The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
Times of Malta says there are plans for a big reform in vocational education.
The Malta Independent reports that John Dalli had claimed that Simon Busuttil helped orchestrate his downfall.
In-Nazzjon leads with Simon Busuttil's appeal for people to join the PN to make a difference.
l-orizzont reports how Joseph Muscat said yesterday that claims involving former Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono are only the tip of the iceberg.
The overseas press
Al Ahram reports Arab leaders have ended a two-day summit with a vow to defeat Iranian-backed Shiite rebels in Yemen and the formal unveiling of plans to form a joint Arab intervention force, setting the stage for a potentially dangerous clash between US-allied Arab states and Tehran over influence in the region.
Meanwhile, Asharq Al Awsat says Saudi-led airstrikes have destroyed every fighter jet in Yemen and forced Houthi rebels out of government air bases.
The Isis in Syria has published a new video with shock mass beheadings, showing a child delivering knives to the jihadists before the execution. The Iranian Press TV specifies that the victims were eight Syrian soldiers who had been captured in the northwestern province of Hama. The soldiers, wearing the orange jumpsuits, were killed “as Shiite Muslims.”
France 24 reports former French President Sarkozy’s right-wing party and centrist allies have won control of an overwhelming majority of provinces in France, in a major blow to the ruling Socialist Party. The “advanced breakthrough” for Marine Le Pen’s Front National never came: it could only win up to two provinces.
Tribune de Genève says Iran is considering demands for further cuts to its uranium enrichment programme but is pushing back on how long it must limit technology it could use to make atomic arms. Iran’s potential movement on enrichment reflected the intense pressure to close a deal. But substantial differences between the sides may prove too difficult to bridge before tomorrow's deadline for a preliminary agreement, which is meant to set the stage for a further round of negotiations toward a comprehensive deal in June.
All Nigeria Radio says votes are being counted in some Nigerian constituencies, following longer-than-expected presidential and parliamentary elections. The electoral commission said over 60 million people turned out to cast their ballot and first results are expected late today. Boko Haram militants killed 39 people in attacks to deter people from voting.
Meanwhile, Nigerian Tribune reports thousands have taken to the streets in protest over alleged killings of opposition campaign workers and voting irregularities.
Radio Tunis estimates some 12,000 Tunisians have marched through the capital in a show of solidarity against terrorism following the attack on the Bardo Museum, where foreign tourists were killed earlier this month. French President François Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas were among the foreign leaders attending.
Forensic teams have isolated 78 distinct DNA strands from body parts at the Germanwings crash site in the French Alps. According to BFMTV, they will now proceed to compare them with samples provided by families. As well as trying to identify and return bodies to their families, search teams were also hunting for a second “black box” that has yet to be found six days into the search.
Meanwhile, British tabloids Metro, the Daily Mirror and the Daily Star lead with the news that the 27-year-old co-pilot Andreas Lubitz’s girlfriend, whom he had planned to marry next year, is expecting his child. It was the girl herself, a teacher, who told her students she would soon be a mother.
CTV News reports an Air Canada Airbus A320, with 137 people on board, ran off the runway after landing hard at Halifax Stanfield International Airport in Nova Scotia. Halifax Airport said 23 people were taken to hospital for observation and treatment of minor injuries, though 18 were released within hours.
The Philadelphia Inquirer says a four-year-old girl slipped out of her house at 3am and hopped on a bus in the US in a quest to find a snack. Bus driver Harlan Jenifer said the girl, wearing her purple raincoat, swung her legs in a seat as she chanted: “All I want is a slushie.” The bus driver stopped and called police, who took the girl to hospital where she was reunited with her mother.
E! Online reports Angelina Jolie has made her first public appearance since revealing she had preventative surgery to remove her ovaries. The 39-year-old appeared at the 2015 Kids’ Choice awards in Los Angeles, where she was named Favourite Villain for her role as the title character in dark fantasy film “Maleficent”. She had written about the procedure, which she had two weeks ago, in an opinion piece in The New York Times.