Press digest

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

The Times says Malta is standing firm on issuing limited territory visas to Libyans despite EU concerns. It also reports that Maltese soldiers involved in a clash with civilians in Greece acted in self-defence.

The Malta Independent says MEP Edward Scicluna has asked the EU commission to take action to prevent electricity interruptions to families who cannot pay their bills. It also says the constitution may be amended to allow prisoners to vote in the general election, in line with a EU court decision.

In-Nazzjon reports that the government has welcomed an EU decision which found that Malta did not violate rules when it extended the development zones in 2006. It also says that a Swiss company, BWA Yachting has opened offices in Malta.

l-orizzont also leads with Prof Scicluna's question to the European Commission on the suspension of the electricity supply to families. It also says that a Maltese group in the consortium which won the management of the Dragaona Casino had commercial links with former a Malta Gaming Authority official.

The overseas press:

Al Jazeera quotes Palestinian officials saying at least 12 people have been injured by Israeli air strikes targeting Gaza's disused airport. It was the second night of Israeli raids since a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip killed a Thai worker on an Israeli farm on Thursday.

The International Herald Tribunes reports that earlier, the international Middle East Quartet called for Israel to freeze all settlements in Palestinian territories. In a strongly-worded statement, the Quartet condemned Israel's announcement of planning permission for 1,600 new homes in East Jerusalem.

Haretz says Isreali Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman's reaction was immediate, saying that peace was not something which could be created artificially and with unrealistic timetables.

The Jerusalem Post reports Palestinians clashed with Israeli security forces in the West Bank city of Hebron in the latest such incident in the increasingly tense region. About 300 protesters hurled rocks at security forces who responded with tear gas.

Virginia Globe reports President Obama describing the Congressional vote on healthcare reform on Sunday as a "historic" moment in a century-long struggle. Speaking at a rally in Virginia, he dismissed criticism of the Bill from Republicans and some Democrats. Lobbying was still intense on to secure enough House of Representatives votes to pass a Senate version of the bill.

As the Vatican's L'Osservatore Romano announced that Pope Benedict had signed a pastoral letter about Ireland's abusive priests, the Catholic sex abuse scandal spread to Italy with the bishop of the northern diocese of Bolzano apologising to victims and promising to co-operate with prosecutors. The region's German-language Alto Adige has reported several cases of victims coming forward with tales of physical and sexual abuse in a convent in the 1960s.

Athens News says that in an effort to to boost tax revenue in the face of a debt crisis, the Greek government has presented a Bill which imposes a 20 per cent tax on the Orthodox church's real estate income, reportedly worth over 10 million euros a year.

As British Airways cabin crew start a strike that will upset travel plans for thousands of air passengers over the weekend, British national newspapers include a warning by the Daily Express of a "spring of discontent". Train passengers could also face travel chaos over Easter after signal workers voted to hold the first national rail strike in 16 years. According to The Daily Telegraph, the unrest has created a nightmare for Prime Minister Gordon Brown ahead of the general election.

Standard Times quotes officials in Sierra Leone saying at least 200 people have been killed in a cave-in at an unofficial gold mine. The accident happened in the south of the West African country, about 180 miles from the capital, Freetown.

Pakistan Today reports police in Islamabad fired warning shots and tear gas at protesters today as street protests against an increase in public transportation fares intensified

Le Parisien reports a 38-year-old French woman, who had pleaded guilty to killing six of her newborn babies, has been jailed for 15 years. Celine Lesage was arrested in 2007 after her partner at the time, Luc Margueritte, discovered the tiny bodies in plastic binbags in the basement of their apartment building in Valognes. He is the father of the last newborn and was a civil party in the case.

Metro says the parents of a former soldier facing the death penalty in Iraq over the killing of two colleagues pleaded with the British Government to help save his life. Danny Fitzsimons, 29, of Middleton, Greater Manchester, is alleged to have shot two fellow private security guards dead during a drunken fight in Baghdad's Green Zone in August last year. If convicted, he could be hanged.