The following are the top stories in the national and international news today.
The Sunday Times of Malta says that the bodies of three of the five French victims lost at sea are to be flown to France for burial. In another story, it says that a proposal to extend Piano's project to include the area outside City Gate is being considered.
MaltaToday says that the PN is set to launch an innovative membership drive to address its debt and bring the party closer to the people. In another story it says that the majority of non-PN voters believe that the election of Simon Busuttil as the party’s new leader has weakened the PN.
The Malta Independent on Sunday says that reports of malpractice at Rainbow Ward are being investigated. The newspaper interviews PN deputy leadership contenders Beppe Fenech Adami and Claudette Buttigieg.
It-Torca says that an inquiry into alleged theft from the Gozo Channel vessels cafeteria is underway. In another story it accuses former minister George Pullicino of having appointed a number of consultants for no defined reason.
Illum quotes former EU Commissioner John Dalli accusing the European Commission and the Office of the Prime Minister of a set-up against him.
Il-Mument gives a preview of this morning’s extraordinary general council of the Nationalist Party, which is expected to approve a motion for the party to have two deputy leaders. In another story it says that top government positions are being filled by family members and friends of Labour ministers.
Kullhadd quotes Finance Minister Edward Scicluna saying that the Labour government is confident it can retain its deficit targets. In another story it says that no reaction has been forthcoming to the accusation that micro-cameras had been hidden in the election which had seen former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi being elected PN leader.
International news
The Sunday Times reports British Prime Minister David Cameron is facing a new bout of civil war in his party as ministerial aides prepare to back a motion condemning the Queen’s speech for failing to include a bill on an EU referendum. In a second blow, Cameron is facing a warning from his own loyalist MPs that his modernisation programme is “faltering” under right-wing pressure.
The Financial Times says finance ministers and central bank governors of the G7 group of industrialised nations – the US, Germany, the UK, Japan, Italy, France and Canada – have agreed that there must be collective action against tax evasion and avoidance. They also agreed no bank should be “too big to fail”.
According to Libya Herald, militiamen appear to have ended their two-week siege of the foreign affairs and home affairs ministries in Tripoli. They had been demanding a ban on officials who served during Muammar Gaddafi’s rule – a measure passed by the national congress last Sunday.
Bulgarians vote today in what bTV calls “a tight and tense snap election marked by accusations of cheating” and expected to result in political stalemate and fresh protests in the EU's poorest member. Former bodyguard and ex-premier Boyko Borisov's conservative Gerb party is expected to win the most votes, even though the biggest demonstrations in 16 years forced his government to resign only three months ago. Officials said yesterday they had seized 350,000 fake ballot papers at a printing house owned by a member of the centre-right.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been joining supporters of his Muslim League Party in street celebrations following early indications that it would be the largest in parliament after yesterday’s election. He told the BBC that he was determined to meet the huge challenges facing Pakistan and to bring about change. The party of former cricketer Iman Khan is emerging as the second largest across the country.
Chumhurriyet reports Turkey has warned it would take any necessary measures to protect itself after two car bombs hit a town on the Turkish border with Syria. At least 40 people were killed in the town of Reyhanli, to which many Syrian refugees have fled. The Turkish government said it suspected a group linked to Syria’s intelligence agency of carrying out the attack.
Al Ahram quotes Egypt’s interior minister Mohammed Ibrahim announcing that the police had arrested three al-Qaeda militants planning a suicide attack on a Western embassy. He did not specify which embassy had been targeted, but said a quantity of chemicals had been found and that the plot was in its final stages. A lawyer for the three men said they denied all charges and considered the case as "fabricated".
Radio Ohio reports offers of help are pouring in from around the world for three Cleveland women who were kidnapped and held in captivity for around a decade. The Cleveland City Council has set up a fund to provide financial assistance to Amanda Berry, 27, Gina DeJesus, 23, and Michelle Knight, 32. So far the fund has raised more than $50,000. The money will not go directly to the victims, but be distributed to organisations to help the women pay for therapy, doctor's visits, housing and other expenses.
Metro Libre reports schools in Panama will re-open tomorrow after their closure last week to save electricity. Panama derives more than half its energy from hydro-electric power and has been hit by a severe drought.
An immigrant from Ghana went on a rampage with a pickaxe in Milan, killing a passer-by and wounding five others in an apparently random attack. The police said the attacker was arrested. People working in cafes and other businesses near the attack told Sky TG24 TV the man swung a pickaxe and ran down streets ferociously striking passersby, mainly on the head. The motive was unclear but the attacker is reported to be a 21-year-old man who had apparently ignored a 2011 expulsion order because he was not legally in the country.