Press digest

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

The Times reports the compilation of evidence against Allan Galea, who stands accused of the murder of Il-Bona.

The Malta Independent gives prominence to the base being granted in Malta to Ryanair. It also says that cocaine and alcohol was detected in il-bona's body.

In-Nazzjon highlights incentives to tourism being given by the government, as well as efforts to further increase the number of air links with Malta. The newspaper also reports that another pharma firm, Stirling, is preparing to open a factory in Malta.

l-orizzont says the government has been tight lipped on 'misleading' adverts on the energy benefits. It also says the GWU expressed solidarity with Geitu Mercieca after he was assaulted by a former union employee. It also reports that tourists will be charged €3.50 as an eco-contribution. The tax applies to all tourists and replaces the hotel bed tax.

The overseas press

Protests and praise greeted Greece's latest round of austerity measures. Ethnos reports the country's two main labour unions, representing half of Greece's workforce, have ordered their members to walk off the job this afternoon. A 24-hour mass strike is planned for March 16. The Financial Times says Prime Minister George Papandreou's new austerity measures have been cautiously welcomed by both the IMF and the European Central Bank as "solid and tangible" steps to get a grip on its debt crisis.

Meanwhile, Público reports Portugal's public sector workers' 24-hour stoppage disrupted schools, hospitals and public offices as government employees protested against a planned pay freeze and other spending cuts. Court hearings and waste collection were also affected.

Het Parool says the far-right Party for Freedom (PVV) of anti-Islam MP Geert Wilders came in first in Dutch municipal elections in Almere, east of Amsterdam, and second in The Hague, according to partial results.

Baltic News reports that some 50 ships, including ferries with thousands of passengers on board, have become stuck in ice in the Baltic Sea. Both Sweden and Finland have deployed ice breakers in the area to help the stranded vessels.

Reinische Post says four men linked to al Qaida have been jailed for a total of 28 years over a foiled plot to attack US targets in Germany that could have caused massive devastation. The attacks were planned to punish Germany for its involvement in Afghanistan.

Times of India says 37 children and 26 women were crushed to death in a stampede at a temple in northern India when a large metal gate fell onto some of the devotees. The crowd had gathered for a religious festival.

Aswat al Iraq reports a series of explosions targeted voters across Baghdad killing at least 17 people, heightening tension ahead of Sunday's parliamentary elections. Insurgents have repeatedly threatened to use violence to disrupt the elections, which will help determine who will oversee the country as US forces go home.

Cumhuriyet says Turkish prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reacted angrily to a US congressional panel's resolution describing as genocide killings of Christian Armenians in World War I. He said his country had been accused of a crime it did not commit, adding the resolution would harm Turkish-US relations. Golos Armeni says the Armenian government welcomed the vote, calling it "an important step towards the prevention of crimes against humanity".

De Morgen reports that Belgian police have raided sites in Brussels, Antwerp and other cities as part of an international investigation into connections with a Kurdish separatist group, the PKK, or Kurdistan Workers' Party - considered by the EU,the US and Turkey as a terrorist organization.

Metro says the European Court of Human Rights on Thursday began hearing a 71.7 billion euros claim against Russia by the executives of bankrupt oil company Yukos. The oil firm, once the largest in Russia, declared bankruptcy in 2006 after a multi-billion-dollar back-tax claim. Former executives say the company was broken up illegally by allies of then President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to consolidate his authority over Russia's influential tycoons.

La Repubblica reports that the late Pope John Paul II's case for sainthood may face delays because a miracle attributed to him would not be recognized by the Catholic Church. A French nun had claimed that she was cured of Parkinson's disease after praying to John Paul and asking him to intercede on her behalf. But the Vatican's medical commission determined that the woman's diagnosis was not fully confirmed, and that some people who have certain variants of the disease have been known to recover spontaneously.

Corriere della Sera reports that the judges in the trial of American Amanda Knox and her boyfriend Italian Raffaele Sollecito were fairly convicted of murdering British student Meredith Kercher after she refused to join in a sex game at her apartment in the Italian town of Perugia.

O Globo says a cruise liner has been placed under quarantine in Brazil after at least 310 of its passengers and crew came down with a gastrointestinal disorder.

Bennington Banner reports a fire department volunteer set his home ablaze twice in two days because he wanted insurance money to pay for his wife's infertility treatment. Ralph Brown, 41, from Vermont denies arson and other charges. Millions of Americans lack basic health insurance, and infertility treatments are not covered by all policies.