Press digest

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

The Times leads with the resignation of PBS head Joe Mizzi, after a clip on youtube showed him to be drunk. He said he was set up.

The Malta Independent quotes Deborah Schembri saying women should not fear divorce. It also says that the No movement has opened  up to selective divorce.

In-Nazzjon, quoting an anti-divorce movement survey, says that 71% of children believe divorce is bad for children.

l-orizzont says a member of the Curia response team had told parents not to give publicity to an alleged sexual abuse case involving a priest in Kalkara.

The overseas press

Aljazeera reports that a series of massive explosions have shaken the Libyan capital Tripoli – in what appeared to be the heaviest night of bombing since Nato's campaign against Colonel Gaddafi began last March.  The rapid string of strikes, all within less than half an hour, mainly targeted Col Gaddafi's Bab al-Aziziya compound. The raids came after France and Britain announced they were deploying attack helicopters against Libya to increase the pressure on Col Gaddafi’s forces and break the military stalemate.  

Al Arabiya says the Syrian government has reacted defiantly to the EU’s decision to include President Bashar al-Assad among those subject to sanctions. Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said he was confident that Syria would emerge stronger even if the US and the EU were likely to take further punitive measures against Damascus. However, he did not believe his government faced an impending military intervention as in the case Libya. Human rights groups estimate that around 700 people have been killed in clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in towns across Syria.

Le Soir reports EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels have also applied fresh sanctions against Belarus, Libya and Iran. They also re-examined the Middle East peace process and discussed developments in Tunisia, Libya, Egypt and Sudan.

The Guardian says ash from the volcanic eruption in Iceland has begun disrupting air traffic in Britain. Several areas have cancelled services in and out of Scotland. Some flights over the Atlantic have also been delayed.

The Daily Telegraph says President Obama has arrived I Britain after cutting short a visit to Ireland because of the volcanic ash cloud. In his first state visit to Britain, he was expected to re-affirm the Anglo-American alliance and call for closer cooperation between the US and Europe. Addressing thousands of cheering people in Dublin, Mr Obama praised the Irish people for striving to overcome sectarian differences and financial difficulties.

USA Today reports that at least 160 people are now know to have been killed by a tornado that struck that struck the American city of Joplin in Missouri on Sunday evening. US weather officials said this was the deadliest single tornado to hot the country since the 1950s. It destroyed thousands of homes in Joplin.

The European edition of The Wall Street Journal leads with mounting concerns over Europe's debt problems following a crushing defeat for Spain's ruling party in weekend elections, compounded by infighting in Europe over whether Greek government bonds should be restructured and new warnings from credit-rating agencies. The paper says the euro fell sharply, slipping below $1.40 for a while on Monday – its lowest level in two months – and European stocks and bond prices moved lower. Government-bond prices continued their declines of last week, adding to anxiety by making it more expensive for governments to fund themselves. In the UK, The Financial Times reports that the euro and bond markets came under pressure amid fears that the problems of Greece were hitting the bigger economies of Europe’s single currency.

NBC New York reports that a DNA sample taken from Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former IMF chief accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid, has been matched to material found on the maid's shirt.  The 32-year-old Sofitel maid has told police that Strauss-Kahn groped her, locked her in a bedroom and forced her to perform oral sex.

The TV station quotes sources familiar with the case saying DNA testing on other evidence from the scene was continuing. Prosecutors on Thursday announced a grand jury indictment; the seven counts include attempted rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse, forcible touching and unlawful imprisonment. Defense lawyers have denied the charges and said there was no evidence of a forced encounter. They did not comment on the latest information about Strauss-Kahn's DNA.