Press digest

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

The Times says five Church schools are planning expansions costing a total of €20m. As a result in the coming years, Church Schools will cater for 44 per cent of schoolchildren.

The Malta Independent carries the speeches of the two political leaders on its front page. It quotes the Prime Minister saying job creation remains the government's priority. Dr Muscat complained of mediocrity in Maltese society.

In-Nazzjon says there are positive and encouraging signs in the economy. It also says the people were generous during collections for the Haiti earthquake victims.

l-orizzont says an important meeting will be held today between tuna farmers' cooperatives and the government on this year's catch. It also says that Prime Minister Gonzi made a u-turn on legal aid to people under arrest because he feared losing a vote in parliament.

The overseas press:

As prayers of thanksgiving and cries for help rose from Haiti's huddled homeless Sunday, The Jerusalem Post reported that a woman who was eight months pregnant gave birth in the Israeli field hospital in Haiti yesterday afternoon. The infant, a boy, was named Israel.

Il Tempo reports Pope Benedict defended Pope Pius XII against Jewish critics yesterday, telling the audience at a Rome synagogue that the Vatican worked quietly to save Jews from the Nazis during World War II. He spoke shortly after Jewish Community President Riccardo Pacifici criticized the war-time pope, saying his silence "still hurts as a failed action". Pope Benedict was welcomed with warm applause as he began his visit, which he predicted would improve relations between Catholics and Jews.

Kyiv Post reports pro-Russian opposition leader Viktor Yanukovich and populist Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko will face off in a second round of Ukrainian presidential elections after yesterday's poll failed to produce a clear winner. Yanukovich won 32 percent of the vote, ahead of Tymoshenko, who won 27 percent.

El Mercurio announced Conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera has won Chile's presidential run-off, ending two decades of centre-left rule. Social Democrat Eduardo Frei conceded defeat after results from 60 per cent of polling stations showed Mr Pinera with 52 per cent of the vote to Mr Frei's 48 per cent.

The Wall Street Journal says a ransom believed to be between $5.5 million and $7 million (€3.8-€4.8 million) for a Greek-flagged oil tanker was dropped onto the ship yesterday. The tanker Maran Centaurus has two million barrels of oil on board. The ransom is the largest ever paid to Somali pirates, who hijacked the tanker in November with 28 crew members on board.

Variety reports blockbuster sci-fi epic "Avatar has been named best film drama at the Golden Globe awards, boosting its chances of further glory at the Oscars in March. Its director James Cameron was also honoured at the event, held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles. Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep won the best actress prizes, with Jeff Bridges and Robert Downey Jr taking home their male equivalents. Presented each year by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, the Globes often indicate who and what will go on to receive Academy Awards.

Az-Zaman reports Ali Hassan al-Majid, Saddam Hussein's cousin known as "Chemical Ali", has been convicted of crimes against humanity and received his fourth death sentence, this time for his involvement in the poison gas attack on the Kurdish town of Halabja in 1988 that killed 5,600 people. Families of victims in court cheered when the judge handed down the guilty verdict in a trial for

Afghan Times says the Taliban have kidnapped two Chinese engineers and four Afghans accompanying them in the north of the country. The engineers were helping to build a road. The Talibans said their Islamic court or shura would decide on their fate.

According to a report in The Sun, Britain's Prince William found himself nursing a sensitive injury after playing rugby with a group of schoolboys while on tour in New Zealand. The prince gave an audible yelp and winced as a ball thrown by a schoolboy in Auckland hit him between the legs. William, 27, who is training to be a search and rescue helicopter pilot, was on his first overseas tour on behalf of Queen Elizabeth.

Malaysia's official Bernama news agency reports French climber Alain Robert, known as "Spiderman'' for his death-defying antics, has set his sights on scaling the world's tallest skyscraper - the 828-metre Dubai's Burj Khalifa tower. He said he would try the feat between January and April. Robert, 47, was in Malaysia to receive an award for his extraordinary feats in scaling tall buildings.

L'Equipe says French striker Thierry Henry will face FIFA's disciplinary committee today over his infamous handball against the Republic of Ireland. Henry's handball in the run-up to William Gallas' decisive goal in the World Cup qualifying play-off for France led to FIFA agreeing to have another look at video evidence, as well as considering whether to take action against the 32-year-old former Arsenal player.