-orizzont reports on the controversy on the new Nadur cemetery. An appeal has been filed over permits granted by Mepa.
The overseas press
US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton has announced the easing of sanctions against Burma. The news follows the by-elections on Sunday in which the opposition National League for Democracy party, headed by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, took 40 out of 45 seats in the polls, which were generally deemed to be free and fair. The Washington Times reports that Clinton praised recent developments but said the democratic reform process had “a long way to go”. At a summit of the regional Asean grouping on Wednesday, Asian leaders called for all sanctions against Burma to be lifted immediately to help the country's political and economic development. European Union leaders had responded by saying they would consider taking such steps. Both the US and the EU said they wanted to see the release of more political prisoners.
The New York Times reports that the UN Security Council has strongly condemned last month’s coup in Mali by members of the military junta and requested the immediate restoration of constitutional and democratically-elected government. It also expressed concern at the presence of Islamists, linked to al-Qaeda in the north of the country, which it said could further destabilise the situation.
Berliner Zeitung reports that an Islamic website, used in the past by Al Qaeda, has threatened attacks “in the heart of Berlin” if Chancellor Angela Merkel did not “learn” a lesson from the murders of Mohamed Merah, the 23-year-old French gunman who killed seven people, including three Jewish children, in Toulouse. The message also called for the release of a Muslim prisoner, Oum Allah al-Saif Ansariya, sentenced last year to two 30 months’ imprisonment for supporting the Sauerland Group terrorists.
CNN says the Pentagon has formally ordered that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four men accused of masterminding the 9/11 attack in New York and Washington, should stand trial. They would face a military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay prison camp, where they could be sentenced to death.
USA Today reports that a judge in the United States has handed down prison sentences of up to 65 years to four former police officers for shooting six unarmed residents in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina in New Orleans in 2005. Two of the victims were killed. The New Orleans police faced heavy criticism over many of the tactics they used to maintain law and order following the hurricane.
La Tercera says the Supreme Court in Chile has ruled in favour of a multi-billion-dollar dam project in Patragonia. The high court rejected an appeal by environmental groups who expressed fears that the project would damage Patagonia’s fragile eco-system. The project, which involves flooding 1.5 square kilometres of land, still needs government approval.
Kathemerini reports that a 77-year-old Greek man killed himself in Athens’ busiest square in protest at the country’s debt crisis. The incident sparked debate in parliament and an anti-austerity group accused politicians of driving people to despair with harsh cutbacks implemented to secure vital international bailouts.
Carla Bruni has denounced what she called an “anti-Sarkozy crusade” by a section of the French press. In an interview with Nouvel Observateur, the French president’s wife said that the public seemed “to love Nicolas”, and that “anti-Sarkozism” was a phenomenon on the part of the Parisian elite. She pointed out that whenever possible, she followed her husband in his electoral campaign.
CBS News reports a prototype flying car has completed its first flight, bringing its makers closer to their goal of selling it commercially within the next year. The US vehicle – dubbed the Transition – has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so it can be driven like a car. Last month, it flew at 425 metres for eight minutes. The car is expected to cost €209,171.
The death has been announced of Leila Denmark, the world’s oldest paediatrician, in Athens, Georgia. The Huffington Post reports she was so fond of children, whom she called angels, that she devoted 70 years of her long life, lasting 114 years, to them. She continued her practice until last year – a feat which earned her the record as the world's oldest paediatrician. Denmark was the fourth oldest person in world.
The Irish Enquirer says a Limerick man, who bought his wife a foam pillow and a €10 car wash for Christmas, has been named Ireland’s Most Unromantic Man 2012. The award, given by the Cyprus Tourism Organisation, has gone to Gary Constable, who was nominated by his long-suffering wife Katrena. She also revealed that, while together on holiday in the US, Gary decided they should spend $57 getting married at the New York registry office, with two witnesses who could barely speak English, in order to save money on an engagement, wedding and honeymoon. The pair will now enjoy a 'late' honeymoon in Cyprus, where they are to spend a week in a luxury hotel as part of their prize.