Press digest

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

The Times leads with the €1 million loss suffered by the Church in Malta. It also features the World Cup draws.

The Malta Independent features the experience of a rehabilitated drug addict. It also reports the anti-censorship protest at the university.

In-Nazzjon says €27 million are being invested in e-learning facilities in schools. Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees is also featured on his arrival in Malta.

l-orizzont says the GWU has published a report on the Fairmount ship conversion ‘scandal' insisting that €80m were lost by Malta Shipyards.

The international press:

The Daily Telegraph says almost two million Britons have accepted pay cuts or chosen to work part-time in an attempt to save their jobs.

The Daily Express claims millions of people face a raid on their pensions in new plans being considered by Labour.

The Daily Mirror claims that England player David Beckham cannot believe his luck - as his side could be in the easiest group.

Most Italian national newspapers lead with the guilty verdicts passed on former lovers Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito of the murder of British student Meredith Kercher during an extreme sex game. American Knox, 22, was sentenced to 26 years in prison and Italian Sollecito, 25, to 25 years. Prosecutors said the pair killed 21-year-old Miss Kercher in what began as a sex game and ended with Sollecito holding her down while Knox cut her throat with a six-inch kitchen knife. Both are expected to appeal against the verdict.

Russian state television news channel Vesti says an explosion, apparently caused by pyrotechnics, has torn through a nightclub in the Russian city of Perm, killing more than 100 people. It was not immediately clear if the pyrotechnics were kept in storage at the club or were being used as part of a show.

Jakarta Post reports that at least 20 people have been killed and two remain in a critical condition after fire engulfed a third-floor karaoke bar in Medan on Sumatra. It is believed the blaze was caused by an electrical short circuit.

O Globo says some 20 people, including four children, have died and thousands are homeless after mudslides triggered by heavy rains across southern Brazil.

According to Dawn, a suspected Taliban suicide attack on a mosque near Pakistan's army headquarters has killed at least 36 people and wounded many others.

Il Tempo says convicted Mafia hitman Gaspare Spatuzza has claimed Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi made a deal with the mob in the 1990s in exchange for political support. Mr Berlusconi denied the allegations.

The Irish Times reports the government will press ahead with €1.3 billion public sector pay cuts after talks with unions on alternatives dramatically collapsed. Prime Minister Brian Cowen rejected other cost-saving proposals including 12 days unpaid leave, claiming they were not acceptable.

Al Jamaharia announces Italian archaeologists have discovered the remains of an ancient Roman city submerged off the coast of Libya. The remains of the city date back to the 2nd century AD. Archaeologists found walls, streets, and the remains of buildings and ancient tombs.

USA Today reports a man from Guatemala is under arrest after US customs inspectors at Dulles International Airport discovered he was carrying a cooked chicken stuffed with cocaine worth more than 4,000 US dollars (€2,700).

Chicago Tribune says a baby was born on a Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Salt Lake City, with the pilot diverting to Denver to ensure mother and son received proper medical care. The baby boy and his mother were in good health. The woman's husband and their other children were also on the flight.