Press digest

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

The Times says the Air Malta steering committee is to hold its first meeting on Friday. It also says that church organisations risk losing l-istrina funds.

The Malta Independent carries calls for sex education to start from a young age.

In-Nazzjon quotes Lawrence Gonzi saying that Malta’s successes were achieved with sacrifices and wise decisions. It also says Joseph Muscat is persisting with his ‘smoke’ about the power station.

l-orizzont says Mepa has taken no action over black dust at Wied Blandun. It also features criticism by Joseph Muscat over the way low cost airline services were introduced in Malta.

The overseas press

The Wall Street Journal reports that the EU has agreed to a request from the Irish Republic for an economic rescue package. The deal, expected to include a loan of about €80 billon became necessary after the near total collapse of the banking system. The Financial Times says Ireland’s decision to apply for an emergency aid package meant that two of the eurozone’s 16 member states, the other being Greece, needed rescue in the space of seven months and the EU’s next concern was Portugal which also has a large gap in its budget.

The Vatican has played down the importance of Pope Benedict's remarks regarding the easing of the Church’s opposition to condoms. Avvenire quotes Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi saying the pontiff's comments were not "revolutionary", but added it was the first time Pope Benedict had commented on the issue informally. The Pope made clear in his view condoms were no answer to the Aids pandemic. But he said their use could sometimes be justified in exceptional cases.

The Washington Times says the US has said a report that North Korea has built a new nuclear facility was further evidence of Pyongyang's "belligerent behaviour". The top US military officer, Adm Mike Mullen, said North Korea was "continuing on a path which is destabilising for the region".

Times of Central Asia reports that Afghanistan's election watchdog has disqualified 19 candidates who stood in the September poll for alleged fraud. Seven of them are current members of the 249-seat parliament. The disqualifications were announced after the UN-backed Election Complaints Commission found most of their votes were fraudulent.

The Dominion Post says the agony of families of 29 men trapped underground after an explosion at a New Zealand mine continued as delays plagued the rescue effort. Toxic gas levels have kept rescuers out, and a test shaft was being drilled through 150 metres of rock. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key as said they were doing everything possible to get the miners out alive.

Al Jazeera reports two Israeli soldiers convicted of using a Palestinian child as a human shield during an offensive in Gaza in 2009 have received suspended sentences and have been demoted. The soldiers had forced the nine-year-old boy to open suspected booby-trapped bags at gunpoint. It occurred during Israel's three-week conflict with Hamas, which rules Gaza.

Reuters quotes that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas saying that the Palestinian Authority would not return to peace talks with Israel unless there is a freeze on settlement building that includes East Jerusalem. Abbas, in Egypt for talks with President Hosni Mubarak, said the Palestinians and Israel had received no official U.S. request to return to talks. Israel sees East Jerusalem as a part of its capital – a status not recognized abroad.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran has urged girls to marry at the age of 16, criticising the current average age of marriage of 24 to 26. The report by the state-owned Jam-e Jam quoted Ahmadinejad as saying "we should take the age of marriage for boys to 20 and for girls to about 16 and 17". Ahmadinejad has long sought an increase of population, rejecting family planning as a Western import.

Europe's best-selling newspaper has made a public appeal for the return of two of its journalists who have been imprisoned in Iran. The two men – a reporter and a photographer for Bild am Sonntag – were arrested a month ago while interviewing the son of Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani, the woman sentenced to death by stoning for murder and adultery. They have since been accused of espionage.

Armenia Globe gives front-page prominence to Vladimir Arzumanyan, the 12-year-old Armenian has won the Junior Eurovision Song Contest in Minsk with his song "Mama", beating Russia into second place by one point. Serbia was third, followed by Georgia and host country Belarus.