Malta and international press digest

The following are the top headlines in the local and international press:

Two stories make it to the front pages of most of the newspapers.

The Times reports how 11 trade unions have urged the people not to pay their utility bills before 45 days of receipt as a protest over the steep increases which came into force in October. It also reports how the MUT has ordered kindergarten assistants and supply teachers to report late for work on Friday next week.

The Malta Independent also reports the directive by the unions. It also reports the United Nations High Commission for Refugees urging Mediterranean countries to ensure protection for migrants.

In-Nazzjon leads with the start of the removal of the Magic Kiosk in Sliema. It also reports that the government has again told the trade unions to go to the Resources Authority for an explanation of their technical difficulties over the utility tariffs.

l-orizzont leads with the directive by the 11 trade unions and the industrial action by kindergarten assistants and supply teachers.

The Press in Britain

The Daily Mirror leads with the shooting of a postmaster's son in a robbery by a gang of three masked men, saying the 29-year old died whilst trying to protect his father.

The Daily Mail reports how a baby designed to be free of a gene likely to cause breast cancer has sparked severe criticism.

The Times says the new genetic tests are now being offered to people without a family history of the disease.

The Daily Telegraph claims unemployed university graduates are to be offered Government-backed internships with leading businesses.

The same story is in The Guardian, which reports that this year's graduates will face the toughest battle for jobs in a generation.

The Independent reports the world's largest oil company ExxonMobil has called for a carbon tax to tackle global warming.

The Daily Express claims that millions of families will soon be forced to use giant communal bins in their street.

And elsewhere…

Al Jeezera reports fierce fighting is continuing in the Gaza Strip as both Israel and Hamas militants defy a UN call for an immediate end to hostilities in the Gaza Strip.

The New York Times says the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert overnight to express disappointment over the Jewish state's defiance of a Security Council call for an immediate ceasefire.

The Jerusalem Post quotes the office of the Israeli Prime Minister warning that the military "will continue acting to protect Israeli citizens and will carry out the missions it is given". Felesteen reports Hamas officials said the group is "not interested" in the ceasefire because it does not meet its minimum demands.

Meanwhile, Al-Arabiya says the death toll in Gaza continues to rise with medics reporting at least 800 dead Palestinians, a third of them children. Ten Israeli soldiers and four civilians have been killed since the Israeli offensive began a fortnight ago.

Tribune de Geneve reports the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has called for an independent probe into violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza conflict.

The European Union is seeking to finalize a gas monitoring deal to allow the resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe via Ukraine. Kyiv Post says the current EU President and Czech Prime Minister, Mirek Topolanek, is in Kiev to seal an agreement on the deployment of EU monitors who are to ensure that a gas pipeline through Ukraine is not tampered with.

Gulf News reports Somali pirates have released the Sirius Star, the 330 metre Saudi supertanker seized last November with its €74million cargo. The ransom paid for the ship’s release has not been revealed. The pirates originally demanded €18m but recently that appeared to have been reduced to €2.5m.

USA Today says the Illinois House of Representatives has impeached Governor Rod Blagojevich for abuse of power, including a charge that he tried to sell President-elect Barack Obama's former US Senate seat. Repeating he had committed no wrongdoing, Blagojevich dismissed the impeachment, the first ever of an Illinois governor.

Aviation Week & Space Technology announces Boeing plans to cut about 4,500 jobs this year due to the global economic crisis.

Turkish Daily News says police have unearthed anti-tank weapons, hand grenades, bullets and explosives near Ankara in a probe into an alleged plot to topple the Islamist-rooted government. Anti-terror police dug up the area on the basis of documents seized from a former police chief who is one of 40 suspects detained on Wednesday.

Al Ahram says Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered what are thought to be the mummified remains of Queen Sesheshet, the mother of a pharaoh who ruled for 11 years in around 2,300 BC.

The New York Post says former Sopranos actor Lillo Brancato Jr has been jailed for 10 years for his role in a burglary that ended in the killing of a New York police officer.