The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports that a huge art collection is heading to Malta for permanent exhibition. It also reports how Hollande came out ahead of Sarkozy in the first round of the French presidential election.
The Malta Independent quotes the prime minister saying that health and jobs are the PN priorities. It also says that Labour has challenged the government to discuss the motion of censure on Richard Cachia Caruana in parliament.
In-Nazzjon, quoting the prime minister, says the PN means jobs.
l-orizzont highlights the plight of a woman caught up in Libya for eight months after her passport for confiscated by her employer. The woman worked in a clinic. She has appealed to the prime minister for help.
The overseas press
France 24 says incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist candidate François Hollande have made it to the second round of France’s presidential election on May 6. But it was the leader of the far-right National Front, Marine Le Pen, who stole the show on election day with a record score of 19 per cent for her party. While Hollande's supporters were contemplating overall victory, and the president's camp was breathing a sigh of relief, the National Front was throwing the biggest party of the night. Marine Le Pen’s third-place finish confirmed her position as the National Front’s new leader and as a major player on France’s political stage. “The battle for France has only just begun… nothing will be as before,” Marine Le Pen told ecstatic supporters in her usually combative style.
Le Parisien reports that according to partial results released by France’s Interior Ministry, Hollande secured around 28.5 per cent of the vote, ahead of Sarkozy’s 27 per cent. “I am the candidate of unity, and that unity needs to be strong,” Hollande pleaded during a post-election speech at his campaign headquarters in the central city of Tulles. Sarkozy was in a race against time to inject fresh momentum into his re-election drive, with opinion polls suggesting he would also finish second in next month’s run-off. An election-day survey predicted Hollande would beat Sarkozy by 54 per cent to 46 per cent.
Sky News says British police have released grainy photos of a man suspected of shooting a former Russian banker near London's Canary Wharf financial district, in a case that has raised fears that Russian gangland violence could be spreading to Britain. Financier German Gorbuntsov, 45, was shot five times as he entered his block of flats near the River Thames on March 20. He survived the attack but was critically injured and was recovering in hospital where his condition is described as stable.
Al Jazeera quotes monitoring groups saying Syrian troops have shot dead six civilians in the city of Homs despite the presence of UN observers. The latest violence comes even after the UN Security Council's decision to send in up to 300 more unarmed observers to monitor the so far unobserved ceasefire. In all, human rights groups say at least 17 people died across Syria in the past day, including two civilians and four soldiers who died during an assault near Damascus.
ABC says Peter Slipper has stood aside as Australia’s Federal Parliamentary Speaker amid allegations he sexually harassed a member of his staff and misused taxpayer-funded taxi charges. He flew back to Australia from an overseas trip on Sunday amid allegations from former aide James Ashby that were filed in the Federal Court on Friday. He has released a statement "emphatically" denying Mr Ashby's claims but said it was appropriate for him to stand aside while the criminal allegation against him was resolved. This morning, Sydney's Daily Telegraph published more allegations that Slipper had breached the rules relating to MPs' travel entitlements.
The Irrawady reports that the National League for Democracy, the party of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, will not attend today’s re-opening of Burma's parliament because of a row over the oath of office for MPs. They want to swear to "respect", rather than "safeguard" the constitution, which they say is undemocratic. The constitution was drawn up by Burma's former military junta.
AL Ahram says Egyptian officials have scrapped an agreement to supply Israel with natural gas. Israel received around 40 per cent of its gas supplies from Egypt and uses it to generate electricity. The announcement comes after the cross-border pipeline suffered numerous sabotage attacks which cut supplies. Haaretz quotes Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz saying the move was of "great concern", and overshadowed peace agreements between the countries.
Iran has claimed that it had recovered data from an American spy drone that went down in Iran last year, including information that the aircraft was used to spy on Osama bin Laden weeks before he was killed. Iran also said it was building a copy of the drone. The chief of the aerospace division of the powerful Revolutionary Guards, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, told IRIB state television that they had recovered part of the data that had been erased by deciphering the “many codes and characters”.
ABC and AFP reports that Israel's defence chief has confirmed his forces were carrying out increased special operations beyond the country's borders. In an interview to be published on Wednesday to mark the eve of Israel's independence day, Lieutenant General Benny Gantz also said Israel is ready to attack Iran's nuclear sites if ordered to do so.
Vietnam says it will ask for international help to find out what was causing a skin infection that has already killed 19 people. Ha Noi Moi says more than 170 others had become ill with the mystery infection. The disease begins with a rash on the hands and feet. If it is not treated early it could result in liver problems and multiple organ failure.
Scientists have made what they believe to be the first sighting of an adult white orca, or killer whale. The adult male was spotted off the coast of Kamchatka in eastern Russia during a research cruise by a group of Russian scientists and students, co-led by Erich Hoyt, the long-time orca scientist. He told the BBC it has the full two-metre-high dorsal fin of a mature male, which means it's at least 16 years old. Orcas mature around the age of 15, and males can live to 50 or 60 years old, though 30 is more commonplace.
CBS News reports a 30-year-old New Zealand woman died of a heart attack in 2010, and her death has been linked to her consumption more than nine litres of Coca-Cola every day for several years. Natasha Marie Harris consumed about 4,000 calories of regular Coke daily. Her partner told an inquest that she was addicted to Coke. The family wants warning labels on the product, notes the New Zealand Herald. Harris also reportedly smoked around 30 cigarettes a day and ate very little.