The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times reports that the PN is in the red and has delayed paying salaries.
The Malta Independent says an ARMS supervisor is being investigated for money skimming.
In-Nazzjon says the Italian government has issued permits for the power interconnector – A PN project to reduce power tariffs.
l-orizzont gives prominence to the granting of the permit for the interconnector and says the former government hid problems.
The overseas press
Avvenire reports Pope Francis marked his first Good Friday with a traditional torch-lit ceremony around the Colosseum in Rome and prayers for a Middle East "torn apart by injustice and conflicts". The Pope presided over the re-enactment of the last hours of Jesus Christ's last hours, praying for Christians in the region. Brazilian, Chinese, Italian, Lebanese and Nigerian faithful taking turns carrying a wooden cross around the Colosseum. Many of the themes touched on during the meditations were inspired by the plight of the minority Christian communities in the Middle East. The Vatican has voiced concern over the fate of Christian minorities in many parts of the Middle East and the rise of radical Islam, as well as calling for an end to conflict in the region.
The former Archbishop of Canterbury, George Carey, says British Prime Minister David Cameron has "aided and abetted" discrimination against Christians. In an article for the Daily Mail, Lord Carey said many Christians doubted David Cameron’s sincerity in pledging to protect their freedoms. He believes Cameron had “done more than any other recent political leader” to “feed” Christian anxieties. The comments came as a dramatic new poll revealed that more than two-thirds of Christians feel they are now part of a “persecuted minority”.
Ansa reports that a viewing of the Shroud of Turin, thought by many to be the burial cloth of Jesus Christ, will be televised this afternoon on RAI Uno at 5.10pm – the first televised viewing of the shroud in 40 years. The centuries-old linen cloth – one of the world’s most famous relics – contains a faint impression of the front and back of a human body, along with blood, dirt and water stains from age. Many Roman Catholics believe the impressions were left by the body of Jesus after his crucifixion. The Catholic Church, however, has never taken an official position on the cloth’s authenticity. The shroud was last on public display in Italy in 2010, and its last televised appearance was in 1973. Today’s special 90-minute programme will be broadcast from Turin Cathedral and will be introduced by Pope Francis.
Xinhua news agency says a gas blast in a northeast China coal mine has killed 28 people. Thirteen others were rescued after the accident at the Babao Coal Mine in the city of Baishan in Jilin province. The accident occurred on the same day that a huge landslide came crashing down a mountainside in Tibet, burying 83 workers in a gold mining area. China is the world's biggest consumer of coal, relying on the fossil fuel for 70 percent of its growing energy needs.
North Korea announced Saturday that it had entered a "state of war" with South Korea and would deal with every inter-Korean issue accordingly. The north's official KCNA news agency quotes a joint statement attributed to all government bodies and institutions saying that “all matters between the two Koreas will be handled according to wartime protocol”.
Meanwhile, ABC reports Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned a flare-up in tensions between North Korea and the United States could get out of control, and urged all sides involved in the standoff to refrain from muscle-flexing. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned all parties against “unilateral actions”. His warning came after the North's leader Kim Jong-un ordered missile units to prepare to strike US mainland and military bases, vowing to “settle accounts” after US stealth bombers flew over the South. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel stressed that Washington would not be cowed by Pyongyang's threats and stood ready to respond to “any eventuality”.
AFP says President Nicos Anastasiades vowed on Friday to keep Cyprus in the eurozone but had harsh words for international lenders behind the huge bailout that saved the island from bankruptcy. He accused the so-called troika – the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank – of making “unprecedented demands that forced Cyprus to become an experiment”. Meanwhile, the island’s banks resumed normal trading hours on Friday.
Vijesti reports a Sarajevo court has sentenced 43-year-old Veselin Vlahovic, a former commander of a Serb paramilitary group, to 45 years in jail for a series of crimes committed during the Bosnian War. He was found guilty of systematic repression against the non-Serb population in 1992 and the murder of 31 people, the rape of at least 13 women, as well as the torture and robbery of dozens other civilians. Vlahovic, who became know by his victims as the “Monster of Grbavia”, had pleaded not guilty when the trial started in April 2011.
Variety announces the death of British actor Richard Griffiths, best known for his roles in Harry Potter and the cult film Withnail & I. He was 65. The portly star of stage and screen, one of Britain's best loved character actors, died on Thursday from complications following heart surgery.
Huffington Post says Marilyn Monroe's letter of despair to mentor Lee Strasberg, Dwight D. Eisenhower's heartfelt missives to his wife during World War II and a draft letter by John Lennon to Linda and Paul McCartney are among hundreds of historical documents being offered in an online auction. Monroe's handwritten, undated letter to the famed acting teacher is expected to fetch between $30,000 and $50,000 in the May 30 sale.
The Sun reveals that thanks to a successful world tour and a favorable business, Madonna in 2012 became the richest pop star, with assets of over a billion dollars. The 54-year old Queen of Pop thus becomes part of an elite group of super-rich that includes director Steven Spielberg and TV host Oprah Winfrey. Last year Madonna, with the tour MDNA, raked in more than $ 300 million, to which are added the profits of its range of perfumes, her clothing line and health-conscious beverages