The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports how a policeman died in a ploughing incident. It also reports that Alfred Sant is insisting that the government was in contempt of the House over the honoraria issue and refunds did not solve the issue.
The Malta Independent reports that two MPs, Stephen Spiteri and Adrian Vassallo have been absent for all sittings in Parliament this year.
In-Nazzjon says Labour MPs will contribute as much as they wish from the increase in their honoraria, and not the full increase as the party had implied.
l-orizzont says a Gozo Channel crewman found to have forged documents has been taken back by the company.
The overseas press:
Al Horria reports that Tunisia's new government has said it would recognise all banned political groups, including Islamists, and grant an amnesty to all political prisoners. The announcement came after the new cabinet held its first meeting, nearly a week after President Ben Ali was ousted amid mass protests. The government also declared three days of mourning for dozens of people killed during the unrest.
Assabah says protests continued in Tunisia near the offices of Ben Ali's RCD party. In the capital Tunis, troops fired warning shots at demonstrators, who demanded the banishing of all traces of the former ruling party. Judges also staged a demonstration in Tunis demanding the resignation. There were also reports of rallies in the towns of Gafsa and Kef.
The New York Times reports more than 100 alleged mafia members have been arrested in and around New York in the FBI's largest ever single-day crackdown on the mob. The sweep – believed to have be the biggest anti-mafia operation in the history of New York City – involved the city's historic Five Families, and others based in New Jersey and Rhode Island. A total of 127 people face charges, including murder, drug dealing and extortion spanning several decades.
La Sicilia says Italian tax police have seized assets worth over €22 million belonging to alleged Sicilian mafia 'boss of bosses' Matteo Messina Denaro and his close associates. The assets included companies, properties, land, bank accounts and financial products, according to police. Messina Denaro, a 47-year-old playboy, known as the 'Godfather of Trapani, has been on the run since 1993.
The Washington Times quotes Chinese President Hu Jintao saying China has no interest in pursuing an arms race or exerting military dominance over other nations. On the third day of his visit to the US, Mr Hu called for co-operation on economic and security issues. Mr Hu met leading US politicians and was quizzed on a number of issues, before departing for Chicago.
Asia Observer reports South Korea has accepted a North Korean proposal to hold high-level defence talks. The news came a day after the leaders of the US and China called for better communication between the two Koreas.
Ansa quotes the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone expressing concern by the case of Premier Silvio Berlusconi's alleged involvement with young women including a teenage Moroccan belly dancer called Ruby. Bertone said the Holy See was following the case carefully and stressed public figures had a responsibility in setting an example for families and young people.
Most of British nationals lead with the resignation yesterday of British Shadow Chancellor Alan Johnson. The Daily Mail says he quit frontline politics after discovering his wife had had an affair with his police protection officer. The paper said the suggestion that the spouse of a VIP has had an affair with a police bodyguard is thought to be unprecedented.
Az-Zaman reports at least 50 Iraqis have been killed and more than 150 others injued in two bomb attacks on two routes used by pilgrims near the Iraqi city of Karbala. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims are converging on the city from all over the country for the Shia Muslim festival of Arbaeen, which reaches its climax next week.
Bangkok Post says Thailand has banned diving at dozens of sites popular with tourists to try to protect deteriorating coral reefs. The ban applies to 22 places in the seven marine parks where ‘bleaching’ covers 80 per cent or more of the coral reefs.. About 16million people visit the country every year and its beaches are a major draw.
The New York Daily News reports that 27-year-old comedian Craig Rowin posted a You Tube video in which he asked to be given $1million – and it seems his plucky video has worked. His clip – which has over 45,000 hits – has led an anonymous person known only as ‘Benjamin’ to offer to come up the cash.
The New York Post says a US woman, kidnapped as an infant 23 years ago, has been re-united with her real mother. The woman was named Carlina White by her parents but was raised in Connecticut under the name Nejdra Nance. The 19-day-old baby Carlina was kidnapped in 1987 after her worried parents took her to Harlem Hospital with a fever. A woman who was dressed as a nurse abducted the baby; no suspect was ever arrested. She said she had long suspected that she wasn’t the woman’s real daughter.
Corriere della Sera reports that the Italian supreme court has reversed the decision of a lower court which upheld a Church-sanctioned annulment of a 20-year marriage on the grounds that it produced no children. The court decided that not having children was not a sufficient reason to annul the marriage. The husband had obtained an annulment from the Sacra Rota in 2001 and went on to obtain State recognition of the decision in 2007.