Press digest

The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:

The Times says the Opposition yesterday forced an urgent power station debate in Parliament. It also says bus owners have been given an extra $3 million, raising compensation as part of the transport reform to €55 million.

The Malta Independent also focuses on the agreement reached with the bus owners. It also reports that a legal notice has been published providing for the publication of pictures as part of health warnings on cigarette packets.

In-Nazzjon, after the bus owners' story, says a strong southerly wind caused damages at Marsaxlokk yesterday. It also says that a Russian woman holding a Maltese passport has been held for drug possession in Naples.

l-orizzont quotes GWU general secretary Tony Zarb saying the power tariffs would continue to burden the people and that 60,000 people are at risk of poverty in Malta.

The international press

The Washington Times reports President Barack Obama has vowed to boost jobs growth and impose tough new regulations on Wall Street. In his first State of the Union address, he told the US Congress he wanted legislation to spur jobs on his desk "without delay" as the nation grappled with double-digit unemployment.

Tribune de Genève quotes President Sarkozy calling for a fundamental rethink of capitalism in the aftermath of the financial crisis. In his keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the French leader said the world needed a "profound change". His comments came as bankers and regulators clashed over proposals to break up banks that threaten the whole financial system.

An Nahar says the "black box" flight recorders from the Ethiopian Airlines jet which crashed off the coast of Lebanon two days ago have been located 1.3km underwater, 10km west of Beirut.

Agencie France Press quotes President Rene Preval of Haiti saying some 170,000 bodies had already been counted since the January 12 earthquake, substantially higher than previous toll estimates of 150,000. Meanwhile, a 17-year-old girl has been rescued alive from the rubble. Severely dehydrated, she seemed happy althogh shocked. She was rushed to a French-run field hospital for treatment.

The Guardian dissects the evidence given by former British Attorney-General Lord Goldsmith at the Chilcot inquiry. He described how he gave the "green light" for military action against Iraq just a month after expressing concerns about the legality of the war.

The Times reports world leaders at an international conference on Yemen believe that terrorism in the country would have to be fought at its roots. The foreign ministers of the Yemen, Britain and the US all said anti-terror tactics alone would not work as a security crackdown alone would have little impact on the country.

De Standaard says seven bodies have been recovered from the rubble after a five-storey apartment block was ripped apart by an apparent gas explosion in Liege. At least 21 people were injured; two are in a critical condition. Immediately after the explosion, fire swept through the 100-year-old building.

South China Morning Post reveals North Korea has detained an American for illegally entering the country across the border with China.

Deutsche Welle quotes the results of a new survey of 11 cities in Europe that find that the majority of Muslim immigrants feel well-integrated in their new homes but still feel discriminated against. Between 15 to 20 million Muslims live in the EU, and that number is expected to double by 2025.

The Irish Independent reports an eight year old boy has secured €3 million in settlement of his High Court action over the severe injuries he suffered at birth. He claimed he has cerebral palsy, is unable to speak and will require a wheelchair as a result of medical negligence by the hospital and the consultant obstetrician.

Europa Press news agency says a 22-year-old student in Barcelona caused panic when he arrived at his college dressed in military gear and carrying what appeared to be real weapons to "play a joke" on his fellow students and teachers. Police in bullet-proof vests rushed to the school and arrested him and the school's authorities suspended him for two weeks.

The lieutenant governor of South Carolina is under fire for comparing people on welfare to "stray animals". Fox News reported Andre Bauer, a Republican, said the government should stop "feeding" welfare recipients who do not meet certain requirements because "they breed". He made the comments at a town hall meeting in while arguing for fundamental changes to welfare to break the "cycle of dependency".

The Irish Times reports an Irish farmer has got the backing of MEPs in Brussels for his campaign to find out why his animals have stunted growth, weight loss and poor milk yields. The European Parliament's Petitions Committee has been hearing the case of Dan Brennan from Kilkenny, who claimed toxic chemicals have been found in the animals' blood.

Clarin says President Cristina Fernandez of Argentina has recommended pork as an alternative to Viagra. She told leaders of the pig farming industry she spent a satisfying weekend with her husband after eating barbecued pig meat. Argentines are the world's biggest per capita consumers of beef, but the government has sought to promote pork as an alternative in recent years due to rising steak prices and as a way to diversify the meat industry.