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

Front Page

English newspapers

The New Straits Times headlined Domestic and Trade Consumer Minister Shahril Abdul Samad's explanation on the fuel subsidy. He called for the reduction of the subsidy so it could be used for savings and other resources.

The Star reported that the government has decided to take on bloggers in cyberspace and respond to ‘wild and baseless' allegations raised in blogs.

TheSun led with a pledge by Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak of ‘zero deaths' in the national service trainings.

Bahasa Malaysia newspapers

Berita Harian highlighted the government's move to offer 30,757 places of diploma and tertiary education for SPM graduates for the 2008/09 sessions.

Utusan Malaysia frontpaged Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi who said there's a limit to freedom of speech where people can't use it to smear the nation's identity, including Islam.

Chinese newspapers

Nanyang Siang Pau and China Press led with the news of ‘thugs' who were allegedly hired by Grand Saga to stop the Bukit Mahkota Cheras residents from tearing down barricades that blocked a toll-free access road last night.

Oriental Daily reported that MCA will receive the report on the snoop squad investigation in 10 days time.

Tamil newspapers

Malaysia Nanban led with a tragic accident which killed a soon-to-be married couple in Kapar. It also reported that two new Tamil schools would be constructed in Lunas and Sungai Siput.

Tamil Nesan also reported on the two new schools as revealed by MIC president S Samy Vellu following his meeting with Education Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. The daily also had a colour photo of a beaming Samy Vellu and Hishammuddin.

Makkal Osai led with Najib giving an assurance that no more national trainees would die while undergoing the compulsory training.

Editorial

New Straits Times wrote that the government's new-found concern after the loss of Pulau Batu Puteh to Singapore should have a positive effect if channelled towards charting coastal and offshore waters no matter how remote or tiny they are.

TheSun reflected DPM Najib's statement that ‘Bangsa Malaysia' will become a reality when all Malaysians regard each other as Malaysians rather than members of the various ethnic groups.

Utusan Malaysia commented that Malaysians should stop sharing subsidies with foreigners - echoing the government's decision to ban foreign vehicles to buy fuel in the country.

Berita Harian said the government should have a long-term plan following the ban on foreign vehicles from buying fuel so that it will not affect the tourism industry between the countries.

Nanyang Siang Pau opined that even though the government has set some rules to stop the foreign vehicles to buy fuel in the country, they cannot nevertheless totally stop this form happening.

China Press wrote that if other countries were to know on the ‘sexy' schoolgirls' uniform controversy, they would get the impression that Malaysian schoolgirls were ‘indecent.'

Malaysia Nanban commented on the ban of fuel for foreign vehicles in border states.

Tamil Nesan also wrote on the fuel ban, stating that it was an appropriate measure to stop oil smuggling.