The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
Times of Malta says a visa ban announced by the Tripoli administration has increased local tensions on Libya. The newspaper also says that testing of the power interconnector from Sicily is about to start.
The Malta Independent says the abandoned 'Palazz l-Ahmar' on the Marfa coast is worth 'many millions'. It is currently government owned.
In-Nazzjon says the Libyan 'embassy' regrets that the government is continuing to recognise the Tobruk government.
l-orizzont points out that a small German-owned aircraft has been 'arrested' in Malta for the past five months after it was bought to be used as an air ambulance.
The overseas press
The German government has denied a Der Spiegel report, according to which ChancellorAngela Merkel would have considered “manageable” – and thus possible – the exit of Greece from the eurozone. Berliner Zeitung quotes a Merkel spokesman saying, “Greece has fulfilled its commitments in past and the federal government assumes that it will continue to do so.”
Meanwhile, in exactly three weeks from early elections, Syriza remains in the lead in voting intentions of Greek voters. According to an Eleftheros Typos newspaper survey, the party of the radical left Alexei Tsipras would have 30.4 per cent of the vote, compared to 27.3 per cent of the conservative party of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras. The Movement of Democratic Socialists, the new party of former Prime Minister George Papandreou, could count on 6.1 per cent.
Yediot Aharonot reports the Israeli government plans to denounce the main Palestinian leaders for war crimes before international courts. The decision comes after the Palestinians pressed ahead with an application to join the International Criminal Court (ICC). The request could be presented as early as today, “supported by documented evidence” – a reference to the unity government formed by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, considered as terrorist group.
Meanwhile, Al Ayyam says the Palestinians have already formulated their first request for the indictment of Israel, which could be presented to the ICC by next April. It would ask the court to “judge the war crimes and crimes against humanity” committed during last summer’s Israeli offensive launched in response to the stream of rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas. The offensive lasted seven weeks and resulted in the death of 2,192 Palestinians, 72 Israelis (66 soldiers and six civilians) and a Thai labourer.
ABC News reports specialist teams race against time to assess areas damaged by bushfires in the Adelaide Hills os South Australia as fire crews prepare for deteriorating weather conditions expected to hit again on Wednesday – a temperature of 38 degrees and northerly winds. Fire crews were focusing on protecting pockets of homes at greatest risk including conducting back-burning operations.
The Daily Mail says Prince Andrew is expected to have crisis talks with his most senior aides as Buckingham Palace yesterday stepped up efforts to defend him after the British royal was embroiled in claims of sexual impropriety with an underage woman. In a second statement since the claims surfaced, officials “emphatically denied” allegations by an unidentified woman who said she was forced to have sex with the royal when she was under age.
North Korea has again criticised the United States for applying sanctions on Pyongyang officials and organisations for a cyberattack on Sony Pictures. Rodong Sinmun quotes a government spokesman denying any role in the breach of tens of thousands of confidential Sony emails and business files and accused the United States of “groundlessly” stirring up hostility toward Pyongyang. The spokesman said the new sanctions would not weaken the country’s military.
Surabaya Post says relatives of the AirAsia crash victims sought strength in prayer on Sunday, a week after the disaster killed all 162 on board, as rough weather again prevented searchers from reaching a large object believed to be the plane’s fuselage. Four more bodies have been recovered, bringing the total to 34. Five large objects have also been pulled out of the sea.
AFP reports suspected Boko Haram militants have seized a military base outside the Nigerian town of Baga near Lake Chad after engaging troops in a fierce battle that lasted several hours. The base is used by the Multinational Joint Task Force which was established in 1998 to fight Boko Haram and is made up of troops from Nigeria as well as Niger and Chad.
The New York Times says thousands of police turned their backs as Mayor Bill de Blasio sang the praises of an officer shot dead with his partner. The show of disrespect came outside the funeral home where Officer Wenjian Liu was remembered as an incarnation of the American dream: a man who had emigrated from China at age 12 and devoted himself to helping others in his adopted country. The gesture among officers watching the mayor’s speech on a screen added to tensions between the mayor and rank-and-file police even as he sought to quiet them.
Avvenire leads with the announcement by Pope Francis in naming 20 new cardinals from 14 nations including far-flung corners of the world such as Tonga, New Zealand, Cape Verde and Myanmar. Observers said they reflect the diversity of the Church and its growth in places like Asia and Africa compared to affluent regions. Other cardinals hail from Ethiopia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The Egyptian Gazette says archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed the tomb of a previously unknown queen. The tomb was found in Abu-Sir, south-west of Cairo, and is thought to belong to the wife or mother of Pharaoh Neferefre who ruled 4,500 years ago.The tomb was discovered in Pharaoh Neferefre's funeral complex.