Press digest

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

The Times leads with the vote by the EU Budget Committee in favour of Louis Galea's nomination to serve in the European Court of Auditors. It also reports that writer Alex Vella Gera is to face criminal charges with regard to a story he wrote for the student newspaper Ir-Realta. The editor of the publication has already been charged.

The Malta Independent says Malta has started to issue Malta-only visas to Libyan visitors. It also highlights government assistance to herdsmen.

MaltaToday says Malta Shipyards, which is being privatised, will close on March 30.

In-Nazzjon says there was strong support in the European Parliament for Louis Galea's nomination. It also reports that the Pharmacy of Your Choice Scheme will be extended to Gozo.

l-orizzont carries a GWU statement where the union in a letter to the Minister of Health insisted that health services should be efficient but free of charge.

The overseas press

The Washington Times quotes US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton dismissing the idea that US-Israeli relations are in crisis amid a row over Jewish settlers in Arab East Jerusalem. She said the two nations had a "close, unshakeable bond" but it made clear the US wanted both Israel and the Palestinians to prove their commitment to peacev

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports that Palestinians clashed with Israeli police in two areas of occupied East Jerusalem after Palestinian groups called for a "day of rage" over the reopening of a synagogue in the Old City. v

The New York Times reports UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged restraint from both sides and reiterated that Jerusalem's final status should be decided by negotiation.

Sydney Morning Herald says Australia and New Zealand have begun airlifting aid to Fiji, battered by a powerful cyclone which sparked sea surges. v

El Mercurio quotes Chile's Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter saying last month's earthquake and tsunami killed 700 people and caused damages of nearly 21.7 billion euros.

Los Angeles Times says California has been shaken by a 4.4 magnitude earthquake. The tremor struck near Los Angeles at dawn, waking residents but causing no apparent damage or injuries.

Al Quds al-Arabi reports former Prime Minister Iyad Allawihas edged past Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki in results from Iraq's March 7 general election. The new initial results, reversing the lead that Maliki had taken in earlier counts over the past week, came on a day when twin bomb attacks in the town of Mussayab, 60 km south of the capital, killed eight people.

Gazete Ankara says a Turkish gay rights group has asked prosecutors to charge Family Affairs Minister Aliye Selma Kavaf for what they called her derogatory comments about homosexuality. Kavaf had said that she believed homosexuality was a "biological disorder, a disease".

Meanwhile, The New Yorker reports that Dublin Pride has criticised the St Patrick's Day Parade in New York City for its failure to include and allow representatives from the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender groups to participate.

Asia Observer reports anti-government protesters in Thailand poured bottles of their own blood outside the prime minister's office, a "sacrifice for democracy" after demands for elections were rejected.

A boy of six was left in agony after a nurse in an English hospital glued his eye shut. The Sun reports the adhesive dripped into Lewis Farrell's right eye as the nurse sealed a minor cut to his head. He can now open it, but it still hurts him. Selly Oak Hospital said the glue posed no risk and Lewis' eye would be fine in a few days. Nurses will use eye patches in the future.