Malta and international press digest

The following are the leading stories in the Maltese and international press:

The Times carries a picture of Dr Gonzi selecting a Valentine’s card for his wife. It gives front page coverage to the tremors felt in Malta yesterday following an earthquake in the south of Greece and reports on the Azzjoni Nazzjonali controversy over open centres.

L-orizzont says the Malta Employers’ Association is taking responsibility for the proposal to cap overtime pay, thus trying to protect the government. It also reports Alfred Sant saying the MLP wants to strengthen Malta’s position within the EU.

In-Nazzjon reports Dr Gonzi’s meeting with university students yesterday, saying the PM was greeted with enthusiasm. He urged the students to vote and explained how the PN wants to cut taxes and offer better jobs. It also reports the Mepa auditor, Joe Falzon, insisting that the report on the Sant’Antnin recycling plant has not been completed yet and must not be published. Carmel Cacopardo has warned he may publish the report.

The Malta Independent says Eurostat has upgraded Malta’s GDP growth to 4.3 percent in the third quarter of last year. It also quotes Dr Sant saying children are at the heart of MLP policies, while Dr Gonzi is reported saying that a new PN government will overturn Malta’s environment deficit.

The Press in Britain

The Daily Mail reports that the Royal United Services Institute has warned that a failure to ‘lay down the line’ to Britain's immigrant population is undermining the fight against domestic extremism.The Daily Telegraph leads with the same RUSI warning that misplaced immigration policies create a harbour for home-grown terror.

The Financial Times says suspected killers of UK troops in Iraq have been released and jails there emptied under a secret deal to stop an extremist group bombarding UK bases.

The Guardian has the story that Saudi Arabia’s rulers threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted.

The Herald claims Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond urged UK Justice Secretary Jack Straw to allow the publication of all Lockerbie bomber correspondence between the governments in Edinburgh and London. On Wednesday, Straw insisted no deal had been done with Libya over the transfer of the Lockerbie bomber Mohmed Al Megrahi, currently serving a life sentence in a Scottish prison after being convicted of bombing Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie in 1988.

The Times has a picture from the funeral of Hizbollah's Imad Mughniyeh and has as its top story the news that supermarkets are to face public shaming and huge fines if they use their size to force down prices paid to their suppliers.

The Independent reports on the indifference shown by “those who could actually change things” after its reports of a global campaign to shame China into doing more to help Darfur. It says President Bush has ruled out a boycott of the Beijing Olympics next summer and major game sponsors have refused to raise the issue with the Chinese. Meanwhile China has said "ulterior" motives were behind criticism of its actions in Sudan, and that problems there should not be linked with the 2008 Olympics.

Metro leads with the findings of a new report that shows British waters are among the worst in the world affected by over-fishing, climate change, pollution, oil exploration and dredging.

The Daily Express reports that police in Britain are struggling to cope with an 800 percent rise in crimes committed by Romanians.

The Daily Mirror leads with a plea to end teenage drinking from the mother of a 15-year-old girl who admitted drunkenly filming the killing of a man.The Daily Record leads with a heart-breaking story: an adopted daughter tracked down her long-lost mother after 25 years – only to find out she was a murderer. The Daily Star has the story that footballer Ashley Cole is making a desperate attempt to kiss and make up with his wife, Girls Aloud star Cheryl.

London Evening Standard reports that Mohamed al Fayed's conspiracy theories about the death of Diana, Princess of Wales, came under fire at her inquest. The Harrods tycoon listened quietly as layers of his theory that Diana was murdered in a 1997 car crash by MI6 were stripped down at the hearing.

And elsewhere…

The New York Times reports that Serbia and Russia have urged the UN Security Council to oppose Kosovo's planned unilateral declaration of independence from Belgrade. Serbia has warned it would initiate diplomatic, political and economic measures should the province try to break away. Most EU countries and the United States have already declared they will recognize the declaration of independence by Kosovo leaders, expected to be declared over the weekend.

Chicago Tribune reports five people have been killed and 18 injured in a shooting at the Northern Illinois University university near Chicago. Among the casualties is the attacker, who committed suicide after targeting students in a crowded lecture hall. Several people are being treated in hospital with severe injuries, including head wounds. Washoington Post reports Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton has won the New Mexico presidential caucus by a narrow margin over her rival Barack Obama. New Mexico's caucus was held on February 5 and was a closely fought vote that took over nine days to count. Meanwhile, ormer US presidential candidate Mitt Romney has officially endorsed his rival John McCain for the Republican nomination.

Jerusalem Post says Israelis are on worldwide alert after being threatened with revenge over the assassination of Imad Mughniyeh. Although Israel has denied involvement in the car bomb blast that killed the infamous terrorist in Syria, the radical Islamic movement Hezbollah threatened revenge. Israel put its military and embassies on high alert and advised Jewish institutions everywhere to follow suit.

Pravda reports Russian President Vladimir Putin has dismissed as “nonsense” reports he has amassed a personal fortune of tens of billions of euro during his eight years in office. Stanislav Belkovsky, a political analyst with close Kremlin ties, has claimed that Putin effectively controls stakes in Russian oil and gas companies worth €27.4bn, all hidden behind a network of offshore trusts. Denying the charges that would make him the richest man in Europe, Mr Putin said the overwhelming support of the Russian people was his “greatest wealth”.

South China Morning Post reports that China described US allegations of spying as "groundless" and urged it to stop its "Cold War thinking". The reaction came after a five people were charged with handing over military secrets to the Chinese.

Corriere della Sera quotes official figures showing that as many as five millions Italians are living on their own. ISTAT reports that singles make up 11 per cent of the population, excluding the two million Italians who are separated, divorced or widowed. Some people are single out of necessity but for others it is a life choice they make with pride. That’s why ANIS, the Italian singles’ association, has declared today, the feast of St Faustinus, to be National Singles’ Day.

Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Spanish giants Real Madrid have retained their position as the world's biggest revenue generating club for the third year in a row. According to Deloitte's new Football Money League, in 2006-07, their revenue increased by 20 per cent to €318m. Manchester United moved from fourth place to second, enjoying a 30 per cent revenue increase in 2006-07 to €286m. They could overtake Real the within two seasons.