The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times of Malta says 32 local councils are now in the red.
The Malta Independent says the government has expressed disappointment over the opposition’s ‘negative’ attitude on the citizenship scheme.
In-Nazzjon says the MCESD never discussed the citizenship scheme.
l-orizzont focuses on abuses in government land transfers at Msida marina.
The overseas press
Russian officials have vowed to step up security following the bombing of a train station that killed at least 16 people and injured many others. Pravda quotes Russia's interior ministry saying it was taking steps to increase security at all of the country's major train stations and airports.
Deutsche Welle reports former Formula One champion Michael Schumacher is in a coma in a hospital in Grenoble and listed in critical condition following a skiing accident in the French Alps. Officials said Schumacher had suffered a cranial trauma and was in a coma as a result of having hit his head on a rock while skiing earlier in the day.
Kyiv Post says some 5,000 protesters in Ukraine on Sunday made their way to President Viktor Yanukovych's home some 15 kilometers (10 miles) outside the capital Kyiv, travelling by bicycle, cars and minibuses. The demonstrators carried a coffin, which they said symbolized the end of Yanukovych's political career.
The newly appointed Turkish Minister for EU Affairs Mevlut Cavusoglu has criticised the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Fule and warned him to be more careful with his statements about Turkey. Monitor reports Cavusoglu advised EU officials “to avoid prejudice in their conclusions on the development of Turkey’s internal affairs”. A day earlier Fule appealed for transparent and fair investigation on the statements for corruption in Turkey.
Global Post says the United Nations has expressed concern that armed groups were converging close to Bor, capital of Jonglei state in Soutsh Sudan, which has become a focus of a power struggle between President Salva Kiir and former vice president Riek Machar. More than 1,000 people have died since fighting between the two erupted on December 15, and a UN statement said the number of people who have taken refuge in its bases around the country has grown to 75,000.
Lebanon has announced a Saudi pledge of $3 billion to buy military equipment from France, as it buried leading Sunni politician Mohammad Chatah, killed in a Beirut car bombing. Al Mantar TV reports Friday's killing of Chatah, a prominent critic of the Syrian regime, revived painful memories of political assassinations and came as the conflict in Lebanon's larger neighbour stoked sectarian tensions. Saudi Arabia is a leading backer of the rebels battling to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who enjoy widespread sympathy among Lebanese Sunnis. Lebanon's Shiite Hezbollah movement and its backer Iran are Assad's main regional allies.
El Tiempo says authorities in El Salvador evacuated an area around the Chaparrastique volcano after the peak shot a cloud of gas and ash about five kilometres into the air. Civil Defence Director Jorge Melendez said a yellow alert had been issued after several residents of the province of San Miguel, in the east of the country, reported having heard a loud explosion accompanied by the emission of ash and smoke. Thousands have fled their homes in the area known for its production of coffee.
The Digital Spy says Miley Cyrus is once again all over the web with a new raunchy music video for her latest single, “Adore You”. The singer writhes around in her underwear while filming herself underneath her bed sheets in the video for the track, which will serve as the third single from her album “Bangerz”. The video racked up over 21 million hits on YouTube in the last three days. Cyrus's video for her previous single “Wrecking Ball” has been named Vevo's most-viewed music video of 2013, amassing over 371 million views worldwide. The singer will kick off her 2014 world tour in Vancouver on February 14, reaching the UK in May .