Press digest

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

The Times says local councils have hired a debt collector to recoup €2.4 million in fines.

The Malta Independent reports that Judge Philip Sciberras is to manage a PL fund to which MPs who renounce their honoraria increase will contribute.

In-Nazzjon says Mosta Council has not issued funds for Christmas decorations in the locality and the only decorations have been put up by shop owners.

l-orizzont reports that the United States has deployed an anti-missile destroyer to the Central Mediterranean as tensions with North Korea rise.

The overseas press

The Wall Street Journal reports the heavy snow has forced Europe’s biggest airports to close and thousands of stranded passengers to spend the night on terminal floors. In London, Paris, Frankfurt, Amsterdam and Brussels, flights were cancelled and airports warned of backlogs spilling well into this week, with snow and ice frustrating travel plans across Europe on the last weekend before Christmas. The poor conditions forced Eurostar to cancel six of its trains between Britain, France and Belgium, as other rail services warned of delays.

Balkanmedia says four people froze to death over the weekend. Two men, aged 72 and 50, were found near Banja Luka in Bosnia, while an elderly couple were found dead by their neighbours in Serbia.

Belorusskaya Gazeta reports thousands of Belarussian opposition supporters have taken to the streets of the capital Minsk to protest the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko. Many tried to storm the main government building, but were repelled by riot police. Hundreds were arrested, including three of the election's nine opposition candidates. Another presidential challenger, Vladimir Nekliayev, was said to have suffered a serious concussion and had been hospitalized.

Minsk Times says official results announced early today gave President Lukashenko 79.7 per cent of the vote. The opposition claimed the result was rigged and condemned the election as “a farce”. This would be the authoritarian leader's fourth term in office.

EurasiaNet reports that tension if the Korean peninsula has escalated further with an announcement by the South Korean nedws agency that the country intended to go ahead shortly with the controversial military exercises. North Korea said that if this happens, the result would be “a potential disaster”. The artillery exercises are planned on an island near the disputed maritime border between the two Koreas, which the North shelled last month.

Meanwhile, The New York Times say the UN Security Council has met in an emergency session over the growing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but was unable to come up with a unanimous response to the crisis. The majority of the 15 council members have insisted "on a clear-cut condemnation of the North Korea November 23 attack.But Russia, which had demanded the meeting, said a special UN envoy was needed to facilitate talks between North and South Korea.

According to El Universal, at least 27 people have been killed and many others injured in an oil pipeline explosion in central Mexico. Officials said the blast in Puebla state was apparently caused by thieves attempting to steal fuel from the pipeline. The explosion sent rivers of burning oil through the streets, destroying homes and cars and forcing hundreds of people to flee.

Der Kurier reports that more than 100 people have been charged with child pornography offences in Austria after police seized material from computers across the country. The 107 people arrested – aged between 18 and 70 – included five teachers. In their biggest operation, last year, Austrian police charged nearly 190 men after breaking up a ring that spanned 170 countries.

Ivoir Soir says hundreds of people in the Ivory Coast are reported to have been abducted from their homes since last month's disputed election. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said some of the assailants wore military uniforms and there was evidence of "massive" human rights violations. More than 50 people have died in violence in recent days as incumbent President Laurent Gbagbo refuses to hand over power to his rival Alassane Ouattara has international backing.

Meanwhile, Le Monde quotes French government sources saying French troops stationed in the Ivory Cost have been given permission to defend themselves if attacked. President Gbagbo on Saturday demanded that all 10,000 foreign peacekeepers leave the country, saying UN and French troops were colluding with former rebels. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon rejected the call.

Australia’s Herald-Sun quotes US Vice-President Joe Biden accusing WikiLeaks’ founder Julian Assange of being a "high-tech terrorist". Mr Biden said the US Justice Department was exploring a legal pursuit of Mr Assange but he stopped short of explaining just how the White House would act. US media reports suggested US prosecutors were trying to build a case against Mr Assange on the grounds that he encouraged US Army Private Bradley Manning, who is in custody, to steal American cables from a government computer and pass them to WikiLeaks. Mr Assange has denied knowing Manning.