Press digest

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

The Times says close to 200 household boreholes have been ordered closed by the Resources Authority. It also says that following a government decision, Muscat will not get a second pay.

The Malta Independent reports that Parliament will on Monday discuss Maltese investment in Libya.

MaltaToday says Italy will start oil exploration in Malta’s back yard between Malta and Sicily.

l-orizzont quotes Joseph Muscat saying that workers purchasing pwer is down 4%. It also says the GWU is to open its membership to 'virtual members' who do not wish to reveal their membership to their employers.

In-Nazzjon leads with the arrival of 172 new buses, which enter service on July 3.

The overseas press:

eGovmonitor says the European Commission was drawing up "precise conditions" under which states may temporarily introduce border controls. EC spokesman Olivier Bailly said it was  Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:  Migrants fleeing to Lampedusa are making waves in Europealready possible to re-establish temporary controls at border controls, but added that "in no way" could routine border controls again become the norm within the Schengen zone. "You would have to leave the EU to suspend Schengen," he said. The EU statement came in response to a joint appeal after a summit in Rome between Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and French President Nicolas Sarkozy – both facing pressure from anti-immigration parties at home – to impose tougher border controls within the union.

Börzen Zeitung reports that revised figures released by the Europan Union revealed that the Greek government had failed to meet its 2010 deficit reduction target despite introducing tough austerity measures. Economic correspondents said this might reinforce concern that Greece might default on its debts.

Pravda says Russiam President Dimitry Medvediev has called for new internationsl rules covering safety at nuclear power plants. Speaking on the 25th anniversary of the world’s worst nuclear accident a Chernobyl, Medvediev said nuclear energy was essential.

The New York Times reports UN Secretary-Genral Ban Ki-moon has condemned Syrian authorities for using tanks and live ammunition against anti-government protesters. He said he had watched events in Syrian with increasingly grave concern and called on the government of President assad to respect human rights.

According to the BBC, a UN team was due to arrive in Tripoli to investigate allegations of human rights violations in Libya since the start of the conflict in February. The team was appointed by the UN Human Rights Council following the Libyan government's crackdown on protesters. The government has said it would co-operate with the inquiry. The three investigators say they will look at all alleged abuses, including those the government says have been committed by rebels or Nato forces.

Meanwhile, Al Jazeera reports that the siege of Misrata – the last major rebel-held city in western Libya – continues. On Tuesday, three people were reportedly killed as missiles slammed into the city's port, a lifeline for those seeking to escape to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi. Continued sniper fire, street clashes and shelling have prevented people from venturing outside their homes to get food and medicine. Government forces also shelled Berber towns in Libya's western mountains with artillery.

The Daily Express says that well-wishers flocking to the Royal Wedding next Friday have been asked by the Scotland Yard chiefs to be the “eyes and ears of police” to help protect William and Kate from terrorists, anarchists and crazed stalkers. The bid to harness people power to protect Prince William, his bride and the rest of the Royal Family came in the countdown to the massive security operation involving 5,000 police officers. Assistant Commissioner Lynne Owens said any criminal behaviour would be met by a “robust” response from police. And Guardsmen lining the route with fixed bayonets will be empowered to use “deadly force” if life is threatened

Bloomberg quotes electronics giant Sony warning users of its PlayStation entertainment system that their personal information, included names and addresses, might have been stolen by hackers. The company said it could not rule out the possibility that credit card details were also taken. Some 77 million people around the world have accounts on PlayStation. Industry experts said the scale of the breach was staggering and could cost the company billions of dollars.

USA Today reports that for the first time, American women have passed men in gaining advanced college degrees as well as bachelor's degrees, part of a trend that is helping redefine who goes off to work and who stays home with the kids. Census figures released on Tuesday highlight the latest education milestone for women, who began to exceed men in college enrolment in the early 1980s. The findings come amid record shares of women in the workplace and a steady decline in stay-at-home mothers.

The Christian Science Monitor says that turning 100 in the US isn't such a big deal anymore. America's population of centenarians – already the largest in the world – has roughly doubled in the past 20 years to around 72,000 and is projected to at least double again by 2020, perhaps even increase seven-fold, according to the Census Bureau. The rising number of centenarians is not just a byproduct of the nation's growing population – they make up a bigger chunk of it. In 1990, about 15 in every 100,000 Americans had reached 100; in 2010, it was more than 23 per 100,000.