Le Monde (France)
SIDA : ce qu’il reste à découvrir
AIDS: what's still to be discovered

We begin with a sad anniversary – 25 years ago to the day, on May 20 1983, the Science review published an article identifying the HIV virus. French daily le Monde runs an article reminding us of what we still have to discover about HIV/AIDS. Today, anti-retroviral drugs can contain the virus once a person has been infected – but we still have no vaccine and no cure. Indeed, the article is an important reminder that the AIDS epidemic is still growing fast.


The New York Times (USA)
Obama Expected to Hit Milestone in Tuesday’s Vote

Onto the US, where Tuesday will be another big night. Kentucky and Oregon are voting today in their presidential primaries, and American papers are talking of a “milestone” for Barack Obama, who is set to confirm his lead on rival Hillary Clinton.
But the New York Times says Obama will be a modest winner. He’s issued a directive to his campaign not to declare outright victory against Clinton – because he needs to win over her supporters and rally the party behind him. “Obama doesn’t want to appear as if he is pushing Mrs. Clinton out of the race”. On the other side, the paper portrays Clinton as hell-bent on fighting till the end, with the former First Lady repeating that “this is nowhere near over”.


The Washington Post (USA)
Democrats Observe a Fragile Cease-Fire

The Washington Post describes a slightly different situation. This daily sees the current state of affairs as a “fragile cease-fire”. They say Clinton recognizes privately that Obama is ahead – but that she’s trying to finish the race honorably and on her own terms. They note that she’s recently scaled down her attacks on Obama… And that in return, she expects his campaign to be generous, and avoid claiming victory aggressively.


Le Figaro (France)
Obama prepare son couronnement
Obama ready to be crowned

The French press is also interested in the race for the White House, with right-wing paper Le Figaro headlining on it today. To them too, Obama’s win is practically a given – the fight begins, they say, between him and Republican nominee John McCain. The paper also runs an article about how Obama will wait to declare victory – saying this modesty is a strategy to help keep the party together.


The New York Post (USA)
2008 Democratic Fight Night

And finally we’ve got the New York Post, which has created a funny game on its website – it’s a fight between Obama and Clinton, a boxing game to be exact. You can click on your favorite candidate and punch the other until he’s out… 


Libero (Italy)
Arriva l’irachena Contini e l’imam prega Silvio
As Iraq's Contini arrives, the imam prays Silvio

After US politicians fighting dirty here’s another story about dirt – or more exactly garbage. As we all know, the Italian city of Naples has been plagued by a trash management crisis. Well, tomorrow the new government will hold its first official meeting, and they will notably discuss this problem.
Italian daily Libero reports that the imam of Naples’ mosque has asked Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi to find a solution… According to the article, the imam hopes Berlusconi will be able to “save” Naples.


Il Corriere della Sierra (Italy)
La Battaglia Decisiva
The decisive battle

Daily Corriere della Sierra runs a cartoon showing Berlusconi, not as a savior, but a would-be magician – trying to get the trash to disappear… And failing miserably. The paper says tomorrow’s meeting will be crucial – with an editorial entitled “The Decisive Battle”. The writer says Berlusconi’s credibility is at stake – as is Italy’s international image, which has greatly suffered from this crisis.


Liberation (France) 
Voir Naples et pourrir
See Naples and rot

And indeed foreign papers are also commenting on the garbage situation. Today, French left-wing daily Libération devoted its front page to it – with a witty headline, “Voir Naples et pourrir”. It’s a word play on an Italian expression: “see Naples and die” (of happiness). Well, here, the headline says “see Naples and rot”… like the trash.


La Stampa (Italy)
Monica, diva maledetta
Monica, cursed diva

But, we’re ending on something Italy is proud of – that’s screen siren Monica Bellucci. The beauty made her appearance at the Cannes film festival on Monday, and of course Tuesday’s papers pounced on the event.

Among them is the Corriere della Sierra, as well as La Stampa – calling her the “cursed Diva”. Bellucci is presenting her latest film, called Sanguepazzo – directed by Marco Tullio Giordana. And she’s indeed a cursed diva in the motion picture – she portrays an actress who collaborated with the fascist regime in the 1940s. French daily Aujourd’hui en France also features a picture of the Italian beauty on today’s front page.