The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times quotes the prime minister saying that Richard Cachia Caruana acted on the government’s instructions in talks with EU and Nato officials in 2004 about the security of documents.
The Malta Independent says nearly 1,000 refugees have been relocated to the US since 2007. A group of 27 left yesterday.
In-Nazzjon leads with the evidence given by the prime minister in the Cachia Caruana hearing yesterday, saying the Opposition had made false charges based on a document written by a foreigner.
l-orizzont features the plight of a 68-year-old man whose wheelchair was stolen from outside his house in Fgura, rendering him a prisoner in his own home.
The overseas press:
Greek left-wing leader Alexis Tsipras has accused the EU and German Chancellor Angela Merkel of "playing poker with European people's lives" by insisting on austerity measures. In a BBC interview, Tsipras, whose Syriza bloc is predicted to come first in the June 17 elections, said if the "disease of austerity destroys Greece, it would spread to the rest of Europe". He said banks were profiting at the expense of thousands of Europeans who had been left in “poverty and hardship”.
Bloomberg quotes a European Central Bank statement saying it would temporarily stop lending to some Greek banks to limit its risk as its president, Mario Draghi, signalled the ECB would not compromise on key principles to keep Greece in the euro area. A €130 billion bailout earlier this year provided a €50 billion fund to recapitalise Greek banks after they reported losses from the country’s debt restructuring, the largest ever. European stocks dropped for a third day yesterday, to their lowest level this year, amid growing concern Greece would be forced to quit the eurozone.
Kathimerini reports that news that about €700 million had been withdrawn from Greek banks on Monday has stoked tensions, with investors fearful a Greek euro exit would be chaotic for everyone. The cost of such an exit has been put as high as €1 trillion. European Commission president José Manuel Barroso said he wanted Greece to stay part of the EU family. For that to happen, he said, the Greeks must consider the other 16 member states when deciding on what path to take.
France 24 reports that France's new Socialist Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has named his government, a day after François Hollande was inaugurated as President. Hollande campaign chief Pierre Moscovici has been given the role of finance minister and former PM Laurent Fabius has been made foreign minister. French media said that of the 34 ministerial posts, 17 had been given to women, including justice, culture, ecology and sport. Socialist party leader Martine Aubry turned down a post heading a "super ministry" because, according to sources, she saw "no point" in joining the cabinet if she was not prime minister.
Hague News says prosecutors have told a court in The Hague that former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic intended to "ethnically cleanse" Bosnia… and they would show “his hand in the crimes”. Gen. Mladic faces 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide, in connection with the brutal 1992-95 Bosnian war. On the opening day of his trial, he has called the accusations "monstrous" and the court has entered a not guilty plea on his behalf.
Al Ayyam reports a new Palestinian government in the West Bank has been sworn in, with the rival Hamas government in Gaza accusing President Mahmoud Abbas's Palestinian Authority and the Fatah movement he heads of abandoning reconciliation. The swearing-in of the 25-member government, which features 11 new faces, comes more than a year after the last cabinet resigned in February 2011. Prime Minister Salam Fayyad retained his post.
The New York Times announces the death of Robert F. Kennedy Jr's estranged wife, apparently from suicide. In a statement, the family of the 52-year-old said her "radiant and creative spirit" would be "sorely missed". Her husband, a lawyer and radio host, is the nephew of President John F. Kennedy and son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy, both assassinated in the 1960s. He was once divorced when he married Mary in 1994. The couple had four children over the 16 years of their marriage before he filed for divorce in 2010.
According to Texas Globe, a US Army Apache helicopter accidentally dropped an inactive missile over central Texas on Tuesday, forcing about 100 homes to be evacuated. No-one was injured in the incident, in which residents in Killeen told police they saw an object falling from an AH-64 attack helicopter into a field. An explosive disposal team found an inert M36 missile – a static training device without a warhead or propulsion system. The incident is under investigation.
Former French First Lady Carla Bruni has told the weekly gossip magazine Gala she wants another child... and her husband is in agreement. She already has two children, Aurelien, 10, from her relation with philosopher Raphael Enthoven, and Julia, who was the first d’Elysée baby. Carla said she does not become a “desperate housewife” and intends to pursue her career further. A new album is “almost ready”, she said, but wanted to add two more songs: one dedicated to the love she has for her husband Nicolas and the other to criticise journalists. She has also vowed to “revive” her husband’s political career. The Sarkozy couple, together with the baby, are holidaying in Marrakesh, Morroco.