Press digest

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

The Times says a 39-year-old man was shot and stabbed in Marsaxlokk. It also reports that a 20-year-old woman was killed in a traffic accident in an accident black spot in Floriana.

The Malta Independent quotes the Prime Minster saying that ongoing investment shows confidence in the country. It also reports that the management of Park tal-Majjistral is finding its feet again.

In-Nazzjon says a man gave himself up after the Marsaxlokk murder. The newspaper carries an appeal by the Prime Minister for solutions to the utilities issue to be found around it table.

l-orizzont apart from the murder story, reports GWU General Secretary Tony Zarb urging the PM to give a free vote to Nationalist MPs during the debate on the tariffs in Parliament.

The overseas press

Jornal da Madeira reports that emergency workers on the Portuguese island of Madeira would press on with rescue work today after the flash flooding that killed at least 42 people and injured more than 120, warning that the death toll was likely to rise. Troops and other rescue workers spent Sunday digging through mud-filled houses and streets after the flash floods' torrents of brown water swept some people to their death, demolished houses and overturned cars. The heavy rains ended Sunday, revealing scenes of devastation in the capital, Funchal.

Haaretz reports that the EU foreign ministers, meeting in Brussels today, were expected to issue a statement condemning the use of forged European passports during the assassination of Hamas official Mahmoud al-Mabhouh in Dubai last month. Senior officials from Germany, France, Britain, Ireland and the EU met yesterday to agree on the language of the statement. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman will also be in Brussels to see EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Al Jazeera says Israel's air force has unveiled a fleet of unmanned aircraft that it says are able to reach the Gulf, putting Iran within range. The Heron TP drones, which have a wingspan the size of a Boeing 737 passenger jet, were presented to the media on Sunday, as Israel pushed for international action against the Islamic republic over its nuclear programme.

The Jerusalem Post announces Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has added two major religious sites in the West Bank to the country's national heritage list. He told his cabinet the Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem would now be included in the restoration plan costing $107 million. The Palestinian Authority has warned the decision would "wreck" peace efforts.

De Telegraf quotes Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende saying his counry's troops would begin leaving southern Afghanistan in August. Speaking a day after his coalition government collapsed over the issue, Balkenende said the Netherlands would end its role in Uruzgan province, where 21 Dutch soldiers have been killed since the mission was first deployed in 2006.

Times of Central Asia says Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai has urged Nato to do more to protect civilians during combat operations to secure Marjah, a southern Taliban stronghold and scene of the biggest allied ground assault of the eight-year war. Addressing the opening session of the Afghan parliament in Kabul, he said Nato had made progress in reducing civilian casualties but more needed to be done to protect civilians caught up in the fighting.

Kolner Stadt Anzeiger reports Lufthansa pilots have gone on a four-day strike which could cost the airline more than 65 million euros and up to 100 million euros if all flights were grounded. Lufthansa pilots are demanding a 6.4 percent pay raise, more say in company decisions, and commitments that pilots would keep their jobs when Lufthansa shifts passengers to its cheaper foreign affiliates.

La Prensa reports thatTami Fabiola, a baby girl born on a military-run airliner in Bolivia, will be baptized on the plane as well - with the chief of the air force presiding as godfather. Tami was named after the airline, which is known as TAM. The airline said it was giving Tami free flights until she turns 21. She'll also get a scholarship through high school.

Le Republicain quotes the leaders of the military coup in Niger promising a "return to constitutional order", three days after overthrowing President Mamadou Tandja. A spokesman for the coup leaders said they would draft a new constitution and hold elections, but did not say when.

The Guardian says the Iraq war drama "The Hurt Locker" has swept up six Bafta awards - best cinematography, best editing, best sound and best original screenplay as well as best film and best director (Kathryn Bigelow). Colin Firth won the leading actor gong for his role in "A Single Man" and newcomer Carey Mulligan was awarded the leading actress prize for her part in "An Education".