Press digest

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

The Times leads with comments by a judge who called for justice to be administered more quickly. It also follows up the case of Gozitan teachers who went to London when they were on sick leave.

The Malta Independent says the rebuilding of Valletta Road, Zurrieq, is to be completed by August.

In-Nazzjon says the Church is committed to working with the government on education reform. It also says arrests have been made in connection with the hold-up at Casino' di Venezia.

l-orizzont says 41 per cent of Maltese have, in a survey, put inflation as their biggest problem, following by illegal immigration. It also says that the GWU has ordered industrial action by clerical staff in government schools.

The overseas press

Börzen Zeitung reports that stock markets across the world tumbled again yesterday as fears intensified that the fragile global economic recovery could be destabilised and the eurozone split by the deepening financial crisis in Spain, Portugal, Greece and other "weak link" members of the European single currency. Yesterday was yet another disappointing day for European stock markets, which have lost some €220 billion. In foreign exchange markets, the euro slumped to its weakest level against the dollar since May, and its weakest level against the yen for more than a year.

The International Herald Tribune reports that Danish special forces stormed a ship captured by armed Somali pirates and freed the 25 crew on board - the first time a warship has intervened during a hijacking. An EU naval spokesman said Danish special forces approached the Ariella in inflatable dinghies, scaled the side of the ship and freed the 25 crew, who had locked themselves in a secure room. The forces continued to search the vessel for the pirates.

The Wall Street Journal reports that a subsidiary of a British company has pleaded guilty over the illegal export of Boeing 747 aircraft to Iran. Balli Aviation Ltd will pay a $2 million criminal fine, be placed on probation for five years and agreed to a $15m civil settlement between the US government, the subsidiary and its parent company, British-based Balli Group Plc.

Meanwhile, in the UK, The Financial Times Guardian says British defence firm BAE Systems is set to plead guilty to criminal charges and pay £286 million in fines to settle corruption claims in the UK and US. The sum is one of the biggest ever fines over alleged corporate bribery after striking a deal to end transatlantic corruption probes.

Variety reports that Harry Potter star Emma Watson has been named as the highest paid female actress in Hollywood. According to a list compiled by Vanity Fair magazine, 19-year-old Watson's income last year was £19 million. The top 40 list was topped by director Michael Bay who made the Transformers film. His income is estimated at £79 million with Steven Spielberg second with £54million. James Cameron, the director of £1.1billion-grossing Avatar, was fourth with £31.7million.

The Irish Independent says a jury has failed to reach a verdict in the trial of a man accused of raping a woman as her boyfriend slept beside her in a Tipperary hotel room. The 27-year-old accused had pleaded not guilty to raping the woman at the hotel in 2008. The jury had been deliberating for over eight hours after a 10-day trial before they told the court they did not think they would agree on a verdict.

The front pages of the British Nationals are dominated by John Terry being stripped of the England captaincy after his alleged affair. The Sun has what it says is an exclusive interview with the player, where he admits he is "gutted". The Daily Mail reports England manager Fabio Capello took just 10 minutes to take the skipper's job away from Terry.

Veterinary Record publishes the results of a study which reveals that clever people are more likely to own cats than dogs. Researchers found that people with degrees were found to favour cats -possibly because longer working hours leave less time to devote to a dog. Dogs were more likely to be owned by households with gardens and rural households. Domestic populations of both animals may have risen by eight million in 20 years.