Press digest

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

The Times reports that a VAT Department official has been acquitted in a bribery case. It also reports that the Budget will be presented on October 25.

The Malta Independent says that a report by MPs on medically assisted procreation is due on Tuesday. It also reports that the Finance Minister is prepared to be meet the FORUM trade unions after they make their Budget proposals.

In-Nazzjon says there is strong interest in investment in Corporate Village Malta, which is to be built at Mriehel.

l-orizzont says people are spending less on food. It also refers to comments on John Dalli on the BWSC contract. He said that avoiding debate could lead to suspicions.

The overseas press:

The BBC says that the Obama administration has delayed publication of a report that was widely expected to accuse China of manipulating its currency to gain an unfair trade advantage. Beijing has recently allowed the yuan to rise by far less that the US had called for. The postponement was seen as a way to avoid a trade war with China.

As La Tercera reports that all but two of the 33 Chile rescued miners have been discharged from hospital, El Universal says four miners were trapped underground after part of a silver and gold mine collapsed in southwestern Ecuador near the border with Peru. Officials said the miners were believed to be alive because they were located in an area far enough away from the collapse. But rescuers have been unable to contact them.

Le Parisien reports that the fuel pipeline to Paris's main airports has been shut off amid strikes over government pension reforms. The capital's main airport, Charles de Gaulle, could run out of fuel as early as next week as all of France's 12 oil refineries have been hit by strikes, and many oil depots remain blockaded.

Tages Anzeiger says miners, guests and journalists cheered as Swiss engineers smashed through the last stretch of rock to create the longest tunnel in the world. The 57-kilometre Gotthard Base Tunnel is an important milestone in the creation of a high-speed rail network connecting all corners of Europe. It will allow millions of tons of goods transported through the Alps on heavy trucks to be shifted onto the rails.

Jeune Afrique reports the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has said it had no evidence that its troops have been committing rapes in the east of the country. A spokesman said he was surprised by the allegations but added that the authorities would investigate further if the UN handed over detailed accounts of its allegations.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, a large swathe of southern NSW remained at the mercy of floodwaters this Saturday morning as officials were forced to shut southbound lanes of the main highway between Sydney and Melbourne. The wind and rain have even included snow with reports of falls around Bathurst, about 60 kilometres west of the Blue Mountains.

Kiev Post says an audit ordered by Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych's government claims that the former government of Yulia Tymoshenko misappropriated at least €360 million while in power.

L'Echo quotes Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, saying on arrival in Brussels, that Iran was ready to resume talks about its nuclear programme with the international community either this month or next.

Berliner Zeitung reports that Germany's upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, has elected Hannelore Kraft to be its president for the next year. Kraft, who became the first woman to hold the Bundesrat presidency, is a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), which is in the minority at the national level.

Die Welt says Germany's Central Council of Jews has welcomed a new exhibition on Hitler and the Germans, saying the exhibit did not glorify or excuse the Nazi leader. The exhibition, "Hitler and the Germans - Nation and Crime", broke with tradition by focusing on the cult of personality surrounding Hitler and its impact on the German people during the Nazi period.

The London Evening Standard reports that police in Britain were looking for a bureau de change cashier suspected of disappearing with €136,000 in foreign currency. Officers were called to a branch of Thomas Cook at Heathrow's Terminal 5 after senior staff noticed the large sum was missing. A new member of staff was suspected of taking the cash after being given a key to the safe a few days into his job.