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

All three dailies - The Sun, Star and News Straits Times - front-paged lawyer VK Lingam’s testimony to the royal commission of inquiry.

He claimed that he was not speaking to former chief judge of Malaya Ahmad Fairuz Sheikh Abdul Halim when a video recording was being made of his telephone conversation. Lingam conceded that the man in the video-clip looks and sounds like him.

Malay newspapers

Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia also led with Lingam’s testimony, with the latter also reporting video-clip maker Loh Gwo Burne’s testimony that the lawyer was not drunk during the telephone conversation.

Chinese newspapers

Nanyang Siang Pau and Oriental Daily News both led with Lingam’s testimony.

Sin Chew Daily reported that the Barisan Nasional supreme council has stressed that all 'sensitive issues' will be addressed internally.

Editorial

News Straits Times urged the government to step up pro-poor affirmative action plans to make sure all Malaysians benefit from national development.

Berita Harian commented on the proposed cabinet committee to wipe out poverty, calling on it to work with opposition parties to ensure the mission is accomplished.

Utusan Malaysia also commented on the committee, with a call to all relevant agencies to make sure that the government achieves its objective to eradicate poverty by 2010.

Nanyang Siang Pau hopes that the government will eradicate poverty regardless of the ethnicity of those affected or geographical locations.

In response to Higher Education Minister Ong Tee Keat’s call for revision of the internship system in public universities, Oriental Daily News said this would create a win-win situation for both universities and corporations.

Sin Chew Daily urged the government to narrow the gap between the haves and have-nots and to eradicate hardcore poverty.