The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times of Malta says Jose' Manoel Barroso has stuck to his decision on John Dalli.
The Malta Independent reports that the President has defended the scholarship offer to an aide.
In-Nazzjon says the PL and the PN will hold meetings every two months. It also says it is unclear whether the Public Service Commission had approved the appointment of the new police commissioner.
l-orizzont says Alternattiva Demokratika is in limbo with no nominations for the leadership post submitted when the deadline closed on Saturday.
The overseas press
A massive search for survivors thought to be trapped in the debris is underway in after massive tornado hit areas near Oklahoma City, killing at least 51. Fox News quotes Oklahoma City police saying seven of those deaths were children at Plaza Towers Elementary School, which was hit by the tornado and collapsed. More than 120 other people, including 70 children, were being treated in area hospitals, after a 1.5km-wide tornado torn through, flattening entire neighbourhoods and hitting at least two elementary schools. The tornado destroyed numerous buildings as winds from the storm reached speeds of 320 kph. The death toll is expected to rise.
Pravda quotes the Russian security services saying they had thwarted a plot to carry out an attack on Moscow, killing two of the suspects. Russia’s national anti-terrorism committee said the men were shot dead during an operation to arrest them following an intelligence lead.
CNN reports President Obama has praised the leadership of President Thein Sein of Burma during historic talks at the White House. Obama hailed the political and economic reforms passed by Thein Sein but urged him to halt violence against Muslims. For the first time, the US president called the country Myanmar, a name adopted by the military rules in 1989.
The Times says the governing Conservative Party in Britain has defeated a rebellion by many of its own members of parliament against its plans to legalise gay marriage. Ministers reached a deal with the opposition Labour Party designed to let the legislation pass through parliament.
Ansa reports that high youth unemployment, trade relations, next month's G8 summit and concerns over the situation in Libya were the key topics discussed by President Obama and Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta during a telephone conversation on Monday. The two leaders, who will meet face to face at the G8 summit next month in Northern Ireland, also discussed trade and investment relations and the crisis in Syria.
Portugal should drastically renegotiate or terminate its agreements with the so-called “troika” – the EU, the IMF and the ECB –and look for alternatives. Algarve Daily News reports that more than 80 per cent of respondents in an opinion poll support this view while 41.5 per cent of respondents supported the complete termination of the memorandum of understanding. Most Portuguese people also hold that when the bailout programme ends in June 2014, the economic crises in Portugal would worsen and unemployment would rise. Thirty-three per cent felt the troika had shown “insensitivity” to the situation of the Portuguese economy.
al bawaba says Iraq's wave of bloodshed sharply escalated on Monday with more than a dozen car bombings across the country, part of attacks that killed at least 95 people and brought echoes of past sectarian carnage and fears of a dangerous spill-over from Syria's civil war next door. Most of the victims were thought to be Shai Muslims in Baghdad and Basra.
The Star reports Hezbollah was pulled more deeply into Syria's civil war as 28 guerrillas from the Lebanese Shiite militant group were killed and dozens more wounded while fighting rebels. Syria activists said the intense battle drove rebels from large parts of the town of Qusair, part of a withering government offensive aimed at securing a strategic land corridor from Damascus to the Mediterranean coast.
Hollywood Life says Ray Manzarek, the keyboard player with American rock band the Doors has died ode cancer at the age of 74. The band sold more than 100 million albums ar5ound the world with hits including “Light My Fire”.
A new state-of-the art, ultra-luxurious underground system is being built in Saudi Arabia. Gulf News says the six-line metro system will have gold-plated walls, space-age designs, huge marble walkways and a sophisticated passenger flow system designed to ensure rush hour commutes are as stress-free as possible. A cutting edge air conditioning system will be in place to keep commuters cool. King Abdullah has demanded the entire metro system be ready for passengers in just four years.