The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
Times of Malta reports that young parents are still preferring grannies instead of childcare centres for their toddlers.
l-orizzont gives prominence to the GWU decision to set up an affiliate union for policemen. It also says that Prime Minister Muscat is evaluating precarious work.
The Malta Independent says 18% had been willing to vote for Cyrus Engerer. It also says the police commissioner is likely to resign in the coming weeks.
In-Nazzjon quotes Simon Busuttil saying the people should show with their vote that it is unacceptable to have a government which lies. It also reports that it was not true that a court issued a decree against publication of the Henley contract.
The overseas press
Incoming Indian leader Narendra Modi has pledged to make the 21st century “India's century” after leading his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to a landslide election victory. Times of India says Modi's triumph, the most resounding election victory India has seen in 30 years, swept aside the ruling Congress party in a seismic political shift that gives the Hindu nationalist and his party a mandate for economic reform. Official figures show the BJP winning at least 274 seats in the 543-member parliament, while the left-leaning Congress party has 44 seats, its worst-ever defeat.
Pakistan has welcomed the Modi’s sweeping election victory. Dawn says political leaders and analysts now hope that the new BJP government would “respond positively” to Islamabad’s peace overtures. Prime Minister Nawar Sharif telephoned Modi to congratulate him on his impressive victory in the election and offer good wishes.
VOA News quotes UN monitors saying violence by anti-government groups in eastern Ukraine was causing “an alarming deterioration” of human rights amid a political crisis between Kiev and pro-Russian separatists. In a reaction, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the Un of “a complete lack of objectivity”, saying that the report had “glaring inconsistencies and double standards”.
Turkish police have fired tear gas and water cannons at thousands of protesters in the town of Soma, where about 300 miners died in an underground accident. Hurryiet reports the demonstrators shouted anti-government slogans and urged solidarity with the miners and their families, as anger swept Turkey as the extent of the disaster became clear. A total of 284 people have been confirmed dead, with 18 more people believed still to be trapped and unlikely to be brought out alive.
According to East African Standard, at least 12 people have been killed and more than 70 wounded in two explosions in a busy marketplace in Kenya's capital Nairobi. The deadly blasts came just hours after the evacuation of hundreds of British tourists from the country as tour operators cancelled all flights to the coastal resort city of Mombasa. Authorities had feared the Somalia-based Al Shabaab terrorist organisation was planning a major attack after becoming increasingly active and following a number of recent deadly attacks.
Kurier says Iran says that its difference with the six world powers – the US, France, Germany, Britain, China and Russia – over its nuclear programme are still “too huge” to start drafting a final accord. Speaking at the end of the final round of talks in Vienna, Iran’s deputy Foreign Minister said the discussions were constructive but no progress had been made.
Wall Street Journal reports General Motors has been fined $35 million (€25.6 million) because it failed to disclose defects in car ignitions which have been linked to at least 13 driver deaths. The fine is the maximum available penalty under US law after GM failed to tell the department of transport for more than four years that ignition switches were failing and air bags were not deploying.
France Football says Manchester City and Paris Saint Germain – two of Europe’s richest football clubs – have been given fines of up to €60 million and had their squad sizes capped for next season's Champions League after breaching new rules to stabilise soccer club finances.