The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times of Malta reports there was a barrage of criticism of Malta's citizenship scheme in yesterday's European Parliament debate.
The Malta Independent highlights comments by European Commission vice president Viviane Reding, saying the commission is ready to challenge Malta on its citizenship scheme.
In-Nazzjon also leads with Reding's comments.
l-orizzont leads with criticism by Fr Rene Camilleri of comments made by Bishop Charles Scicluna, who has called for a secret vote in parliament on the civil partnerships law.
The overseas press
Arab News reports donors have pledged $2.4 billion (€1.8 billion) for UN humanitarian efforts in Syria.
The Wall Srteet Journal says a long-awaited US Senate report on the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, sharply criticized American diplomats and spies, saying the assault that killed four Americans was “likely preventable” with better security and intelligence operations.
Reuters reports early results of the counting of votes cast in the Egyptian referendum show the electorate has overwhelmingly approved a new constitution.
President José Manuel Barroso has defended the freedom of movement of EU citizens, Sega daily reports. He gave a statement on account of worries about mass immigration of Eastern Europeans after lifting work restrictions, declaring that “free movement of people is a fundamental principle of Europe, a fundamental principle of the treaties”.
The Financial Times quotes IMF managing director Christine Lagarde saying the growing threat of deflation threatens to derail the global economic recovery. Addressing the National Press Club in Washington, Lagarde stressed that the world had yet to put the financial crisis behind it.
Bosnia Post says a new library has opened to house the country’s ancient Islamic manuscripts, which were saved from destruction during the 1992-1995 war by residents who hid them in eight different locations. The Gazi Husrev-beg library houses more than 100,000 items, the oldest being an Arabic-language handwritten manuscript dating to 1106.
Hindustan Times says police arrested at least two men after a Danish tourist was robbed and gang-raped in the heart of the Indian capital’s tourist district. Police said the 51-year-old was robbed of her cash, iPad, and phone. She refused a medical examination and has since left India to return to Denmark. In a separate incident, an 18-year-old German woman was reportedly raped by a man sharing her compartment on a train travelling from Mangalore to Chennai in southern India last Friday.
NBC News reports an international paedophilia group that arranged “heinous” child sexual abuse on live webcams has been dismantled by a joint operation between US investigators and other forces across the world. The crime group arranged for children to be sexually abused live on webcam in exchange for payment. Some of the facilitators were members of the children’s own families. To date, there have been 29 international arrests, including 11 in the Philippines, where 15 children between the ages of six to 15 have been rescued and placed into protective custody.