Press digest

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

The Times reports how the Speaker last night rejected Labour’s call for an urgent debate on the privatisation of car parks. It also says that Jesmond Mugliett resigned from the House verification committee, protesting at lack of detail on the spending of €3.2m for 100 parking slots. However he did not speak during the committee meeting.

The Malta Independent says Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando has presented to parliament a petition against the privatisation of car parks. It also says that inaccurate population estimates have affected the composition and size of local councils. New population estimates emerged during the census.

In-Nazzjon says that Toni Abela, deputy leader of the Labour Party, had admitted that the party knew of sexual misconduct involving the former Marsa mayor. It also says that the government has reached agreement for the acquisition of St Philip’s Hospital for use as a rehabilitation hospital.

l-orizzont says the PN is pushing a particular candidate to replace Mario Galea on the Zejtun district. It also reports how the Speaker yesterday rejected the Opposition's request for urgent debate on the car parks privatisation tender.

The overseas press:

Bloomberg reports that the International Monetary Fund has said there have been new setbacks in attempts to nurse the world economy back to recovery. The IMF has now lowered its forecast for global growth to just over three per cent for this year and the next.

Kathimerini says Greek police have increased security and are preparing to close down large sections of the capital to contain protests against German Chancellor Angela Merkel who is visiting Athens. Merkel's brief visit, for talks with the country's Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, comes amid growing unrest in Greece over the planned new cutbacks. Many Greeks are angry at Germany for pushing for big cuts to wages and benefits in Greece. Several thousand people gathered in Athens late yesterday to protest against austerity measures.

Expresso reports that Portugal's international creditors have agreed to give the country the next slice of its rescue loans, worth €4.3 billion. The decision, made at a meeting of the 17 finance ministers of the eurozone, was widely expected – even though Portugal has said it would miss the targets laid out in exchange for the €78 billion bailout. Already, the foreign lenders have allowed Portugal to reduce its deficit to five per cent of GDP this year, rather than 4.5 per cent.

Al Ahram leads with the news that President Mohammed Mursi of Egypt has pardoned all those arrested during last year's popular uprising that ousted the country's former leader Hosni Mubarak. The decree applies to arrests made from when the revolution began until June this year, when President Mursi came to power. Several thousand people could now be freed.

Gazete Oku quotes President Abdullah Gul of Turkey calling on the international community to do more to avoid further bloodshed in Syria. He said the "worst-case scenarios" were taking place in Syria, and the Turkish government was in constant communication with the military. Turkish troops have fired into Syria for the sixth day in a row after a Syrian shell exploded in farmland on the Turkish side of the border.

The Washington Times reports White House contender Mitt Romney has said the conflict in the Middle East was now more likely than when President Barack Obama took office. The Republican challenger said that under Mr Obama's leadership, the United States had been happy to follow rather than lead in the Middle East, increasing the threat of instability in the region. Romney said that if elected he would help arm the Syrian opposition and tighten sanctions further on Iran to prevent it building a nuclear weapon. He also said he would try to find a path to peace between Israel and the Palestinians.

The BBC says reports from northeastern Nigeria say its soldiers have opened fire on civilians after a bomb explosion struck an army patrol in Maidugari. About 30 people are reported to have been killed. An army spokesman said he had not heard of any civilian dying.

Uganda is marking 50 years of independence from Britain today. Buganda Post says several African heads of state are in Kampala to join President Yoweri Musevini to celebrate the anniversary. Known as the Pear of Africa, Uganda becomes the third of the five East African Community (EAC) nations to mark 50 years of its independence after Rwanda and Burundi.

Metro reports a Russian man has been arrested in southern England by police investigating the defacing of a painting at the Tate Modern in London. A few words were scrawled in black paint on the painting, Black on Maroon, on Sunday. The artwork is one of Rothko's Seagram murals.

The New York Times says David Blaine has finished his most “electrifying” stunt. The illusionist emerged after spending three days and three nights standing in the middle of a million volts of electric currents at New York's Pier 54. Blaine, who wore a chainmail bodysuit as a barrier between himself and the currents, was able to walk with assistance, speak and kiss his fiancée before being taken to a hospital to be examined.

The Washington Post announces that the dress worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” is going up for auction next month with an estimated value of more than £300,000 (€371,000). Although several identical dresses were made for her character Dorothy, the dress to be sold is the only version seen in the 1939 film and the only complete original dress to survive.