The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times reports that Enemalta won’t supply prejudicial oil procurement history despite a request under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Malta Independent reports how the health minister and the leader of the opposition met at the Blood Donations Centre yesterday when the latter was on an electoral campaign visit. It also says that a hunter confronted and argued with Simon Busuttil in Paola yesterday.
l-orizzont leads with Joseph Muscat's visit to the GWU yesterday. It also reports Labour's pledge that patients would have a right to private care if public services are not available.
In-Nazzjon says the PN electoral programme will be carried out in the context of sound finances and job creation.
Press digest
Deutsche Welle reports that fresh data from Eurostat shows unemployment in the whole bloc and the smaller eurozone was still alarmingly high. Eurozone unemployment remained at 11.7 per cent for a third consecutive month in December – with 18.7 million people were out of work in the bloc, 1.8 million more than in the same month a year earlier. In the wider 27-member EU, the overall unemployment rate remained at 10.7 per cent, with 26 million people without a job. Friday's data also revealed that inflation in the eurozone dropped unexpectedly in January to two per cent – bringing consumer price rises into line with the target set by the Central European Bank. This was first and foremost attributable to a 13 per cent fall in energy costs.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the International Monetary Fund has censured Argentina for issuing inaccurate data on inflation rates and economic growth. It’s the first time the IMF has taken such action which came with a warning of possible sanctions unless the situation was rectified. Argentina has repeatedly rejected criticism of its data.
Hürriyet Daily News quotes Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan saying the suicide bomber who detonated an explosive at the entrance of the US Embassy in Ankara on Friday was connected to the outlawed Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front. The bomber and a security guard were killed in the attack. Erdogan, whose statement confirmed the attacker was a 30-year-old member who had previously spent time in prison, also played down claims that the attack might be related to Turkey’s position on the Syria crisis.
El Universal says at least 30 people were killed and more than 100 injured in an explosion that rocked a skyscraper housing the Mexico City headquarters of state-owned oil giant Pemex on Thursday. Rescue teams worked overnight to find survivors trapped underneath the debris. The mid-afternoon blast in a neighboring building shattered the lower floors of the downtown tower, throwing debris into the streets and sending frightened workers running outside.
Al Ahram reports clashes in Egypt between anti-government protesters and police have left at least one person dead and dozens injured. The demonstrators threw petrol bombs and launched fireworks at the presidential palace in Cairo. The police responded with water cannons and teargas. President Mohammed Morsi has vowed "decisive" police action against violent demonstrations.
The United States is increasingly concerned that "chaos" in Syria could allow Hezbollah to obtain sophisticated weapons from the Damascus regime. Speaking two days after Israel carried out a bombing raid on a military site outside Damascus, US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told AFP in an interview that Washington was worried the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah could exploit the 22-month conflict in Syria
The Washington Times reports Senator John Kerry has been sworn in as the new US Secretary of State. The former Democratic presidential candidate and Vietnam War veteran replaces Hilary Clinton, who has retired. She bade farewell to the State Department on Friday after an eventful four years in office which concluded in what she described as “a low point” when a US mission in Libya came under attack, sparking a whirlwind of criticism.
The Los Angeles Times says Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles has released files of priests accused of molesting children and stripped his predecessor, retired Cardinal Roger Mahony, who tried to conceal the abuse, of all public and administrative duties. Mahony's former top aide, Thomas Curry, stepped down as bishop of Santa Barbara. In a statement, Mgr Gomez said he found the files to be “brutal and painful reading”, adding that the behavior described in them was “terribly sad and evil”. Cardinal Mahony said he did all he could to protect children.
Australia’s ABC reports British prosecutors say will not press charges over a hoax call by two Australian radio DJs to the hospital where Prince William's expectant wife Catherine was being treated. The Crown Prosecution Service said there was no evidence to support a charge of manslaughter, despite the fact that Indian-born Jacintha Saldanha, 46, apparently committed suicide after answering the call.
Great Falls Tribune says Harvard University has disciplined 60 students for cheating in the final exam. The decision follows an investigation launched after a teaching assistant noticed similar answers in the undergraduate paper. It is one of the biggest academic scandals in the elite American University for many years.