The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
Times of Malta reports how the man accused of killing cyclist Cliff Micallef in a traffic accident was described as 'vulnerable' by a court which said his statement to the police was inadmissible as no lawyer was present.
The Malta Independent says Simon Busuttil has changed his tactic on the oil procurement scandal, accusing the government of using the scandal for political purposes. It also reports how up to 300 migrants are feared to have died at sea.
In-Nazzjon quotes architect Richard England saying he was saddened that the City Gate project would not be concluded as planned because the open market will be sited there.
l-orizzont reports how the head of the civil protection department in Gozo is being investigated for allegedly signing in for a worker who was abroad for three months.
The overseas press
Le Soir reports talks between Greece and its creditors in the 19-nation eurozone broke down this morning without agreement. Following an emergency meeting of the eurogroup in Brussels, the two sides failed to agree on a plan of action on how to move forward on the country’s debts and bailout or even to issue a statement. The talks continue on Monday.
Meanwhile, while the government was engaged in talks with the EU in Brussels, thousands of people gathered in front of the Greek parliament in Athens in support of the Tsipras administration. The images of the crowd broadcast live by state New Hellenic TV showed there were no police present.
Sputnik News reports leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France continued until this morning their much-anticipated talks on a peace plan that could end the deadly 10-month conflict in eastern Ukraine. The summit follows discussions between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande last week, as well as preparatory work by respective foreign ministers and a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine.
Fox News says President Obama has asked Congress to authorise the use of military force against the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group. He proposed a three-year time limit on the authorisation and said US troops would not be involved in any future prolonged ground combat operations.
Kanal Zee TV announces the European Parliamentary Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) is to resume its investigation the alleged torture of prisoners by the CIA. In light of the new Senate revelations, the investigation will cover the transport and unlawful detention of prisoners in EU countries.
Corriere della Sera reports police in Milan and elsewhere in Italy have arrested a number of suspected people smugglers who charged Eritreans up to €1,300 to enter Italy illegally en route to Germany, France or Sweden. The probe began in September 2013 after a car with five Eritreans aboard was intercepted in Monza heading for the frontier. A Brazilian driver provided important details to start the inquiry into the network.
Ansa says that as the death toll from the latest disaster involving migrant boats in the Mediterranean rose to at least 330, doubts were again raised about the adequacy of a European Union border project. Critics slammed Operation Triton as failing to meet the rescue demands of the thousands of migrants pouring into Europe each year, many fleeing war in Africa and the Middle East. Only nine migrants, including a minor, were saved from an estimated 420 people who set out on four inflatable rafts from Libya.
Avvenire says the Vatican dismissed reports that Pope Francis had been the target of an assassination attempt when he visited the Philippines last month. Amid threats from Islamic State Islamist militants to the Vatican, Malaysian bomb-maker Zulkifli bin Hir was linked to a plot to bomb the pope as he greeted crowds, but was killed in a raid by Philippine police after it reportedly failed, the reports had claimed.
Le Parisien reports former IMF director Dominique Strauss-Kahn has told a court in France that it was illogical and absurd that he should be judged on his sexual practices. The court was hearing details of orgies said he had organised in Washington, Brussels and Paris. In the second hearing in the trial accusing him of “aggravated pimping”, the prosecution and the escorts called to give witness mentioned the “brutality” of the former finance minister. Jade, a former sex worker, said no client had ever done to her what he did.
France 24 says Laurana Duhamel, 22, could become the first person with disability to take part in the Miss France 2015 contest. Next month, the young, long blonde haired and stunning physical, commercial assistant profession, will be presented to the regional selection committee. Laurana had already attempted to be selected for the beauty contest in March 2013, but without success. The following year she was ready to try again, but her dream was shattered because of a car accident and in January 2014 she lost the use of her legs.
AFP reports “Fifty Shades of Grey”, the long-anticipated movie version of the bestselling erotic novel, began its worldwide rollout yesterday, opening in theatres across France, Germany, Belgium and Serbia – days ahead of its key target territory the United States. The film, starring Jamie Dornan as a billionaire with a penchant for S&M and Dakota Johnson as a virginal student who falls for him, is being marketed as a torrid touchstone for a generation too young to remember “9½ Weeks” or “Last Tango in Paris”. The 2011 “Fifty Shades of Grey” novel has sold 100 million copies internationally, confounding critics who savaged it for its shallow plot, characters and style.