What the world is reading

With the phone hacking scandal in the spotlight across the world,The Telegraph has attacked Britains leading politicians on their performances during the recent House of Commons debate.

The Telegraph

With the phone hacking scandal in the spotlight across the world,The Telegraph has attacked Britains leading politicians on their performances during the recent House of Commons debate on Rupert Murdochs now withdrawn bid for BSkyB. In an editorial,the paper,while sympathising with former Labour PM Gordon Brown,especially over The Suns decision to publish details of his sons illness,accused him of naked partisanship served only to fuel the impression that he was exacting revenge for News Internationals withdrawal of support to Labour before the last election. It criticised PM David Cameron for being absent from the front benches and termed his pledge to publish details of all ministerial encounters with the media,as nothing more than a PR stunt.

Sydney Morning Herald

The Australian governments green efforts might cost it politically. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is firm on pushing her controversial carbon tax plans despite polls,since the levy was announced,showing support for her Labor party plunging, the paper reports. Gillard unveiled a tax on the nations top 500 polluters a week ago in a bid to reduce carbon emissions,starting July 1 next year. The paper quotes a Nielsen poll that 53 per cent of Australians disapprove of the new carbon law,with key business leaders warning that the levy would cost taxpayers billions and force major industry to slash production and jobs.

The Dawn

Closer home,Pakistans Dawn has blamed gender imbalance in rural India on sex-selection technology. Quoting the latest Census figures released on Friday,the paper says the data will be seen to confirm fears that villagers are now using cheap and portable ultrasound technology easily available in Indias cities in order to carry out illegal sex-selective abortions in favour of the male child. Girls are often viewed as a burden in traditional families as they require hefty dowries to be married off and married woman in the country are under tremendous pressure to produce male heirs, the paper says.

The Los Angeles Times

With women soccer mania gripping the US after their team finished as runners-up in the womens World Cup on Sunday,columnist Grahame Jones says in his column that the quality of football in the recent tournament has added another glorious chapter to womens football history. Quoting April Heinrichs,the American woman midfielder who won a world championship with the US in 1991 and coached the US team that finished third in 2003,to say it was the best football she had ever seen,Jones argues that with better coaching and countries taking the sport seriously,the quality of womens football has vastly improved. He,however,lashed out at FIFA president Sepp Blatters decision to increase the field for the next World Cup from 16 to 24 saying it would dilute standards.