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

Front Page

English newspapers

Both Star and New Straits Times headlined that the exchange of artillery fire between North and South Korea was one of the heaviest attacks since the Korean War ended in 1953.  

Star also front-paged a photo of Cambodian police examining hundreds of shoes and other personal belongings on a bridge in Phnom Penh, where 380 people were crushed to death in a stampede on the last day of the water festival.

Malay newspapers

Berita Harian

followed up on a previous report, saying that its readers have written in claiming to be victims of exorbitant charges at private hospitals.

It also front-paged Malaysia’s win over India in the Asia Games hockey semi-finals, putting the team in the finals for the first time in history. They will face Pakistan tomorrow.

Utusan Malaysia also gave prominence to the Cambodian stampede and the Korean attack, but devoted most of its front page to news that 19 have been arrested for smuggling diesel.

Also on Utusan’s packed front page is news that independent parliamentarian Wee Choo Keong has alleged that two more from Selangor state-owned Kumpulan Semesta Sdn Bhd are involved in sand smuggling.

Chinese newspapers

China Press highlighted that 378 people were killed in the stampede in Cambodia.

Oriental Daily News reported that North Korea had fired 200 artillery shells yesterday on the island of Yeonpyeong in South Korea.

Nanyang Siang Pau said North Korea’s action against South Korea affected the Asean stock market drastically.

Sin Chew Daily led with bulletins on the stampede in Phnom Penh and the attack on the South Korean island.

Editorial

Utusan is hopeful that the economy is on the mend, but said all sectors must chip in to ensure that the 3.7 percent growth target is reached this quarter, in order to hit the 7 percent overall growth target for the year.

New Straits Times

called for an Asean brainstorm to figure out ways to facilitate trade between member-countries.

Berita Harian called on the government to begin planning for an impending food crisis, especially to develop contingency measures in the event of natural disasters that affect agriculture.  

Sin Chew Daily urged Malaysia to learn lessons from the Ireland financial crisis - it said the BN government must undertake try reforms to avoid bankruptcy.

Nanyang Siang Pau pointed out that the requirement for Taiwanese visitors to obtain visas would be counter-productive to growth of Malaysia’s economy and tourism sector.