Press digest

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

The Times says the new bus fares will reward those who travel frequently. It also says doctors have taken a step back from planned industrial action, postponing actions by four weeks in an effort to have problems with the government resolved.

The Malta Independent reports that the number of bus commuters in the past 20 years went down by 46 million. It also says that there is a promising future for the financial services industry once the current international crisis is over.

In-Nazzjon says the bus service will be improved while on average retaining today's fares.

l-orizzont leads with a GWU statement saying it would resist a proposal by the Chamber of Commerce which would see people paying for their health-service medicines, only to be refunded later. It also quotes the MUMN president saying occupational health and safety at Mater Dei is nonexistent.

The Press in Britain...

The Guardian says that a British government scheme aimed at preventing violent extremism is being used to gather evidence about innocent people.

According to the Financial Times, billionaire investor Raj Rajaratnam and present and former executives of Bear Stearns, IBM, Intel and McKinsey have been charged in an alleged insider trading scheme labelled the "biggest ever involving hedge funds".

The Daily Telegraph claims tax authorities are investigating 27 MPs in the wake of the expenses scandal.

The Daily Mail claims at least one MP is expected to be prosecuted over the parliamentary expenses scandal.

The Daily Express reports a plane full of Iraqis was turned away at Baghdad airport and sent back to Britain.

The Sun reports that some members of Boyzone paid tribute to their friend and former bandmate Stephen Gately by having tattoos done in his memory.

The Daily Star claims X Factor judge Simon Cowell called Dannii Minogue an idiot after comments she made on the show.

And elsewhere...

La Tribune de Genève reports the UN Human Rights Council has voted to refer a Gaza war crimes report to the Security Council, possibly setting up international prosecution of Israelis and Palestinians accused of war crimes.

Meanwhile, Haartez quotes an Israeli Foreign Ministry statement rejecting the council's decision to endorse a report accusing Israel of committing war crimes during its winter conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Calling the decision "unjust", it said Israel would continue to exercise its right to self-defense and to preserve the security of its citizens.

Gazea Polska announces the United States will deploy ground-to-air Patriot missiles in Poland next year and is discussing its plans for a new anti-missile system with Warsaw.

Zimbabwe Independent reports Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai is disengaging from the unity government because of the "persecution" of a top aide.

Sydney Morning Herald says five men who stockpiled bomb-making instructions and bought explosive chemicals have been convicted today of Australia's largest terrorist conspiracy. A jury in Sydney deliberated for a month before finding the men guilty. Each faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.

Colombo Page reports that some 250 ethnic Tamils seeking asylum in Australia and staging a hunger strike aboard their boat in Indonesia have labelled Kevin Rudd heartless. But the Australian prime minister says he will not bow to their emotional blackmail.

Dawn says three suicide bombers including a woman have killed 13 people in an attack on a police station in north-western Pakistan. It was the latest in a surge of terrorist attacks which have claimed more than 150 lives in Pakistan over the last 11 days.

Afghan Times reports four American soldiers have been killed in a bombing in southern Afghanistan, bringing the number of American military killed in Afghanistan this month to 25.

Le Parisien says some 150 French farmers demanding more government help have covered the Champs-Elysees in Paris with bales of hay and set it ablaze to protest against slumping grain prices. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames.

USA Today reports a16-year-old student has been shot dead after stabbing a police officer at a school in South Carolina. The high school, which has some 1,975 students, was closed in the wake of the incident.

The Age leads with the story of a six-month-old baby who has miraculously survived a train hitting his pushchair after it had rolled onto tracks in Melbourne. The train pushed the buggy about 40 metres along the tracks before it stopped.

The New Yorker says the US government is to investigate problems connected with laser eye-correcting surgery, which include blurred vision and dry eyes. The FDA says the first phase of the project is already under way.

Louisiana's Hammond Star reports that an interracial couple has been denied a marriage licence by an official who considers their union morally wrong.