Malaysiakini compares the key news and views in major newspapers. What is today's agenda for the English, Bahasa, Chinese and Tamil paper?

Frontpage

English newspapers

The Star and the New Straits Times both highlighted the Court of Appeal order to free a convicted teenage murderer who had killed his tuition teachers's daughter. The New Straits Times however explained on the front page that there was no provision under the Child Act to punish him.

Malay newspapers

Berita Harian headlined the Federal Court judgment which called for parliament to study the Federal Constitution provisions to resolve the conflict between the powers of civil and Syariah courts.

Utusan Malaysia highlighted the Court of Appeal order to free a convicted teenage murderer who killed his tuition teacher's daughter. However, the daily also highlighted the court's suggestion that the Child Act 2001 be amended in view of the case.

Chinese newspapers

Nanyang Siang Pau led with a call by the Federal Court for the parliament to resolve the jurisdiction dispute between the civil courts and the Syariah courts which had lasted twenty years.

Oriental Daily News also carried the same story on the call by the Federal Court. It said that a law was essential to clearly mark the jurisdiction of the Syariah courts.

Sin Chew Daily headlined the release of the 17-year-old boy who murdered the daughter of his tuition teacher five years ago because there was no appropriate sentence for him.

Tamil newspapers

Malaysia Nanban led with a noisy but peace protest by Kirby/Carolina plantation workers over alternative housing rights in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan. The daily also highlighted incidents in Sungai Petani and Klang where two primary schoolchildren were injured by their respective teachers.

Tami Nesan 's lead story was on a decision by Federal Court asking the parliament to solve the conflict of jurisdiction between the civil courts and the Syariah courts.

Makkal Osai reported a shocking incident of a group of Form Four schoolboys being caught for drinking toddy in the school compound in Kapar. It was believed that the students bought the alcoholic brew from a shop outside ths school. The school is contemplating to suspend these students.

Editorial

The New Straits Times called for the public to be fair on teachers which had abused their authority, in view of the spotlight on a teacher who made schoolgirls squat neck-deep in a fish pond.

Berita Harian assured that the government would prioritise the public interest in the development of the North Corridor Economic Region (NCER) by, among others, tightly monitoring the foreign investment in the area.

Utusan Melayu said that the road accident involving 11 dead at the East Coast Highway on Tuesday revealed the modus operandi of human traffickers. The daily raised the question of how the human traffickers continuously manage to evade the authorities.

Nanyang Siang Pau commented on blogs and the freedom of speech.

Oriental Daily News opined that the 'war' that the government launched against bloggers showed that the old politicians could not adapt to the new forms of mass media and mindsets.

Sin Chew Daily opined that the government should handle the problems of blogs with tact.

Malaysia Nanban commented on the need to introduce a minimum wage for workers in the private sector. The daily rebuffed the government's argument that such a move would only flood the local job market with foreign workers. On the contrary, the daily said, more locals would be keen to work in private sectors if there is a guarantee of a minimum wage.