The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times says evidence ‘shows that former judge received favours’ It also says that Labour was silent on remarks of political bias by a magistrate, made by its deputy leader.
The Malta Independent focuses on a new subsidised PV scheme which the government is set to launch. It also reports how the phone calls of former judge Ray Pace were intercepted.
In-Nazzjon says Air Malta raised its winter profit by 52%.
l-orizzont also leads with the evidence given in court involving Judge Ray Pace. It also gives prominence to an interview with Franco Debono on PBS yesterday.
The overseas press:
MSNBC reports President Obama has begun discussions with senior members of his government on how to respond to the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. The president discussed the issue with Vice President Joe Biden and three cabinet members, including Attorney General Eric Holder. The White House said action on gun control could come sooner rather than later. At the emotional vigil on Sunday night, Obama vowed to "use whatever power this office holds" to try to prevent such massacres. Two senators took immediate action by reintroducing gun control bills at the start of the next session. Earlier, the first funerals took place of the 20 children and six adults killed by 20-year-old gunman Adam Lanza at their school on Friday.
Al-Ahram announces the resignation of Egypt’s public prosecutor, Talaat Ibrahim – less than a month after President Morsi appointed him to the post after he had awarded himself sweeping powers. Members of the judiciary had accused the president of assaulting their independence. Meanwhile, the opposition National Salvation Front, has called on its supporters to take to the streets today “to defend their freedoms, prevent fraud and reject the draft constitution", the first round of which was held on Sunday.
Haaretz reports Israel was moving ahead with plans to build 1,500 settler homes in east Jerusalem. The controversial plans, seen as retaliation for a UN vote granting Palestine non-member status, have received widespread criticism.
Al-bawaba says protesters hurled rocks and heckled Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki on Monday, demanding quicker reforms. He was taking part in a commemoration marking two years since a frustrated fruit vendor set himself alight, sparking the Arab Spring.
Thousands of students in Hungary have demonstrated against government reforms to higher education. The government intends to cut free university places and introduce tuition fees. Reuters reports Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who started his political carrier as a student leader in the 1980s, promised on Saturday to ensure free education for those who meet certain requirements. However, he gave no details of the plans, which the government will discuss on Wednesday.
Globalpost quotes UN humanitarian chief Valerie Amos warning that fuel shortages were jeopardising the delivery of aid to people in Syria and called on the government to allow fuel imports. Back from Damascus, Amos said she assured the government that the UN has every intention of continuing work in Syria to help all those in need, which means moving across government lines into disputed and opposition-controlled areas.
Asia Times says North Korea marked the first anniversary of the death of leader Kim Jong-il on Monday and celebrated a successful rocket launch last week as images of successor Kim Jong-un’s wife appeared to confirm suspicions that the couple are expecting their first child. Fashionable Ri Sol-ju, who caused quite a stir when she emerged on the national scene back in July, swapped her normal designer attire for a funereal black hanbok, the high-waisted, loose-fitting traditional Korean dress. The images of her rounded shape appeared to confirm pregnancy rumours that followed her disappearance from the public eye in September.
The New York Times reports that a US judge has jailed a hacker for 10 years for stealing and distributing naked pictures from the email accounts of stars, including actress Scarlett Johansson. Christopher Chaney, 36, from Florida, was also ordered him to pay a total of $76,000 to Johansson, Christina Aguilera and Renee Olstead, who were among dozens of people he hacked. Chaney pleaded guilty in March, in a deal with prosecutors. He could have been jailed for up to 121 years if convicted on all 26 indictments he was originally charged with.
El Universal says Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto has announced the creation of a national police force to crack down on crime and battle the country's powerful drug cartels. The force – a gendarmerie based on the model of Spain's Guardia Civil – would be 10,000 strong.
O Globo reports that the Supreme Court in Brazil has tripped three congressmen of their seats after they were found guilty of corruption. The three had been sentenced as part of the biggest political trials in the country’s recent history. Over the course of the trial, 25 people were convicted for setting up a scheme that used public funds to pay coalition parties for political support.
Sky News reports that Dina Manfredini, the 115-year-old woman who was the oldest person in the world, has died – less than two weeks after inheriting the title when fellow American Bessie Cooper died at the age of 116. Guinness World Records say a Japanese man, Jiroemon Kimura, is believed to now hold the title. He was born on April 19, 1897, just 15 days after Manfredini. Kimura, of Kyotango in Kyoto, also is believed to be the second-oldest man ever documented.