Press digest

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

The Times says ST workers have turned down an austerity package proposed by the company. The decision was taken in a secret vote organised by the GWU. It also reports how a baby survived a crash in which the mother died.

The Malta Independent also reports how the baby girl survived the crash but lost her mother. It also says there is no PN support for Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando's divorce bill.

In-Nazzjon says 41 local councils are interested in joint ventures with the private sector for the resurfacing of over 300 roads.

l-orizzont says prices remain high for the most important medicines. It also says that the MRA only acted when its back was against the wall in fraud investigations into fraud in its scheme to subsidise photovoltaic units. The newspaper also reports on the Gharghur traffic accident.

The overseas press

Agence France Press quotes British police saying this morning (3.00 a.m. Malta time) that the man they suspect was the fugitive gunman they had been chasing for a week has died in a suspected suicide. Raoul Thomas Moat, 37, was wanted for allegedly wounding his ex-girlfriend, killing her new boyfriend and shooting a police officer.

The International Herald Tribune says 10 Russian secret agents arrived back in Moscow via Vienna yesterday after being deported from New York as part of a spy exchange between Moscow and Washington. In exchange for the agents, the Kremlin agreed to release four Russians detained in the country for spying for Western countries.

Corriere della Sera reports that most Italian cities were without daily newspapers this morning as both print TV and radio media closed down for the day yesterday. Journalists went on strike over a government bill that would restrict reporting based on wiretaps, arguing it would hamper both the fight against organized crime and press reporting on corruption. Legal and police authorities have also criticized the proposed legislation.

Le Figaro says Europe's top human rights body has strongly criticised Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov for calling human rights campaigners "enemies of the people". Dick Marty, a rapporteur on human rights for the Council of Europe, said the comments were "unacceptable".

El Tiempo reports that former hostage Ingrid Betamcourt has asked the Columbian government to pay her $6.8 million for damages she suffered during six years in rebel captivity. The government has expressed surprise and consternation. Betancourt was kidnapped in February 2002 by leftist guerrillas while campaigning for president in Colombia's south, a longtime rebel stronghold. She was rescued in 2008.

Expresso says Playboy has pulled its Portugal edition, which showed Jesus Christ holding hands with a topless woman, describing it as a ‘shocking breach of standards'. More explicit images appeared inside the magazine, including Jesus watching a lesbian scene and standing next to a prostitute.

Metro says a pregnant Indian woman gave birth in the lavatory of a plane and then allegedly tried to flush her baby down the toilet. Her newborn son was found stuck in the toilet on a Turkmenistan Airlines flight and was critically ill. The woman, believed to be 25, was arrested in the northern city of Amritsar and admitted to hospital.

Abu Dhabi's The National reports that according to a religious edict in the United Arab Emirates the now-famous blast from the plastic vuvuzela is not permitted in the Gulf country if it exceeds 100 decibels - about the sound of a passing train. The typical vuvuzela blast is up to 127 decibels. The fatwa is based on the judgment that the din can damage fans' hearing.

Bild says Germans heaved a sigh of relief when Paul, the oracle octopus, tipped Germany to beat Uruguay in the World Cup match for third place this evening. It picked Spain to beat the Netherlands in the World Cup final tomorrow in a live television broadcast watched across Europe. The two-year-old celebrity octopus, who has accurately picked the outcome of all six of Germany's World Cup matches so far, took only three minutes to make up his mind.