The following are the top stories in the Maltese press.
The Times says the Curia had no role in the anti-divorce placard set up outside Zebbug parish church. It also says that a bus driver is to face disciplinary procedures over aggressive behaviour against a Spanish tourist.
The Malta Independent reports that the government has commissioned the World Bank to conduct reports on the pensions system in Malta.
In-Nazzjon says that 105 businesses are enjoying lower licence fees. It also reports that two more persons are being investigated for the failed HSBC hold-up and the hold-up at Casino di Venezia in Vittoriosa.
l-orizzont says a new coast road will threaten agricultural land near Burmarrad. It also says that the boat which was hit by a yacht last week shows evident damage from the impact. The man who died in the impact suffered facial injuries and then died by drowning.
The overseas press
The Financlai Times predicts that President Barack Obama will raise the issue of BP’s alleged role in lobbying for the release of Libyan Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi when he meets David Cameron today. The Obama administration has already publicly accepted the UK’s explanation for last year’s release from a Scottish jail of Mr al-Megrahi. Mr Cameron, who has turned down a last-minute request to meet a group of US senators on the subject, described last year’s decision by the Scottish Executive as “utterly wrong”.
CNN says tests on the ruptured BP well in the Gulf of Mexico will go on for another 24 hours as federal and company officials try to explain "anomalous" pressure readings and possible leaks. In the coming weeks, BP also plans to bring in two more oil collection ships in addition to the two in the Gulf, bringing containment capacity to 80,000 barrels (about 3.4 million gallons) of oil a day.
Afghan Daily reports that amid tight security, Afghan President Hamid Karzai is hosting a key donors’ conference today, the first of its kind to be held in Kabul. Countering the growth of the Taliban and fighting corruption are expected to top the agenda. Up to 70 international representatives and 40 foreign ministers, led by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are scheduled to attend.
Berliner Zeitung says a regional German court in the German city of Koblenz has found two men guilty of helping al-Qaeda. They were sentenced to six years and two and a half years in prison on terrorism-related charges.
Deutche Welle reports an Amnesty International report claims that transport companies registered in Germany, Britain, France, China, Russia, and the United States were using arms trade agreement loopholes to deliver weapons to human rights violators. Amnesty is calling on the UN to take action.
Kathermarini says a Greek investigative journalist, 37-year-old Sokratis Giolias, has been shot dead outside his home in Athens in an attack linked by police to leftist militants. According to colleagues, he had been about to publish the results of an investigation into corruption.
Pravda reports the Russian upper house of parliament has approved a bill aimed at widening the powers of the secret police. Human rights activists fear the government might use the law against the opposition, returning to a Soviet-style police state.
The Press Trust of India says investigators in an Indian train crash that killed more than 60 people and injured dozens more have refused to rule out sabotage. The crash happened when a fast-moving express slammed into another train as it left the platform at Sainthia, about 200 kilometres north of Calcutta. Three carriages of the second train were destroyed, leaving a tangle of twisted metal. Two were reserved for passengers on the cheapest tickets and are usually packed to capacity.
Al Thawra reports Syria has banned the face-covering Islamic veil from public and private universities – a decision aimed at protecting Syria’s secular identity. The ban does not include the headscarf, which many Syrian women wear. The niqab is not widespread in Syria, although it has become more common recently.
Der Kurier says vaginal gel has significantly cut the rate of women contracting HIV from infected partners. Researchers said the gel, containing Aids drug tenofovir, cut infection rates by half after one year of use. If the results are confirmed it would be the first time that a microbicidal gel has been shown to be effective. Such a gel could be a defence for women whose partners refuse to wear condoms.
The Irish Times reports scientists have developed a test which is much more accurate at predicting the success of IVF treatment. It could help couples who have already had an initial failure to decide if IVF is worth another try. The new test relies on 52 factors which influence a woman's chances of having a baby, and is said to be 1,000 times more accurate than age-based guidelines. Meanwhile, a study claims children conceived through IVF treatment are 42 per cent more likely to develop cancer in their early years.