The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times says Malta has complained angrily to the EU over plan to cut aid to farmers. It says the proposals would hit Malta worst.
The Malta Independent quotes Evarist Bartolo saying Parliament is gasping for its last breath.
MaltaToday says a Maltese company has been implicated in a French anti-corruption sting.
In-Nazzjon reports that €5.5 million was allocated over the past years for homes in the community for persons with disability.
l-orizzont says the buoy for cruise liners in Xlendi has to be removed and placed further out.
The overseas press
The Financial Times reports British Prime Minister David Cameron has held talks with US President Barack Obama and other key allies amid mounting fears over the eurozone crisis. They discussed the situation on the telephone while the premiers of Canada and New Zealand visited Downing Street. Chancellor George Osborne also took part in a “stock-taking” conference call with counterparts from the G7. The contacts were part of the build-up to next week’s G20 summit in Mexico, where world leaders would again attempt to agree a way through the problems.
Meanwhile, the German Welt am Sonntag says the Presidents of the EU Council, the Eurogroup, the European Commission and the European Central Bank were working on “a secret master plan” to lead the eurozone out of the current severe economic crisis. The proposals for the plan are said to be focused on granting more authority to EU institutions over national budgets, an EU supervisory body over the banking sector with new authorities and a harmonisation of the taxation, foreign and security policies. Not long ago Mr Barroso had appealed for a stronger euro area in order to avoid “financial disintegration”.
The White House has said that the US had dealt a major blow to Al Qaeda by killing its second-in-command, Abu Yahya al-Libi, in Pakistan – the most significant victory so far in the controversial bombing campaign and the biggest setback to the terror network since the death of Osama bin Laden. New York’s Daily News quotes US officials saying he was the target of a drone strike in Pakistani tribal areas on Monday. Associated Press says Abu Yahya al-Libi was considered a media-savvy, charismatic leader with religious credentials who was helping preside over the transformation of a secretive group based in Pakistan and Afghanistan into a global movement aimed at winning converts – and potential attackers – from Somalia to the Philippines.
The Moscow Times reports the lower house of the Russian Parliament has passed a controversial law which would impose new restrictions on public protests and sharply increase fines for unauthorised demonstrations. The bill boosts fines from the current 5,000 roubles (€121) to 300,000 roubles (€7,275) for participants and up 600,000 roubles (€14,500) for officials. The opposition delayed the approval of the Bill by submitting some 400 amendments.
Vancouver Sun reports that packages containing the human hand and foot had been sent to schools in Vancouver. Police officials could not confirm any link to 29-year-old Luka Rocco Magnotta, a porn actor under arrest in Germany on suspicion of killing and dismembering his gay lover Jun Lin, 33, in his flat in Montreal on the night of May 24. One of Lin's hands, a foot and his head are still missing. Last week, body parts were mailed to the headquarters of the federal Liberal and Conservative parties.
A total of 237 new abuse allegations were reported to the National Board for Safeguarding Children in the Catholic Church in the year to the end of March. The Irish Examiner says the board’s newly-published annual report shows the allegations mainly came from adults, and concerned events during their childhood. The claims involved 196 priests and members of the religious community. Six complaints related to events which are reported to have happened since the year 2000.
MSNBC says a rare celestial spectacle has taken place as the planet Venus crossed in front of the sun during a scientifically significant transit that lasted almost seven hours. The prime viewing zone took in most of the Americas, the Pacific and Asia. The first scientific observation of a Venus transit took place in 1639, and there have been five other transits to watch between then and now. The next transit won't be seen until the year 2117 – thus, this was the last event of its kind that anyone alive today was likely to see.
Los Angeles Times reports children watching Saturday morning children's shows on Disney's ABC network would no longer see adverts for fast foods and sugary cereals that did not meet company's nutrition standards. The guidelines won't go into effect until 2015 because of existing advertising agreements. The US First Lady Michelle Obama, who joined the Walt Disney Company in Washington to announce the move, called the announcement a "game changer" in the battle against child obesity.
The Times says Queen Elizabeth has described the event marking her Diamond Jubilee as "a humbling experience" and said she would continue to draw inspiration for the kindness shown to her in Britain and the Commonwealth. Four days of celebrations culminated at Buckingham Palace with a crowd of more than a million cheering the monarch. Meanwhile, The Duke of Edinburgh was "getting better" as he is being treated in hospital for a bladder infection, according to his youngest son Prince Edward who visited him. He said his father had been watching the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations on television.