Malaysiakini compares the key news and views in major newspapers. What is today's agenda for the newspapers?

Front Page

English newspapers

New Straits Times and the Star both led with the candidates in the Galas and Batu Sapi by-elections.

BN's Linda Tsen will take on SAPP's Yong Teck Lee and PKR's Ansari Abdullah in Batu Sapi while PAS Galas candidate Dr Zulkefli Mohamad will go against BN's Abdul Aziz Yusoff.

Star and Sun led with the news that 113 died and 500 are still missing following a tsunami in West Sumatera which was triggered by an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale.

One died and 20 were injured when the Merapi volcano in Central Java erupted yesterday.

Sun also shone the spotlight on Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index 2010, whereby Malaysia retains its position at 56th, among 178 countries surveyed.

Malay newspapers

Berita Harian and Sinar Harian highlighted the two by-elections, with the headline: "The war has begun".

Utusan featured the two natural disasters which hit Indonesia.

  Chinese newspapers

  Oriental Daily reported that Malaysia has found its first case of NDM-1, a new drug resistant superbug that spread from India to the world. The carrier is a 24-year-old female cancer patient in Kuala Lumpur Ampang hospital, who doesn't have an overseas travel record.

Nanyang Siang Pau reported that ten individuals and three companies have filed an application to challenge the constitutionality of Section 44 of the Anti Money Laundering and Anti Terrorism Financing Act 2001 (AMLA). This is the first such case in this country.

The applicants, who are involved in trade between Malaysia and China, were not happy with Bank Negara's decision to freeze their accounts.

Sin Chew Daily frontpaged the tsunami that pounded remote Mentawai islands, west of Sumatra.

Editorial

New Straits Times said that the social safety net should be woven tightly to ensure those like the young family who were living under the bridge until their story was highlighted by the press, won't slip through.

Berita Harian urged the rakyat to support the recently launched Economic Transformation Programme.

Nanyang Siang Pau said the irregularities among the civil servants, revealed by the recent tabled Auditor General Report 2009, should be eradicated because they are the obstacles for national development and the Economic Transformation Plan.

Sin Chew Daily also commented on the same issue and urged the government to build a transparent open tender system.