The Press in Britain...
The Independent says that in an effort to resolve Tibet's most serious crisis for two decades and almost half a century after he fled to India, the Dalai Lama has raised the prospect of travelling to Beijing and holding face-to-talks with the Chinese regime.
The Times says a massive security operation is under way to protect the Olympic torch from anti-China protesters when it arrives in London next month as part of its round-the-world journey to Beijing. The Olympic flame come to life in Olympia, Greece, next Monday. The relay is expected to last 130 days and covers a distance of 137,000 kilometres, passing through the five continents. [Visitors to www.olympic.org will be able to watch the special coverage of the event which will start at 10.50 am (Malta time)]
The Scotsman reports Scotland Office Minister David Cairns warning that independence would "decimate" the country's defence industry. He says Westminster would not be prepared to award lucrative contracts for military hardware to a "foreign country" if Scotland left the United Kingdom.
The Daily Express says drivers hitting the road this Easter are in for a shock as fuel prices at the pumps in the UK reach record levels. It claims the cost of unleaded petrol has soared to 112.9p a litre at some garages - a year-on-year increase of £11.70 to fill a 50-litre tank.
The Guardian says Derek Conway, the disgraced former Conservative MP, will escape a police investigation into his conduct. The Crown Prosecution Service ruled that gaping holes in the records of MPs' expenses would make bringing charges impossible.
The Mirror prints pictures of David Cameron on his way to work - cycling the wrong way up a one-way street and through two red lights. It also says Coronation Street star Kym Ryder and her ex-EastEnders husband have split up after six years of marriage. Kym and Jack assure readers no one else is involved in the "amicable" breakdown.
The Daily Star also says the couple have split up after what it says were months of whispers about their marriage.
The Sun has more tales about Heather Mills following her high-profile divorce from Sir Paul McCartney, which netted her nearly £25m. The paper says that she plans to fly first class as their daughter Bea flies economy.
The Evening Standard reports that each week, nearly 30 teenage girls are visiting hospitals and clinics for a second or even third abortion.
And elsewhere...
L'Osservatore Romano says Pope Benedict will meditate on the persecution of Catholics in China and elsewhere during a Good Friday procession at Rome's Coliseum this evening. He asked Hong Kong Cardinal Joseph Zen, an outspoken champion of religious freedom who at times has angered Beijing authorities, to compose this year's prayers for the Good Friday Via Crucis procession. In one of the prayers, the cardinal laments the persecution felt by many Catholics and prays for governments to respect religious freedom.
The official Chinese state news agency, Xinhua, reports that government authorites have admitted for the first time that police shot and wounded four protesters last Sunday during Tibetan anti-government demonstrations in the south-west of the country. Exiled Tibetan leaders have said about 100 people are believed to have been killed in the Chinese crackdown. Meanwhile, there are reports that China has mobilised many thousands of troops in Tibet and nearby provinces in an effort to quell the continuing unrest.
Kathimerini reports that the Greek parliament has approved the conservative government's controversial pension reform bill after weeks of strikes and protests by labour unions. The government dismissed the mounting wave of public dissatisfaction saying the measures were necessary to overhaul a social security system destined to collapse within 15 years. The bill was passed with a huge majority but most of the opposition parties, including the main opposition socialists, abstained.
The Arab satellite TV news channel, al-Jazeera, has broadcast an audio tape attributed to al-Qaida chief, Osama bin Laden. In this tape, the second in as many days, bin Laden turns his attention to the Palestinian question. He says the situation there cannot be resolved by negotiation but "with fire and iron". He urged Muslims to support the insurgency in Iraq as the best way to support the Palestinians, and accused Arab leaders of backing Israeli attacks on the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.
Moscow Times reports two brothers, one working for a company half-owned by BP, have been charged with industrial espionage by the Russian security services. The Federal Security Service said Ilya Zaslavsky was employed by TNK-BP, which is half owned by British Petroleum. His brother Alexander was also charged with "illegally gathering secret commercial information for the benefit of foreign oil and gas companies."
Manila's The Daily Tribune reports the Philippines government is encouraging thousands of worshippers, who practice crucifixion and self flagellation to show their faith, to get a tetanus shot first and be sure to use a clean whip or nails. In San Fernando City 23 people, including two women, have signed up to re-enact the crucifixion at three improvised Golgothas. Four of them will use real nails.