Press digest

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

The Times quotes Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando saying he would give the two sides of Parliament up to January to discuss divorce before the issue goes before the House.

The Malta Independent says the Public Transport Association is in favour of the suspension of a driver if he is proved to have been aggressive towards tourists.

MaltaToday under the heading Changing of the Guard, says the President will have a new Guard from September and the Changing of the Guard ceremony will again be held in St George's Square.

In-Nazzjon leads with a court decision that there was no electoral corrupt practice in a case moved by PL Deputy Leader Anglu Farrugia. It also says that works on Valletta Road, near Zurrieq, is nearing completion.

l-orizzont asks if the only consortium which submitted the bid for the electricity interconnector contract was close to Parliamentary Secretary Jason Azzopardi.

The overseas press

Corriere della Sera quotes Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini urging countries in the European and Mediterranean area to work more closely, warning they risked falling behind international rivals. Delivering his closing speech at a two-day forum in Milan, Frattini said the Union for the Mediterranean launched in 2008 was progressing too slowly and called on Europe to participate more in Mediterranean matters.

EU Observer says a proposed overhaul of the EU's approach to genetically modified (GM) crops has met with a mixed response. The package unveiled by European Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner John Dalli aims to give member states far greater freedom in making decisions about whether to allow, restrict or ban GM crops. However, states would not be able to prohibit the sale of GM seeds on safety grounds and the current procedure for assessing the risks and authorizing the sale of GM products would remain in place.

Börzen Zeitung reveals that EU finance ministers meeting in Brussels remain divided over what data would be published in stress tests on 91 European banks next week, but vowed to make the tests as transparent as possible.

Chumhurriyet says EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton has held talks in Istanbul on the country's stalled membership bid and Turkey's growing regional diplomatic role. The visit is seen as a first step in a new cooperation with Turkey.

La Republica announces that Italian police have arrested more than 300 people suspected of being connected to a Calabrian mafia. In the largest operation in recent years, the Italian police apprehended Domenico Oppedisano, 80, who is believed to be its top boss, and Pino Neri, the mafia group's alleged leader in Lombardia. They also seized 60 million euros in cash and property.

Le Parisien reports that France's lower house of parliament has approved a ban on full-length veils known as the burqa or niqab, which are worn by Muslim women. If the bill is signed into law, wearing the burqa or the niqab will incur a fine of 150 euros. There were 335 votes for the bill and just one against. The law must still be approved by France's upper house, the Senate, in September. It will then have to go to France's constitutional council for a review.

Cesky Noviny says a new center-right government has been ushered in the Czech Republic. The three-party coalition, led by Prime Minister Petr Necas, has pledged to cut the deficit and fight corruption. The three parties won 118 seats in the 200-seat lower house in late May.

The Washington Times reports the US insisted that an Iranian nuclear scientist who has turned up in the country was there voluntarily and was free to leave. The State Department rejected claims by Tehran that Shahram Amiri, who vanished more than a year ago and surfaced at a Pakistani embassy building, had been abducted by US agents.

The Irish Independent publishes the results of a survey which shows that some 48 per cent of women like to protect their modesty and keep their clothes on during sex - to improve body confidence. But only 36 pr cent of men approve. And when it came to their garment of choice, negligees came out on top. But the survey revealed most women would go for a bra. The results also showed 61per cent of women claimed to prefer sex with the lights off, compared with just 37 per cent of men.