Press digest

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

The Times says that Brussels is expected to put its foot down on Spring hunting in Malta.

The Malta Independent quotes the Prime Minister saying that the government is determined to go ahead with the increase in VAT on collective accommodation.

l-orizzont focuses on the impact on motorists of the increase in excise duty on fuel.

In-Nazzjon says that foreign rating agencies have praised Malta’s economic governance.

The overseas press

Deutsche Welle reports that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has defended a German-French proposal to impose stiffer penalties on European Union countries that breach the criteria of the Stability and Growth Pact. Speaking to the lower house of parliament on the eve of an EU summit in Brussels today, Chancellor Merkel said that Germany and France would insist on tougher financial rules, even if it meant amending the Lisbon Treaty. However, the move has already been met with opposition from several member states.

Le Figaro says that after weeks of industrial action across the country, France's National Assembly has given its final approval to the government's controversial pension reform. While the unions have vowed to continue strikes and demonstrations, the opposition Socialist Party has said it would lodge an appeal with the Constitutional Council, which would have to rule on whether the reform was legal.

Jakarta Post says the death toll from the tsunami that hit several remote islands in Indonesia has risen to at least 282. Rescue teams say hundreds more were still missing, two days after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami in western Sumatra. While rescue teams were still trying to reach 11 villages thought to have been wiped out by the tsunami, the first aerial images showed bodies being collected from empty clearings where homes and buildings once stood. An erupting volcano in Java has also caused death and chaos.

Clarin reports the sudden death of former President Nestor Kirchner of Argentina of a heart attack. He served as president from 2003 to 2007, and was being tipped to stand for election again in 2011. His wife, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, succeeded him as president in 2007, after he had overseen Argentina's recovery from a severe economic crisis.

The Washington Post quotes the US Justice Department saying a 34-year-old Pakistani-American has been arrested over an alleged plot to attack subway stations in the Washington area. Farooque Ahmed has been accused of planning the attacks with the help of people believed to be members of al Qaeda.

Meanwhile, Osama bin Laden has declared the kidnapping of French nationals was spurred by France's unjust treatment of Muslims. An audio message, thought to be from Osama bin Laden, was aired on al Jazeera television. France's interior minister Brice Hortefeux said that if authenticated, the recording vindicated his country’s security precautions in September amid fears of a terror attack.

Le Matin says the number of people known to have died of cholera in Haiti is nearing 300 and more than 4,000 patients were being treated for the disease. The United Nations revealed there were 174 suspected new cases of cholera in Haitian hospitals.

Metro says the British government is prepared to allow greater flexibility in the way airport security checks are carried out. The Transport Minister is quoted as saying that regulations would be changed to make checks on passengers less onerous.

Classic and Sports Car Magazine reports that one of the world's most famous James Bond cars, the specially-equipped silver Aston Martin first driven by Sean Connery in "Goldfinger", was sold for £2.6 million (€2.97 million.) at an auction in London. The unique car, which boasts an ejector seat, machine guns, rotating license plates and other spy gear, is the only genuine, 007 James Bond car. It was bought by Harry Yeaggy, an American classic cars collector who has a small private museum in Ohio.

London’s Daily Star reveals Manchester United have sounded out Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola about making a sensational switch to Old Trafford at the end of the season. The newspaper understands that United supremo Sir Alex Ferguson has given the thumbs-up to his bosses that Guardiola was the ideal choice to replace him when he retires. It says officials have received encouraging signals that he would consider the move.