The following are the top stories in the national and international press today.
In an interview with The Sunday Times of Malta, the Prime Minister hints he will shortly embark on a Cabinet reshuffle. The newspaper also says that a €1.3 million review in 2012 by a top American medical centre on problems at Mater Dei Hospital’s had reached similar conclusions to the Dalli report that was published a year later – yet it lay gathering dust.
The Malta Independent on Sunday reports that during the recent secret negotiations between the government and the Opposition over the citizenship scheme, the Home Affairs Minister pledged to resign if any residency requirement was attached to the programme.
Illum says that expenditure on the City Gate, Valletta termimus, Barrakka lift and Dock 1 projects had been €2.4 million over budget.
Malta Today reports that a €750,000 contribution Malta Freeport had to pay for dredging works carried out and sanctioned by Mepa, was waived by Cabinet in summer 2012, to the detriment of the local council.
It-Torca leads with a report on the white paper for the reform of the local enforcement system. It also says that a location has been found for a Carnival village.
Kulhadd says that Opposition leader Simon Busuttil is persisting with a judicial protest through which, if the Nationalist Party returned to government, it would have to withdraw the citizenship acquired by those applying under the International Investor Scheme.
Il-Mument says that planning application problems taken to Malta Developers Association president Sandro Chetcuti were being discussed at the Labour Party’s headquarters during regular evening meetings.
International news
Heavy rain has continued to lash central and northern Italy. RAI News reports the bad weather in northern Italy put a stop to rail travel to Austria and Slovenia and no trains are currently crossing the border.
According to Newsweek magazine, Saudi Arabia secretly acquired Chinese DF-21 medium-range ballistic missiles in 2007 with CIA and US government approval.
Deutsche Welle reports there has been a bitter exchange of words at the Munich Security Conference involving the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Leonid Kozhara and the Opposition leader Viktor Klitschko.
Tele 5 has shown scenes of tens of thousands of people marching to Spain’s parliament to protest against the conservative government’s new law that aims to restrict abortion, allowing the practice only in cases of rape or serious risk to health.
AFP reports the death toll in Syria's civil war has topped 136,000 after January saw one of the conflict's bloodiest months.
The UN says at least 733 Iraqis were killed during violence in January. Al Ayyam says the figures, issued by the UN's mission to Iraq, show 618 civilians and 115 members of the security forces were killed in January.
Il Mattino reports the first of two warships – the USS Mount Whitney and USS Taylor – have sailed from Naples in a high-profile sign of US efforts to protect Americans at the Winter Olympics – and at least two dozen FBI agents are on their way to Russia.
Jakarta Globe says at least 16 people have been killed after an Indonesian volcano that had been active for months erupted.
Ansa reports a diver has died while working on the shipwrecked Costa Concordia in Italy.
Thai TV 3 reports Thailand's Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has cast her vote in the country’s general election, which is taking place today amidst heightened security. The main opposition party is boycotting the election.
Afghan Post says two assistants of presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah were killed in Herat on Saturday, just over two months before Afghanistan's presidential elections on April 5.
Al Jazeera reports at least 46 civilians were killed on Saturday when Syrian regime helicopters dropped explosive-packed barrels on rebel-held areas of the northern city of Aleppo.
Hollywood Reporter announces the death of Austrian actor Maximilian Schell at a clinic in Innsbruck after a short illness. He was 83.
The adopted daughter of Woody Allen has spoken for the first time about the alleged sexual abuse she suffered at the hands of the legendary Hollywood director during her childhood. In an open-letter to The New York Times posted online on Saturday, Dylan Farrow renewed molestation allegations against Woody Allen.