Press digest

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

The Times says a clause of the adoptions law which had been unfair to married couples has been amended. The clause had said the married couples had be married for three years before they could adopt. This did not apply for couples who were cohabiting. The new clause says (all) couples have to be married or living together for three years before they can adopt.

The Malta Independent says the government is considering setting up a Malta Cultural Institute to promote everything Maltese abroad. It also says that the number of operations at Mater Dei in January increased by 100 to 3,202.

In-Nazzjon quotes the prime minister saying that government decisions are yielding jobs and a strong economy. It also says the Mnajdra visitors' centre is nearing completion.

l-orizzont quotes Dr Chris Fearne asking if there will be more burdens on low income people as a result of the primary healthcare reform. It also features the Archbishop's apology to child migrants.

The overseas press

Le Parisien reports France's Socialists beat President Nicolas Sarkozy's UMP party in the first round of regional elections in a contest that was marked by record-low voter turnout of 53.65 per cent. Final official results gave the opposition Socialists 29.48 percent of votes, with the UMP candidates tallying 26.18 percent. European Greens gathered 12.47 percent, ahead of the right-wing National Front's 11.74 percent.

L'Osservatore Romano shot down suggestions that the celibate priesthood was to blame for the "deviant behaviour" of a small number of clerics. The Vatican newspaper noted that study after study had shown no link between celibacy and a tendency to abuse minors. The article also defended the Pope as a "vigilant shepherd of his flock" in confronting the crisis decisively early on, in denouncing the "filth" in the priesthood and in taking charge of abuse cases himself.

Abbot Martin Werlen of the Benedictine Abbey of Einsiedeln told Mittelland-Zeitung that the Catholic Church in Switzerland was investigating 60 claims of sexual abuse by priests. Werlen emphasized the church itself would not press charges and intended to advise victims to do so themselves.

The Irish Examiner says the head of Catholic Church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, was urged to resign after he admitted being at meetings where teenagers signed an oath not to reveal the church was investigating Fr Brendan Smyth in 1975. Fr Smyth - who is believed to have abused hundreds of children over a 40-year period - was finally jailed in the mid-1990s and died in prison.

China Today reports Premier Wen Jiabao has warned that the world risks sliding back into recession and that his country faced a difficult year trying to maintain economic growth and spur development.

Pravda says voters in 76 of Russia's 83 regions went to the polls in regional elections which would gauge the ruling United Russia party's ability to garner support at a time of economic hardship and high unemployment.

The Jerusalem Post says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has tried to play down the unusually bitter diplomatic row with the US over Israel's announcement of plans to build 1,600 homes for Jews in East Jerusalem. In his first public comments on the matter, he told his Cabinet he was sorry about the diplomatic fiasco and had ordered an investigation into the incident, claiming he had no prior knowledge.

Even after Netanyahu's apology, the US condemnation showed no sign of easing. Speaking on NBC television, President Barack Obama's chief political adviser, David Axelrod, called Israel's action an "affront" and an "insult."

In the UK, The Times quotes Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg accusing the Tories of trying to frighten voters with a warning about market chaos in the event of a hung parliament.

Asia Times reports more than 4,000 followers of a conservative Islamic group held peaceful demonstrations in several Indonesian cities against the planned visit of President Barack Obama.

The Boston Herald reveals Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams came under fire after supporting St Patrick's Day events in America which exclude women and gays.

Asia Observer reports a 6.6 earthquake hit central Japan, shaking buildings in crowded Tokyo. It struck off the eastern coast of central Japan, at a depth of about 40 km. No tsunami alerts were issued and there were no reports of casualties or damage.

The Daily Express says a British man and woman who are appealing a month's jail sentence in Dubai for kissing in public, must wait until next month to find out if they will be jailed.

Variety reports the death of Peter Graves, star of the classic TV series "Mission: Impossible" and disaster-spoof movie "Airplane!". He was 83.

According to Metro, David Beckham's dreams of playing in a fourth World Cup looked doomed after he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon injury. The 34-year-old former England captain Beckham twisted his left ankle during the final minutes of Sunday's AC Milan's win over Chievo at the San Siro.