The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports how the PN will use Facebook in its drive ‘to listen’ in an initiative headed by Chris Said.
The Malta Independent reports how the Schuman medal was yesterday presented to Eddie Fenech Adami.
In-Nazzjon leads with the prime minister’s remarks yesterday that jobs, health and education remain the government’s priority.
l-orizzont says government spending has ‘exploded’ by €80m despite supposed controls.
The overseas press
CNN reports that the UN Security Council has condemned the use of heavy weapons by Syria's government during a massacre in which 108 people were killed and 300 injured in the town of Houla, an area north-west of the central city of Homs. Some 34 children were killed in Friday's massacre – one of the bloodiest single events in Syria’s uprising which has sparked international outrage. The UN said those responsible for the killings must be held accountable. But Syria's UN ambassador, Bashar Jaafari, said some members of the council were trying to mislead the world about Syria's role in the massacre. He said Syria was being subjected to a “tsunami of lies” blaming the government.
Northern Italy is still being hit by aftershocks, one week after a magnitude 6.0 earthquake killed seven people and made thousands homeless. Corriere della Sera says a magnitude 4.0 tremor hit the area on Sunday evening, one of the strongest of a series of aftershocks. The Civil Protection Authority said the quake hit an area near Modena, and checks for damage were being carried out. Thousands of people are still accommodated in tents or other makeshift housing a week after the original earthquake,.
Greek leaders have condemned IMF chief Christine Lagarde for her comments about Greeks not paying taxes. According to Kathimerini, Greece's socialist leader Evangelos Venizelos accused Lagarde of trying to "humiliate" the Greek people. His comments come after Christine Lagarde told the Guardian that Greeks must help themselves by paying all their taxes, and that she was more concerned about people in Sub-Saharan Africa. The head of the far left Syriza party in Greece, Alexis Tsipras, seized on her comments to assert his stance as a defender against economic cuts. "The last thing we seek in Greece is her sympathy. Greek workers pay their taxes, which are unbearable," he said.
Meanwhile, Deutsche Welle reports that Lagarde issued a lengthy statement on her Facebook site at the weekend, responding more than 10,000 angry and often explicit messages on her account. She said that she was “very sympathetic” to the Greek people and the challenges they were facing. She said an important part of this effort was that everyone should carry their fair share of the burden, especially the most privileged and especially in terms of paying their taxes.
Spain, Italy and Greece, already fighting a financial and economic crisis, are now facing an oil crisis. Olive oil, that is. The Financial Times reports that the price of the commodity has plunged to a 10-year low as domestic consumption in the top producing southern European countries had fallen because of the economic crisis. That fall has coincided with a bumper olive crop in Spain, the biggest grower, creating a glut that has forced the EU to intervene to reduce the surplus amid worries about rural incomes. Olive oil is suffering from strong competition from cheaper varieties of vegetable oil. A popular supermarket chain in Spain sells sunflower oil at €1.25 a litre, against average-quality olive oil at €1.99 and premium extra-virgin olive oil at €3.25.
Rezonansi says tens of thousands of Georgians took to the streets of the capital Tbilisi on Sunday to protest against the government of President Mikheil Saakashvili. The rally was organised by supporters of billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili and his Georgian Dream Alliance, a political party that he formed just last October. The demonstration effectively kicked off his campaign ahead of the next election to be held in October. If successful in his bid to become prime minister, Ivanishvili has pledged to lead Georgia into both the EU and Nato.
As a smoking ban comes into force today at the Australian Liuthgow maximum-security prison in the central west of New South Wales, inmates would be issued with free nicotine patches. ABC TV says the jail was running the trial, becoming the first in the state to ban smoking in its buildings. Both prisoners and staff would now have to be in designated outdoor areas before they can light up. Figures show 75 per cent of male inmates and 81 per cent of female prisoners smoke.
Cannes News reports Michael Haneke's film “Amour” has won the Palme d'Or award for best film at the Cannes film festival. It's the second time the Austrian director has won the event's coveted top prize. The film tells the story of a Parisian husband caring for his dying wife, starring French acting legend Jean-Louis Trintignant.
The Daily Mirror quotes former England player Sol Campbell warning English football fans not go to Euro 2012 matches in Poland and Ukraine because racism and football violence were rife in the tournament’s host nations. Speaking on BBC’s Panorama, the former Arsenal and Tottenham defender has urged supporters thinking of travelling to cheer on their heroes to stay home as they could end up going back in a coffin. The Panorama special, to be screened tonight, reveals a sickening history of violence and racist thuggery in both nations where the competition is being staged.