The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.

Times of Malta reports how there were commissions of €210,000 in the Cafe' Premier buyback. MaltaToday also reports how the auditor delivered a damning indictment over the buy-back. Times of Malta in a clarification also says John Dalli is not part of the Swiss Leaks scandal.

The Malta Independent says former minister Michael Falzon evades questions 'as well as taxes'

In-Nazzjon says the Opposition has been proved right on the Dalli farmhouse in Zejtun, which was refused a permit yesterday. It also says the government was criticised by the Auditor General over the Caf'Premier issue.

l-orizzont gives prominence to a Eurostat survey which found that a vast majority of Maltese are happy with life. 

The overseas press

Kathimerini reports the Greek government has shifted its focus to the pressing matter of tackling immediate funding needs after the country’s international creditors provisionally approved a list of economic reforms proposed by the Greek authorities albeit with some concerns. A Finance Ministry official said a more pressing matter was Greece’s funding needs – an estimated €7.3 billion for March alone.

Meanwhile, Ethnos says Greece’s international lenders have made it clear that Athens’ most recent reform commitments were not concrete enough to go unchanged. But they have accepted them as a starting point for more talks to come. The IMF warned that Greece’s reform plan lacked clear signs that the new government would live up to its promises. ECB President Mario Draghi also indicated that more details were needed.

Ansa quotes Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi saying after a summit with President Hollande, that a negotiated solution to end the violence tearing Libya apart must be a priority for all of Europe.  

Islamic State militants have abducted at least 150 people from Assyrian Christian villages in northeastern Syria staging pre-dawn house-to-house raids in a cluster of villages nestled along the Khabur River. The president of the Syrian National Council of Syria told Reuters from Amman they had verified at least 150 people missing, including women and elderly.

The Washington Post says the FBI has established the existence of 60 different groups of cyber-criminals active in the United States but linked to foreign nations. The FBI has also placed a bounty of €2.65 million on the head of Eugenia Bogachev, indicted for organising a network that led the cyber attacks called “GameOver Zeus”. He allegedly stole more than €88 million from bank accounts online. It is thought Bogachev could be in Russia.

Bild reports an 18-month-old boy has died of measles in Berlin – the first known death in an outbreak of the disease that has seen more than 570 cases in the German capital since October. An autopsy showed the child, who was not immunized against measles, had an unspecified medical condition, but it wouldn’t have led to his death without the measles infection.

Globovision says a 14-year old high school student died after being hit by a gunshot to the head while participating in an anti-government demonstration in the vicinity of the Catholic University of San Cristobal, capital of the western state of Tachira. Kluiver Roa died after several hours of clashes against the Maduro government between protesters and the police. Several people were arrested.

Fox News reports US President Barack Obama has vetoed legislation that would have green-lighted the Keystone XL oil pipeline. The project has been a bone of contention between environmentalists and the oil industry for years. 

NBC News announces Hillary Clinton has dropped a number of hints about her expected presidential run in 2016 and laid out what could be the tenants of a potential campaign in front of a women's conference in Silicon Valley. The former Secretary of State said she would make a decision “in good time”.

Ceska Televise reports the Czech government has ruled out terrorism as the motive for a resident’s fatal shooting of eight people in a restaurant in the eastern town of Uhersky Brod. Police say the gunman then killed himself. 

Sky News says Britain’s House of Lords has approved a bill passed by the Commons to allow so-called ‘three-person’ IVF. The process should protect babies from incurable diseases, but critics, including church leaders and pro-life groups, have warned the change marks the start of a “slippery slope” towards eugenics and designer babies.

Times of India announces the head of the UN panel on climate science has resigned after a woman employed at an institute that he heads in India accused him of unwanted text messages, emails and other contact. Laywers for 74-year-old Rajendra K. Pachauri said in court filings that his computer and phone were hacked and that the unwanted messages were sent by someone else to make him look bad.

The “Fifty Shades of Grey” franchise has been dealt a major blow following claims that leading man Jamie Dornan will not be reprising his role as Christian Grey. The Irish actor was expected to return as the enigmatic corporate executive in “Fifty Shades Darker” and “Fifty Shades Freed”, parts two and three in the hugely successful trilogy by British novelist E.L James. But according to Australian magazine NW, Jamie has reportedly walked away from the plum role because wife Amelia Warner is uncomfortable with the raunchy sex scenes he shares with co-star Dakota Johnson. However, a representative for the screen star has said in a statement to MailOnline all press reports were “pure conjecture” as the studio had not committed to a sequel as yet.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.