Press digest

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

The Times says the Budget is expected to feature substantial help to foster carers so that more children would live in foster care rather than in institutions. The paper also reports that three women cannot be given shelter in a Church institution because the shelter does not have enough money to host them. In another story, a spokesman for the European Commission is reported distancing the EU from the decision of the European Court of Human Rights on crucifixes.

The Malta Independent says Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt has confirmed that utility bills are set to rise. It also reports that no one was injured in a Fino wood chip silo fire. In another story it reports the Archbishop's comments against the ban on the crucifix in public places in Italy.

l-orizzont quotes Archbishop Paul Cremona describing the ban on crucifixes as a new form of censorship. It also reports that a German woman died soon after a dive at Mgarr ix-Xini.

In-Nazzjon says a court based itself on what was said by the accused when it decided to close a case over alleged irregularities during voting in Zejtun for the European Parliament. The victims insisted they never agreed on a settlement, as the court was told.

The Press in Britain...

All national newspapers dedicate their front pages to the killing of five British soldiers in Afghanistan as they relaxed in a police base. The Independent says six other British soldiers two Afghan policemen were also critically injured by a rogue policeman who turned his machine gun on his colleagues.

The Daily Mirror adds the five soldiers were gunned down while having tea.

The Daily Mail has a picture of the bloody flak jacket of one of the soldiers and asks, "What kind of war is this?"

The Guardian says military commanders are urgently trying to assess the extent of any Taliban infiltration of the Afghan police force.

The Daily Telegraph reports that the incident has intensified the debate over the British mission in Afghanistan.

According to the Daily Star, the SAS has been ordered to hunt down the Afghani gunman.

The Times says the British soldiers had been living and working at the police checkpoint for about a fortnight as part of a team mentoring Afghan National Police officers.

"Our boys" were brutally murdered, The Sun reports, adding that top UK, US and Afghan commanders expressed deep regret for the incident and pledged it would be fully investigated.

And elsewhere...

The Jerusalem Post says Israeli commandos have seized a ship packed with weapons bound for Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas. The military said the weapons, the largest shipment it has ever found, were sent from Iran. Israel and Hezbollah fought a bitter war in 2006 that ended with a UN-brokered cease-fire, but occasional flare-ups occur.

Al Jazeera reports that Iranian security forces have attacked anti-government protesters on the streets of Tehran as state-sanctioned rallies to mark the 30th anniversary of the US Embassy takeover took place nearby. The counter-demonstrations were the opposition's first major show of force since mid-September following the disputed June presidential election.

Corriere della Sera leads with the conviction of a group of 23 CIA agents found guilty of kidnapping an Egyptian cleric from Italy. Former Milan CIA station chief Robert Seldon Lady received the highest sentence, eight years in prison. The other 22 American defendants each got five years. The Americans were tried in their absence. Five Italian defendants were acquitted because Italy withheld evidence, contending it was classified information.

Metro Express says Slovenia and Croatia have signed a deal to solve a thorny dispute over their maritime border. The disagreement has blocked Croatian attempts to join the European Union.

Le Parisien says Paris prosecutors have said they will not appeal a judge's decision to order former French President Jacques Chirac to stand trial in an alleged corruption case that predated his presidency. If convicted, he could be jailed for up to 10 years and disqualified from public office for 10 years. However, observers have said a prison sentence would be highly unlikely.

The International Herald Tribune reports that the US, the European Union and Mexico have called on the World Trade Organisation to probe Chinese curbs on raw material exports that they say break global trade rules.

USA Today reports police are preparing to tear apart the home of a convicted rapist where the bodies of 10 women have so far been found. Meanwhile Anthony Sowell appeared in court in Cleveland, Ohio, under tight security with his wrists and ankles manacled, before being remanded in custody. Prosecutor Brian Murphy called Sowell "an incredibly dangerous threat to the public".

The Herald Sun says two psychiatric patients have been stabbed to death at a Melbourne hospital, while another patient is being questioned by police. All three men had been convicted of murder.

El Universal reports that Mexican police have detained three doctors, a nurse and a receptionist suspected of stealing at least two newborn babies from a private hospital.

O Globo says a Brazilian bricklayer reportedly killed in a car crash shocked his mourning family by showing up alive at his funeral. Relatives of Ademir Jorge Goncalves, 59, had identified him as the victim of a car crash. What family members did not know was that he had spent the night at a truck stop talking with friends over drinks. He did not get word about his own funeral until it was already happening.

Iowa Independent reports that a household cat had tested positive for swine flu - the first known case in the world of the new pandemic strain spreading to the feline population.

International Business Times says Toyota has announced it will quit Formula One motor racing. The Japanese carmaker, the latest to leave the sport after BMW and Honda, said it needed to cut costs after "harsh economic realities" had taken an adverse effect on its core business".