Press digest

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

The Times says industrial action at petrol stations is imminent as the station owners seek higher profits.

The Malta Independent reports how Ryanair is insisting it is not the cause of Air Malta's troubles. It also says that the AFM always responds to vessels in distress.

In-Nazzjon says Ryanair is planning to introduce 17 new routes.

l-orizzont reports how the deputy CEO of Ryainair has dimissed an Ernst and Young report on Air Malta.

The overseas press

Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates has resigned after parliament rejected an austerity budget. Expresso reports that the centre-left Socialist Party leader presented his resignation to President Anibal Cavaco Silva two hours after all five opposition parties voted against the austerity measures, which included spending cuts and tax rises. The defeat is likely to trigger a bailout similar to the rescue packages Greece and the Republic of Ireland had to accept last year.

Haaretz says Israeli warplanes have attacked Hamas targets in Gaza early this morning, in retaliation for rocket attacks on Israeli cities. Tension is high in the area over the first deadly bombing in Jerusalem in several years. An explosion the Israelis quickly blamed on Palestinian militants ripped through a bus stop in Jerusalem on Wednesday, killing a woman and wounding more than 20 others.

Al Arabiya TV reports that the Libyan capital has once again been rocked by explosions as the international forces continued their pounding for a fifth successive night. Latest reports speak of an explosion at a military base in the Tajura region east of Tripoli. There have also been reports of air attacks in Jafar, south-west of the capital.

The Libyan state news agency Jana says coalition raids on a residential neighbourhood east of the capital have killed "a large number" of civilians. But CNN quotes the US chief of staff for the mission in Libya insisting there had been no reports of civilian casualties caused by allied action. Rear Admiral Gerard Hueber said the coalition was putting pressure on Col Gaddafi's ground forces, which continued to threaten cities. He added that allied aircraft had flown 175 sorties in the last 24 hours – 113 of them by US aircraft.

The Times says the attacks by the coalition came hours after the commander of British aircraft flying missions over Libya said the international force led by the US, UK and France now controlled the skies there. Air Vice Marshall Greg Bagwell said they could now operate with near impunity, as Col Gaddafi's air force no longer existed as a fighting unit.

Al Jazeera reports heavy fighting between pro-Gaddafi forces and the rebels in the cities of Misrata, Zintan and Ajdabiya. It quotes Misurata residents saying the city was under attack by government forces who had severed their basic supplies and effectively besieged the last major opposition holdout in western Libya. There were also reports that government tanks had shelled the hospital in the city.

The Associated Press says the United States turned up the pressure on quarreling NATO allies to take command of the air war in Libya, suggesting the US could step away from its leadership role as soon as this weekend. In Congress, meanwhile, the Republican speaker of the House of Representatives demanded that President Barack Obama quickly spell out the nation's precise goals in Libya. White House officials said Obama would keep updating the American people and a formal address was possible. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said order could be resolved quickly – if Libyan leader would just quit. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged all sides in Libya to cease hostilities.

Al Thwarts reports that at least 10 people have been killed and dozens wounded after Syrian police opened fire on people protesting against the deaths of anti-government demonstrators in Deraa. Hundreds of youths from nearby villages were shot at when they tried to march into the centre of the southern city. A Syrian human rights activist told the BBC that at least 37 had died. Troops also reportedly shot at people attending the funerals of six people killed in a raid on a mosque overnight.

TV Tokyo shows trucks being loaded with boxes of bottled water to distribute across Japan’s capital city after residents cleared store shelves following warnings that Tokyo's tap water had elevated radiation coming from Japan's tsunami-damaged nuclear complex. Anxiety over food and water supplies soared a day after city officials reported that radioactive iodine in the tap water was measured at levels considered unsafe for babies over the long term.

The Seattle Times reports that a US soldier who pleaded guilty to the murders of three Afghan civilians has been sentenced to 24 years imprisonment. The military judge said he initially intended to sentence Jeremy Morlock to life in prison with possibility of parole but was bound by the plea deal.

Tributes have been paid to Elizabeth Taylor who dies yesterday, aged 79. The Los Angeles Times says she was being praised for her great beauty, iconic and legendary persona, tireless humanitarian work, and the compassion and optimism she exuded despite decades of physical ailments. Above all else, Elizabeth Taylor was a performer – a three-time Oscar winner, a radiant child star whose best work as an adult kept audiences ravished by her films.