Press digest

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

The Times like most of the other newspapers leads with a preview of the papal visit, which starts today. It says Pope Benedict yesterday celebrated a quiet birthday as he rested ahead of the visit. The newpaper also reports that a cloud of ash drifted south to Northern Italy late yesterday but is not expected to affect the Papal flight from Rome.

The Malta Independent says the much heralded papal visit starts this afternoon. It also says a cloud of volcanic ash has continued to disrupt flights over Europe. Finance Minister Tonio Fenech could not attend an EU Finance Ministers' meeting in Brussels as a result.

In-Nazzjon also previews the papal visit, saying the highlight will be the Papal Mass tomorrow morning. In another story it says Maltese powerboats champion Aaron Ciantar has presented his new boat in the Evolution class.

l-orizzont welcomes the Pope but says that thousands of euro being presented to the Vatican by the Maltese Curia have not been revealed. It also reports that women are the biggest victims of jobs instability.

The overseas press:

Much of Europe remains a no-fly zone as a huge cloud of ash from a volcanic eruption in Iceland continues to spread. The International Herald Tribune estimates some 17,000 flights were cancelled in European Airspace yesterday and only 11,000 flights would operate today instead of the usual 28,000. All airports in northern Italy have been closed until 2pm today while France has extended its ban until 1pm.

Reporting that Britain has extended its flight ban until noon, The Guardian forecasts flights could be grounded until Monday.

The Daily Star predicts the holiday chaos could go on for as long as six months.

Meanwhile, there were new fears the volcanic ash could prove to be a health risk. Tribune de Genève quotes a WHO spokesman advising Europeans to stay indoors if ash starts raining down from the sky. Admitting it did not know the exact health risks from the ash cloud, the UN agency said the microscopic ash could cause respiratory problems.

European Voice says the annual inflation rate in the eurozone rose drastically to 1.4 percent in March - a compared to the 0.9 percent rate recorded in February. The inflation rate in March was the highest since December 2008 but remained below the 2-percent ceiling preferred by the European Central Bank to maintain price stability.

In the UK, a new poll for The Sun has put Labour in third place - behind the Liberal Democrats - for the first time in the General Election campaign. It comes on the heels of Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg's winning performance in the first televised leaders' debate. The poll puts the Conservatives in the lead on 33 per cent (down four), the Liberal Democrats on 30 per cent (up eight) and Labour on 28 (down three).

Il Tempo reports tha Milan judges have asked the Italian Constitutional Court to rule on the legitimacy of a new law which allows Premier Silvio Berlusconi not to attend trials against him because they interfere with his duties. The premier faces accusations of bribing British corporate lawyer David Mills to withhold testimony in two previous trials.

Asarq al-Awsat says early results from Sudan's first multiparty presidential and local elections in years were showing the incumbent president ahead in voting that was marred by delays, faulty registration and boycotts. Omar al-Bashir was widely expected to win another five years in office after his most credible challengers pulled out, raising questions about the legitimacy of the troubled vote.

China Today says a court has sentenced a woman to death for trafficking at least 49 children, while two others got life terms. The 23-member child trafficking ring, busted in May and June last year, sold boys for up to 40,000 yuan (€4,400) and girls for up to 20,000 yuan ($2,200) each between March 2005 and July 2009. Twenty others were sentenced to between two and 15 years in prison.

Corriere della Sera repots that the crowd at La Scala applauded Placido Domingo for 14 minutes yesterday after his heroic portrayal of Verdi's "Simon Boccanegra" - the Spanish tenor's first performance since colon cancer surgery 45 days ago. Backstage, he described his role as "very emotional".

Metro says a young man is thought to have become the first person in the UK arrested on suspicion of possessing mephedrone, popularly known as ‘meow meow'. The arrest came just hours after the party drug became illegal. The Police said the man, believed to be in his 20s, had not been charged and was released on bail.

Tennessee Globe reports that voters in the small country town of Tracy have elected a dead man as mayor with a landslide victory. Carl Geary died a month ago from a heart attack during the election campiagn. It is believed he was elected as a form of protest to the town's current mayor. Four councilors will now meet to discuss who will become Tracy City's new mayor.

Prague's Radio Free Europe quotes the temporary Friday prayer leader of Tehran, Kazem Sadighi, saying that women who do not fully observe the obligatory Islamic hijab attract young men and lead to the spreading of adultery in the Iranian society which increased the risk of earthquakes. Speaking about the probability of an earthquake in Tehran, he said sinning less reduced the likelihood of earthquakes.