Press digest

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

The Times says Nationalist MPs blocked the BWSC power station debate in the Public Accounts Committee yesterday. It also says that Malta is in trouble with Brussels after teachers complained that they are not being allowed to take their full maternity leave.

The Malta Independent says Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi has declared himself in favour of holding a referendum on divorce.

In-Nazzjon quotes the prime minister saying that the budget will focus on job creation and education. It also reports that Malta is the sixth biggest user of broadband per capita in the world.

l-orizzont carries a picture of policemen recovering the corpse of a woman found off Marsalforn yesterday. The woman was a Gozitan married to a Briton. It also reports on yesterday's meeting on the power station extension contract and on the GWU's Budget proposals.

The overseas press

London's Daily Express says today will see the launch of what it calls "an audacious attempt by Brussels politicians to slap more crippling taxes". European Union Budget Commissioner Janusz Lewandowski is set to revive plans for a taxation system across all 27 member nations, favouring cutting financial contributions from national governments and raising the tax directly from businesses and citizens instead.

Meanwhile, The Wall Street Journal announces that EU Finance Ministers meeting in Luxembourg have set a fiscal-sanctions policy to monitor the administration of public finances.

Liberation says a growing fuel crisis has gripped France as protests against the government's pension reforms escalate. Hundreds of petrol stations were reported to be running dry and the country has begun to use emergency fuel reserves. A nationwide day of protest is planned for today and further strikes and nationwide rallies are expected ahead of the final Senate vote on extending the retirement age this week.

Avvenire reports that Pope Benedict has expressed deep pain and regret for the destruction caused by clerical child abuse. In a letter to seminarians, the Pope said that would-be priests should be more vigilant and ask themselves carefully about their vocation.

The Palestinians are ready to end all historic claims against Israel once they establish their state in the lands occupied in the 1967 Six-Day War, President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with Israel's Channel 1 TV. He did not elaborate on which demands he would relinquish, but traditionally Palestinians have demanded the right of refugees to return to their homelands in Israeli territory. Mr Abbas also said he would consider other options if talks broke down over Israel's continued settlement expansion.

The Washington Times reports the United States has called on China to act against Chinese companies which it says were bypassing UN sanctions to help Iran with its nuclear programme. Washington says it has given Beijing a list of firms to be breaching the sanctions.

The New York Times says four American Muslims have been convicted of a plot to blow up synagogues in New York and shoot down cargo planes with portable missiles. Defence lawyers said they were entrapped by an FBI informant.

Montreal Gazette reports that a former Canadian air force commander has pleaded guilty to murdering two women and sexually assaulting two others. Col. Russel Williams, a former pilot to Queen Elizabeth, also pleaded guilty to scores of break-ins, during which he stole underwear from girls as young as 11. The list of charges was so long it took almost 40 minutes to enter into the record. The 47-year-old faces life in jail with no parole for 25 years.

Deutsche Welle says that following claims that multiculturalism has failed, Germany has announced plans to promote the integration of immigrants into society. The legislation will focus on German language courses and combating forced marriages, and make it easier for foreign diplomas to be formally recognized.

The Peninsula reports that the principal of a girls' school in Qatar has told her teachers not to get pregnant and said she was not hiring any pregnant applicants, in a move reportedly aimed at boosting academic excellence. The unexpected diktat provoked harsh criticism from teachers at the school, women in academia and the human rights community. Anthropology professor from the University of Qatar, Dr Fadwa El Guindi, who struggled with issues of discrimination during her own pregnancies, said the move was particularly insulting since it took place at an all girls' school, where getting pregnant just became a punishment.