Press digest

The following are the top stories in the local and international press today:

The Times leads with the Attorney General’s appeal from the Magistrates’ Court decision to acquit Godwin Scerri of rape.

In-Nazzjon and l-Orizzont also lead with this story. L-orizzont has a story on compensation to petrol pump owners for the modernisation of their stations. In-Nazzjon discusses the financial markets.

The Independent says that the Maltese authorities are investigating the case of a pregrant Phillipine woman who was paid to come to Malta to give up her child for adoption.

The international press

Al Jazeera reports scenes of jubilation in many parts of Libya as rebel forces wrestled control of the towns of Zawiya and Zlitan and the strategic oil terminal of Brega. All throughout Friday, the rebels had been involved in fierce battles. In Zlitan, forces loyal to Gaddafi used tanks and heavy weapons to repel the rebel’s attacks, killing some 30 rebels and wounding another 150 injured. As the rebels advanced, plans were being made to evacuate thousands of foreign workers stranded in the city.

Associated Press says that the rebels captured the industrial town of Brega in the early hours of Saturday, after fighting for its control for over a week. Correspondents say Brega's capture was an important boost for the rebels because it contains Libya's second-largest hydrocarbon complex and is where the country's main oil fields feed into for refining. The territory remaining under Gadhafi's control has been shrinking dramatically in the past three weeks, with opposition fighters moving closer to Tripoli, a metropolis of two million people, from the west, south and east.

Reuters reports that Gaddafi's former right-hand man, Abdel Salam Jalloud, has defected to rebel-held territory. Jalloud, seen as second in command before falling out of Gaddafi's favour in the 1990s, was prime minister from 1972 to 1977. Following his dispute with Gaddafi, he had retired from politics. He was reportedly stripped of his passport and put under virtual house arrest, following a disagreement with Gaddafi.

El Pais says Pope Beneddict listened to prayers for victims of sexual abuse on Friday as he presided at a huge procession for tens of thousands of young people in Madrid. The Pope's second day Spain capital culminated with a Way of the Cross procession in central Madrid, during which prayers were read for different sectors of society that were suffering. Riot police chased about 1,000 demonstrators protesting to the cost of the visit.

The Financial Times says the Japanese yen reached its highest level against the dollar since World War Two and gold hit a record on Friday amid continued investor concerns about a double-dip recession. Hong Kong's Hang Seng index fell three percent, while Japan's Nikkei lost more than two-and-a-half percent. The main indexes in Europe extended losses from the previous day – declining more than one percent as the trading day closed. Wall Street added to its losses this week, following warnings from investment bank Morgan Stanley that the United States and the 17 nations that use the euro may be on the brink of a recession.

The Guardian says prison chiefs fear potential unrest and violence as jails are becoming more overcrowded because rioters are filling up cells. The i newspaper reports on a leaked memo from the Ministry of Justice which reveals concerns about the safety of rioters on remand.

Al Arabiya quotes activists in Syria saying the security forces have killed at least 20 people as thousands of anti-government protesters took to the streets. The reports came despite President Assad’s assurance that military operations had stopped.

Al Ayyam reports that Isreali aircarft have continued strikes on the Gaza strip in retaliation for attacks that killed eight Israelis last Thursday. The newspaper quotes medical workers in Gaza said several people were killed including a number of militants.

NRP reports that more than 300,000 children in the Horn of Africa were severely malnourished "and in imminent risk of dying" because of drought and famine. The radio quotes UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake telling reporters that tens of thousands of people have died in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. He warned that the famine hasn't peaked. More than 12 million people in the region need food aid.