Press digest

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

The Times says the Prime Minister and Renzo Piano are to have a 'mystery' meeting on the City Gate project. It also says that bin Laden has claimed responsibility for the Christmas Day bomb plot which almost downed a plane over Detroit.

The Malta Independent quotes Joseph Muscat saying the Opposition will press for a parliamentary debate on the utility tariffs.

l-orizzont quotes Dr Muscat saying the government is acting by imposition, not consultation. It also reports on new human trafficking routes into Europe. A large group of migrants arrived on Corsica on Friday and Greece has also seen an increase of migration.

In-Nazzjon leads with comments by the Prime Minister that new projects are creating jobs. It also says Air Malta will launch a Malta-Genoa route in May.

The international press:

Osama bin Laden's word choice in the latest audio message attributed to him is seen as a "possible indicator'' of an upcoming attack by his al-Qaeda network. The Washington Post quotes IntelCenter, a US group that monitors Islamist websites, saying the phrase 'Peace be upon those who follow guidance' in message released to Al-Jazeera TV is used by bin Laden in his statements in advance of attacks.

The Jerusalem Post quotes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declaring Israel would retain parts of the West Bank forever. He laid claim to the disputed territory just hours after meeting with George Mitchell, the US's Middle East envoy shuttling between Israeli and Palestinian leaders since late last week in hopes of breaking a deadlock over Israeli settlement construction.

De Standaard says Israel has barred Belgian Cooperation and Development Minister Charles Michel from going to the Gaza Strip, saying his visit would give legitimacy to the Islamist Hamas movement running the territory. He protested that Israel's action was "unacceptable" and said he would take the matter to the European Union

Kathemerini reports Greek farmers have threatened to disrupt traffic on major roads in today to force their demand for the full payment of subsidies they are entitled to and better prices for their produce.

In a message to Zagreb's Vecernji List, Mehmet Ali Agca, the Turkish man who attempted to kill Pope John Paul II in 1981, said he wanted political asylum in staunchly Catholic Croatia, where he planned to write a new Bible.

Iran's state television said a Russian-made passenger plane carrying 170 passengers and crew crash-landed in north-eastern Iran earlier today, injuring at least 46 people. The broadcast said no-one was killed in the accident.

La Tribune reports that thousands of protestors took part in a demonstration near Italy's border with France against a planned high-speed train line. France and Italy signed a deal in 2001 on building a new rail link, which would allow travel time between Milan and Paris to be slashed from seven to four hours. The cost has been estimated at €15 billion.

US celebrity website People.com quotes "multiple sources" close to actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie say there was no truth to rumours that the celebrity superstar couple had split. Another source said the split reports were "totally false".

Variety reports sci-fiction epic "Avatar" topped the North American box office for the sixth week running and was two million dollars shy of the all-time ticket sales record set by "Titanic

If you have a euro and dream - and believe you can beat the odds - start with 14, 36 and 48. The New York Post
And since June 24, 2005, when the latest version of the game launched, they've appeared on the winning six-number combinations the most often. reported those three numbers had hit more than any others among the 414 winning Mega Millions tickets sold between 2005 and January 12.