Press digest

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

The Times says the Auditor General found no conclusive evidence of corruption in the granting of the contract for the power station extension, but complained of lack of cooperation. It also reports on EU action to ease restrictions of flights over Europe.

The Malta Independent says that some tourists have had to cancel their holidays because of the ash cloud problem. It also quotes the hunters calling for an 11-day hunting season this spring.

In-Nazzjon quotes Archbishop Cremona saying that the Papal visit showed that the Church is still in the hearts of the Maltese. It also reports that the auditor found no evidence of corruption in the award of the power station extension contract.

l-orizzont says the auditor's power station extension report casts more doubts on how the contract was awarded.

The overseas press

EU Observer says that following talks with the EU's 27 transport ministers by video conference, Transport Commissioner Siim Kallas told reporters in Brussels more planes should start flying as of today. However, he warned there could be any compromise on safety, adding that "all the decisions must be based on scientific evidence and expert analysis".

According to Tribune de Genève, the International Air Transport Association says its losses have soared over 740 million euros, since much of Europe's airspace was closed last week because of the ash from southern Iceland's volcano.

The Irish Times quotes a Nato senior diplomat saying several Nato F-16 fighter jets suffered engine damage after flying through the volcanic ash cloud. Glass-like deposits were found inside the planes' engines after they patrolled over European airspace and their jet engines would require expensive overhauls. Volcanic ash tends to stick to a jet engine's interior parts, such as the turbines, where it melts to form a glassy coating. This restricts air flow and heats up the engine, leading to engine failure.

The East African Standard says 5,000 workers in Kenya's horticulture industry have been temporarily laid off following €8.9 million in losses due to the cancellation of flights to Europe because of the volcanic ash cloud. Farmers have been forced to throw away millions of export quality flowers because storage facilities at Kenya's main airport are filled to capacity. The country's flowers - mostly roses - account for a quarter of Europe's cut flower imports.

Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak has said that his country must recognise that the world would not put up with decades more of Israeli rule over the Palestinian people. Speaking to Israel Radio on Israel's Memorial Day on Monday, Barak acknowledged that there was no way forward in negotiations with the Palestinians other than to meet their aspirations for a state of their own. Barak heads the Labour Party, the most moderate member of the government of Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

The Washington Times says the US has summoned Syria's most senior diplomat to review its "provocative behaviour" concerning the potential transfer of weapons to Hezbollah's Lebanese Shia Islamist group. Particular concern was raised about the possible transfer of Scud missiles. Last week, Israel's president accused Damascus of supplying the ballistic missiles to Hezbollah's military wing.

Az-Zaman quotes US and Iraqi officials saying Al Qaeda's top two figures in Iraq have been killed in a shootout in a raid on their hideout. Abu Omar al Baghdadi and Abu Ayub al Masri had direct links with Osama bin Laden. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki said a major threat to the country's security had been removed and al Qaeda was "bleeding... and severely weakened".

Kathemerini says Greek police have found three hideouts of the terrorist group Revolutionary Struggle. The group has been linked to an attack on the US embassy in Athens, as well as the 2009 bombing of the Athens Stock Exchange. The organization is deemed by authorities to be Greece's most dangerous far-left group and is on a European Union terrorist watch list.

Avvenire reports Pope Benedict XVI marked the fifth anniversary of his election with a private lunch at the Vatican for 60 cardinals, telling them he did "not feel alone" despite the tribulations that a "wounded and sinful" Church was having to endure. Vatican sources said that the cardinals applauded the Pope at the lunch.

O Globo says an 83-year-old priest, allegedly caught on tape having sex with a 19-year-old altar boy, has been arrested by Brazilian authorities. Monsignor Luiz Marques Barbosa was taken into custody late yesterday after an investigation found evidence that he abused youngsters who worked in his church in north-eastern Brazil.

The head of the Catholic Church in Cuba, Cardinal Jamie Ortega, says the country was in one of its worst crises in recent times and people were openly criticising the socialist system. He told Palabra Nueva, a local Catholic newsletter, that there was a national consensus that the government make the necessary changes "quickly". He also urged the Communist authorities to free all political prisoners.

Metro reports that an eBay trader has become the first in Britain to be convicted for auction fixing. He made bids on the items he was selling under a separate username to drive the price up, a practice known as shill bidding.