Malta and international press digest

The following are the leading stories in Maltese and foreign newspapers.

The Times leads with the arraignment of a Sri Lankan man accused of raping a 60-year-old woman whom he used to meet on the bus.

The Malta Independent says 520 jobs were created through the HSBC call centre but leads with this evening’s meeting of the PN general council which is expected to approve the party’s electoral manifesto.

In-Nazzjon quotes IT Minister Austin Gatt saying the government was is in the final stages of negotiations with a Swedish company to open a call centre in Malta which would employ 200 workers.

Il-Gens illum quotes Ombudsman Joseph Said Pullicino denying that the MEPA auditor had formed any opinion in his audit report on the Sant’Antin re-cycling plant and was still conducting investigations. It also announces that Lyceum entrance examinations are here stay.

l-orizzont reports that three men who did not return to Malta from the Netherlands in January are under arrest in Germany accused with cocaine possession and trafficking. However, it leads with the revelation by Labour MP George Vella, during a televised debate yesterday, that Parliamentary Secretary Tonio Fenech donated €46,600 (Lm20,000) from the Good Causes Fund to the Birkirkara Lawn Tennis Club, which hails from his own electoral district.

The Press in Britain

Five dailies focus on the comments by coroners in two separate inquests into the death of a young officer in Afghanistan and two soldiers in Iraq.

According to the Daily Mail, both inquests showed they died because of the Army's 'unforgiveable and inexcusable' failure to provide basic combat equipment.

The Scotsman leads with the same story - and reports the soldier died because troops in Afghanistan lacked basics including machine guns.The Sun says the Ministry of Defence was said to have been slammed by the coroner and claims night goggles could have saved the para who was "a sitting target".

The Record says the Ministry of Defence was accused of an "unforgivable and inexcusable" breach of trust by sending British soldiers to Afghanistan without basic equipment.

The Times says “breach of trust” cost the para’s life but leads with a report that claims the tide has turned in UK migration: rising living costs make Britain a less attractive destination for migrants.

The Daily Express carries a warning by experts that Britain's pension schemes face a multi-billion-pound black hole which could have consequences for millions as firms have been underestimating how long people are living, leaving shortfalls in their pension pots.

The Guardian reports genetically-modified crops may be grown in secret locations in the UK amid fears anti-GM campaigners are winning the battle over the controversial technology.The Daily Telegraph leads with a story about thousands of salmon products being recalled from eight supermarket chains amid fears they could be contaminated.

The Independent carries a top model agent’s insight into the race discrimination holding back black models.

The Daily Star says James Bond star Daniel Craig was caught-up in a real life gun battle on the set of the new 007 movie. It is reported one man died and dozens were injured.

The Daily Mirror says Posh and Becks have married again, completing the ceremony with new vows and new tattoos.

And elsewhere… Ilaria Post reports that the prime minister of the Serbian province of Kosovo has again refused to say when his government plans to declare independence. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci used a press conference in the provincial capital, Pristina, to pledge that his government would ensure that the rights of Kosovo's ethnic minorities, including Serbs in particular, are protected. There is speculation that Kosovo will declare independence on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Le Courrier des Balkans leads with the swearing-in ceremony in Belgrade of the newly re-elected Serbian President Boris Tadic. Shortly afterwards, he pledged to do everything in his power to ensure that Kosovo remains part of Serbia. Belgrade has threatened to take retaliatory economic and diplomatic measures if and when the ethnic-Albanian majority province declares independence. However it has ruled out taking military action.

Ceske Noviny says the Czech parliament has elected incumbent President Vaclav Klaus to a second five-year term in office. Klaus, who is known as an outspoken eurosceptic, beat independent economist Jan Svenjar in the third round of voting. Klaus' re-election is seen as an important victory for Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek, whose Civil Democratic Party, nominated Klaus.

Washington Post quotes UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon saying he has asked President Bush for his support in efforts to resolve global problems. Speaking to reporters following a meeting with Bush at the White House, Ban noted the importance of US participation in efforts to combat climate change. The US president expressed strong support for Ban and his efforts to make the UN a constructive force for good.

Al-Ayyam says at least seven people have been killed and 40 others wounded after an explosion at the house of a senior activist with the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip. Islamic Jihad officials said Israel had targeted the house of Ayman Atallah Fayed in an air strike, and is reported to be among the fatalities together with members of his family. T

he Nation quotes former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan saying the Kenyan government and the main opposition party have agreed to set up an independent review of the disputed December election that returned President Mwai Kibaki to power. Annan also expressed the hope that the two parties would soon agree to enter some form of broad coalition.

According to a report in the Süddeutsche Zeitung newspaper, federal prosecutors in the western German city of Bochum say they are investigating several hundred people, including celebrities, on allegations of tax evasion. Prosecutors believe the suspects have avoided German tax on more than three billion euros, by moving the funds to banks in Liechtenstein.

Ultima Hora says the government of Paraguay has declared a state of emergency in an effort to contain the spread of yellow fever. The government has called on the international community to send vaccination serum to meet the growing demand for the injections. Each year, an estimated 200,000 people contract the mosquito-borne disease and of those, about 30,000 die.