The following are the top stories in the Maltese and some of the overseas press:
The Sunday Times says 41 per cent of prisoners in Malta are on drugs. It also reports that a wanted Kazakh man has been found in Malta but there are problems to extradite him.
The Malta Independent on Sunday reports that the government and the opposition have agreed on a constitutional amendment for fiscal discipline.
MaltaToday reports that businesses have complained of waste of time in tendering for projects. It also quotes Sky news saying that whoever imported bendy buses should resign.
Illum says some local councils have lost a total of €265,000 funds for not submitting their audited accounts on time.
It-Torca says Europe in heading for ‘Germanisation’. It also reports that the police had 143 reports of child porn.
Kullhadd says there are discrepancies of thousands of euro in VAT fines, possibly as a result of software error or a mistake in interpretation of results.
Il-Mument also reports that the government and the opposition have agreed on a Constitutional amendment on the ‘golden rule’ of fiscal discipline. It also says that more Maltese will be able to go to the UK for specialised medical treatment after a new deal between the Maltese and UK governments.
The overseas press
Kommersant reports that tens of thousands of Russians braved freezing temperatures and took to the streets to protest last weekend's alleged election fraud and demand an end to Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's hold on power. In parliamentary elections last Sunday, Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev's United Russia party won an absolute majority that the opposition claims was exaggerated by ballot stuffing and other manipulation. Organisers and anti-Kremlin lawmakers claimed the number of protesters in Moscow was between 50,000 and 80,000, making it the largest protest day the country has seen since Putin came to power in 2000. Additional rallies took place in more than 50 other cities.
Reuters says South African Foreign Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane has urged delegates the UN conference on climate change in Durban to approve a compromise deal on fighting global warming in the interests of the planet. She said the four separate texts represented a good outcome after two weeks of sometimes angry debates. However, an accord remained elusive as rich and poor states traded angry remarks over the limited scope of the package.
According to The Sunday Telegraph, British Prime Minister David Cameron faces a deepening rift in the coalition after derailing a new EU treaty. The Observer says Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has turned on Cameron over Europe and accused him of endangering the interests of the British economy. The Independent on Sunday describes Clegg's rage at what it says is Cameron's "spectacular failure" in Europe. The Sunday Express says Cameron will be confronted with a motion calling for an EU referendum as early as Tuesday.
France 24 says France has warned a major attack by Syrian forces against Homs, the epicentre of the revolt, might be in the offing and urged the international community to “save the Syrian people”. It said “the entire international community must mobilise to save the Syrian people”.
The call came as Al Bawaba reported that Syrian security forces fired on funeral processions and at least 12 people were killed across Syria. Many of the dead were in Homs. As the nine-month-old revolt against President Bashar Assad’s regime continued, they also reported clashes between soldiers and army defectors.
Aftonbladet reports hundreds of ultra-nationalist groups opposed to immigration were pelted with bottles, eggs and firecrackers as they marched through Stockholm. Three people were injured and at least six people arrested as riot police tried to keep angry counter-demonstrators away from the procession, police in the Swedish capital said. Parts of the downtown area were sealed off during the protests, which coincided with the annual Nobel Prize ceremony.
Aftenposten says three women who fought injustice, dictatorship and sexual violence in Liberia and Yemen have received the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize at a ceremony in the Norwegian capital, Oslo. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, her compatriot Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen collected their Nobel diplomas and medals to applause at Oslo’s City Hall. The Nobel Prize Committee Chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said the three women represent the struggle for “human rights in general and of women for equality and peace in particular”.
Panamericana TV announces the unexpectedly resignation of the Prime Minister of Peru, Salomon Lerner. The decision brings down the government as, under Peruvian law, the entire cabinet must follow suit and step down. Last Sunday, President Humala declared a state of emergency in parts of the country's north after more than a week of protests against plans for a huge, open-cast gold and copper mine. President Humala said the protesters had shown no interest in reaching an agreement over the mine, despite days of talks led by Mr Lerner.
Japan’s Shimotsuke Shimbun reports that the world's oldest living dog, according to the Guinness Book of Records, has died in Japan aged 26 and eight months. Pusuke, which was born on April 1, 1985, fell ill earlier this month. According to the Guinness Book of Records, the oldest dog ever was an Australian canine Bluey who died in 1939 aged 29 years and six months.