The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times reports that a Maltese tuna company’s legal challenge has blocked Sea Shepherd in Scotland.
The Malta Independent says the Committee for the Consideration of Bills expects to wrap up its divorce debate today. It also reports how a man tried to poison his wife.
l-orizzont also leads with the case of the pensioner man who tried to poison his wife.
In-Nazzjon says Arriva is employing more Maltese drivers and offering benefits to encourage them.
The overseas press
As the Nato-led bombing campaign in Libya continues, The Washington Times says US officials held face-to-face talks with representatives of Muammar Gaddafi to deliver a "clear and firm" message that the Libyan leader must step down. A State Department official underlined that “this was not a negotiation. It was the delivery of a message". Libyan spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told reporters in Tripoli that the talks were held last Saturday in Tunisia. He described it as “a first-step dialogue” to see about repairing relations between the two countries, which he said had been damaged by misinformation.
Meanwhile, fighting continues around the eastern oil port of Brega. The BBC quoted Libyan rebels saying they were largely in control of the town, and that forces loyal to Col Muammar Gaddafi were retreating west. The Libyan government denied the claims, saying it was in full control of Brega, having killed 500 rebels there.
Euronews reports that investor nervousness has pushed European stock markets lower for the third consecutive day, causing gold to reach a record high of more than €1,140 an ounce. Börzen Zeitung says that as the Euro crisis swung towards Italy and Spain, Milan’s stock exchange closed down more than three per cent. Spanish and Italian bond yields reached record highs. The Swiss franc climbed to a new high against the Euro.
Corriere della Sera says Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has met President Giorgio Napolitano amid fears that Europe’s debt crisis might spread to Italy. It comes three days after parliament passed a multi-billion euro austerity package, bringing forward belt-tightening measures that are unpopular with many Italians. Seven regions are refusing to put in place what’s known as the “ticket” system involving new health charges. People will have to pay €10 for medical visits and €25 for non-emergency care at hospitals.
Kathimerini reports that Greek taxi drivers are on a 48-hour strike in protest at moves to liberalise their trade. They blocked roads near Athens international airport and the port of Piraeus, wreaking havoc for tourists arriving to the country on holiday. The government wants to cut the cost of a taxi licence from €80,000 to just €3,000, angering drivers who paid the higher price. Greece is deregulating more than 140 sectors, so-called closed-shop professions, to improve competition and boost growth.
The Guardian reports Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner John Yates, the UK’s top counter-terrorism officer, has become the second senior police office to resign over the phone hacking scandal. He had been criticised for failing to investigate the allegations properly despite new evidence. Parliament will convene tomorrow for an extra day before the summer break to debate the scandal that has now embroiled journalists, the police and the prime minister. David Cameron cut short a trade mission to Africa to make a statement.
Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Sean Hoare, a former journalist who told the New York Times that phone hacking at Rupert Murdoch's now defunct News of the World was more extensive than the paper had acknowledged at the time, has been found dead, media reported on Monday. Police said they were not treating the death as suspicious. Hoare had also told the BBC he was asked by former editor Andy Coulson to tap into phones. Coulson has denied being aware of any wrongdoing at the paper.
Dawn says the Pakistani army says a video showing 16 policemen being killed by the Taliban seemed to be genuine. The footage shows a Taliban commander denouncing the men as enemies of Islam. Gunmen then opened fire at close range.