The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press today:
The Sunday Times quotes the Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism, Mario de Marco, saying that Malta cannot afford to make mistakes over the proposal to develop a yacht marina and other facilities at Hondoq ir-Rummien, Gozo. The proposal, he said, had to be carefully studied and it was simplistic to speak of possible advantages for tourism while forgetting the potential negative impact on the bay. The newspaper also quotes the Air Malta CEO saying the ash cloud crisis in April cost the airline €3.5 million.
The Malta Independent on Sunday says the government and local banks are being cautious on EU proposals to levy banks for a crisis fund. It also quotes a group saying that Malta's renewable energy targets are achievable if the government consults all interested parties.
MaltaToday says PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier was informed last year of the bribery allegations in the superyachts facility privatisation process. However Dr Borg Olivier denied having such knowledge.
It-Torca says the Church Response Team did not meet abuse victims for seven years. It also says energy prices in Malta have been rising faster than in the EU. In another story, it says that it appears that there will be no EU funds for the City Gate project.
Il-Mument says the PN is ‘continuing to listen'. It was referring to the Vision 2015 Plus conference. It also reports complaints within the PL that the party is getting militant again.
KullHadd says that according to the chairman of Gozo Channel, following the allegations made last year by Capt Mario Grech, the options before the company were to suspend the service, or suspend Capt Grech. It also says that PN General Secretary Paul Borg Olivier was informed in September of the bribery allegations in the superyacht privatisation process. He was told by the same person who told the Office of the Prime Minister.
Illum gives prominence to an interview with Gozo Giovanna Debono. It also carries comments by Naxxar FC president Michael Zammit Tabona that the MFA needs to remove its president Joe Mifsud at the forthcoming election.
The overseas press
The Los Angeles Times quotes oil giant BP saying its latest attempt to stop the leak in the Gulf of Mexico has failed, and it would try another technique. In the failed procedure - known as "top kill" - the firm had been blasting waste material into a ruptured well, after pumping heavy mud into it.
The Jerusalem Post reports Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanyehu has said Isreal would not take part in a 2012 conference aimed at achieving a nuclear-arms free Middle East, proposed at a UN meeting in New York. He dismissed the document as "deeply flawed" and "hypocritical", saying "it ignores the realities of the Middle East and the real threats facing the region and the entire world".
In the UK, many of the papers lead with the story that David Laws has resigned as Chief Secretary to the Treasury after admitting claiming thousands of pounds in expenses to pay rent to his partner. The Independent on Sunday claims Mr Laws is a broken man while The Observer reports that the coalition government is in turmoil after Mr Laws quits.
Blesk says results from the Czech Republic's general election suggest centre-right parties may form the next government. The left-wing Social Democrats narrowly won, with 22.1per cent of the vote. The conservative Civic Democrats have 20.2 per cent, but potential allies could boost that towards a majority. One of them, TOP09, has 16.7 per cent, while the centrist Public Affairs party has 10.9 per cent.
Avvenire reports tha the Vatican's investigator into the Church's paedophilia scandal has warned priests that those who abuse children face a harder time in hell. Mgr Charles Scicluna, the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, led prayers in St Peter's Basilica with students and seminarians from pontifical universities. During the service prayers were said for the abusers and their victims.
Variety reports the death of Hollywood actor Dennis Hopper in California after suffering from prostate cancer He was 74. In a career spanning more than 50 years, Hopper appeared alongside his mentor James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and Giant. He was best known for starring in the 1969 cult classic Easy Rider, for which he received an Oscar for the movie's original screenplay. The film is regarded as one of the greatest films of American cinema.
Lahore Times says police have blamed the Pakistani Taliban for attacks that killed 93 people at two mosques belonging to a minority sect. They said the militants involved had trained in an Afghan border region where the US wants Islamabad to mount an army operation.
Bangkok Post reports Thailand's Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has lifted a night-time curfew in Bangkok and 23 other provinces. The curfew was imposed after a military crackdown dispersed anti-government "Red Shirt" protesters from the heart of Bangkok last week, leaving more than a dozen dead and injuring nearly 200.
Metro says Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs has been admitted to hospital after complaining of chest pain. Biggs, 80, was released from prison on medical grounds last year and has been living in a care home in Barnet.
Malawi's Daily Times says a gay couple jailed in Blantyre after getting engaged have been pardoned by the country's President. Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were given 14-year jail terms earlier this month after being convicted of gross indecency and unnatural acts. The case has sparked international condemnation and a debate about homosexuality in the country.
Arab News reports that, in a bid to stop burials in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, the Saudi Arabia's interior ministry has said all Muslims, whether Saudis or foreigners, should be buried in the place where they die. It said there was no basis in Islamic texts for people seeking burial in Mecca or Medina.
China Daily says a 60-year-old woman has become the oldest woman in China to give birth: she had a pair of twin girls, born prematurely, after in-vitro fertilization. The woman became impregnated to ease the pain caused by the death of her 28-year-old daughter, who died in a "gas poisoning" incident early last year along with her husband.
Times of India reports that Indian police are holding a pigeon under armed guard after it was caught on an alleged spying mission for arch rival and neighbour Pakistan. Police suspect the pigeon may have landed on Indian soil from Pakistan with a message, although no trace of a note has been found.