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

New Straits Times and the Star headlined with a Sibu High Court judge accusing former premier Dr Mahathir Mohammad of enforcing his will on the judiciary by threatening to sack the judges if they made decisions against the BN government when he was the prime minister.

Justice Ian HC Chin alleged that he and selected judges were even sent to a boot camp to ensure they got the message.

TheSun led with MCA's three-person investigation panel's findings that the allegation that party president had set up a snoop squad to crush his fellow party rival as baseless.

Malay newspapers

Berita Harian too headlined with Mahathir's alleged threats against judges.

Utusan Malaysia fronted with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's announcement of re-organising financial allocations under the Ninth Malaysia Plan for rural developments.

Chinese newspapers

Sin Chew Daily, Nanyang Siang Pau, Oriental Daily News and China Press led with the MCA snoop squad's investigation report which found that there was no evidence of such a squad.

Tamil newspapers

Makkal Osai reported that a RM100 million fund is being mooted by the People's Progressive Party for the maintenance and upkeep of all 523 Tamil schools in the country.

Malaysia Nanban reported that the police had reopened investigations into the Maika and Telekom shares scandal involving MIC and its president S Samy Vellu.

Editorial

New Straits Times believed that private transportation operators should not panic and resort to increasing the fees.

Utusan Malaysia applauded government's effort to cut RM 2 billion worth of public spending to cope with the sharp rise of fuel price hike.

Berita Harian said that there should be proactive measures by Islamic government to tackle alleged Western hate-campaign against the religion.

Sin Chew Daily opined that the government's effort in anti-inflation must come together with the reform in the administration level.

Nanyang Siang Pau discussed the possibility of removing the toll by rescinding the toll contract.

China Press, in commenting the cost-cutting measures, urged the government to make public the expenditure accounts on the Internet.

Makkal Osai commented on the various measures undertaken by the government to alleviate the burden of the people as a result of the recent fuel hike.

Tamil Nesan also welcomed the government's austerity drive.

Malaysia Nanban expressed its disappointment with the green light given for the development of the Batu Caves riverbank which could hinder temple devotees during the next Thaipusam.