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

The Times says the parties have agreed on all clauses of the Divorce Bill.

The Malta Independent reports that repairs have started on Guze Ellul Mercer bridge on the Regional Road.

MaltaToday says BWSC has managed to wriggle out of possible legal action against it by the government. 

l-orizzont says car parks are effectively being privatised, with payment to car park attendants becoming obligatory.   

In-Nazzjon focuses on the evidence given before a UK parliamentary committee yesterday by Rupert Murdoch who said this was his most humble day. It also reports on the new €7.3m government data centre.

The overseas press

The Wall Street Journal reports that the International Monetary Fund has called on Europe to take urgent action to prevent a eurozone meltdown – two days before EU leaders meet in Brussels for a summit on a second rescue of Greece. In its strongest warning yet, the IMF called on Europe's leaders to act quickly to avoid a contagion that would damage not only the region but the global economy. In another warning, the IMF said delays in raising the debt ceiling in the United States had increased downside risks for the global economy and urged Washington to immediately increase the $14.3 trillion debt limit.

The Washington Times says President Barack Obama welcomed a proposal by a group of Republican and Democratic senators saying it represented a significant step toward a possible compromise on cutting government deficit spending and raising the debt ceiling.  Speaking to reporters in the White House, Obama said his most recent talks with congressional leaders produced some progress and "some narrowing of the issues."

Voice of America says clashes have intensified in Libya’s eastern oil port of Brega, as anti-government fighters fought to expand their control beyond the city’s residential sectors. Opposition forces said loyalist troops in trucks disguised with rebel flags had shelled their positions, killing eight insurgents and wounding dozens more. But a rebel spokesman also said radio intercepts from Brega suggested forces loyal to leader Mouammar Gaddafi were low on food and weapons.

Al Arabiya TV reports that in an audio address to a pro-government rally in the western town of al-Aziziya yesterday, Gaddafi vowed again that he would not bow to the pressure of Nato or the rebellion against him. The Libyan strongman also made a rare reference to the fuel shortages caused by Tripoli’s international isolation that have made life hard in government-controlled areas.

Meanwhile, Pravda says  Libya’s foreign minister will meet his Russian counterpart in Moscow today, in a visit requested by the Libyan government. Russia has been heavily involved in attempts to mediate between the rebels – who control much of eastern Libya – and Gaddafi’s inner circle.

“Murdoch eats humble pie” screams the half-page heading in The Daily Telegraph as it tells how, summoned by lawmakers to answer for a phone hacking and bribery scandal at the News of the World, Rupert Murdoch said he was humbled and ashamed but accepted no responsibility for wrongdoing. After more than two hours of testimony, the hearing was abruptly interrupted when a man carrying a foam pie ran toward Murdoch before being struck by his wife Wendi Deng. The foam appeared to have hit Murdoch's suit. Media reports later identified the protester as Jonnie Marbles, a British comedian. He was arrested on suspicion of assault.

The Jerusalem Post reports Israel commandos have boarded a French yacht heading for Gaza in defiance of its naval blockade. Four hours later, the yacht was escorted into the southern port of Ashdod by three Israeli warships and the 16 passengers on board, including three journalists, were taken off for interrogation. France 24 quotes the Paris-based organisers denouncing the move, saying the boarding of the yacht was “an act of violence, an illegal act and a new act of piracy against harmless people".

Reuters reports guards loyal to President Alpha Conde of Guinea have repelled a second attack on his residence. A fresh assault, which left three dead, came hours after a rocket and gunfire attack by unknown assailants. One presidency source said the second attack took place after an unharmed Conde had gone on state television to appeal for calm.

Associated Press reports that a painstaking conservation effort to remove old patches and repair weak spots in a 714-year-old copy of the Magna Carta has revealed that the full text of the English declaration of human rights remained intact even though some words were faded and illegible to the eye. A $13.5 million gift from philanthropist David Rubenstein, owner of the handwritten document, is funding the conservation effort as well as preparations for an upcoming exhibition.

The International Herald Tribune says millions of American women stand to gain free access to a broad menu of birth control methods, thanks to a recommendation issued by health experts advising the government. An Institute of Medicine panel recommended that the government require health insurance companies to cover birth control for women as preventive care, without any extra payments. Contraception, along with such care as diabetes tests during pregnancy and screening for the virus that causes cervical cancer, was one of eight recommended preventive services for women.