The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
Times of Malta leads with an activity on World Refugees Day yesterday where religious leaders said detention does not match hospitality.
Times of Malta and l-orizzont also report how Malta will back Itay’s call at the next EU summit for a European Mare Nostrum operation.
In-Nazzjon says talks between the government and the UHM on transport drivers’ representation are deadlocked.
The Malta Independent leads with a statement by Privacy International that the democratic process needs to be honoured and wire interception therefore needs to be authorised by a judge.
The overseas press
Reuters reports Ukrainian rebels in the east have rejected President Petro Poroshenko‘s ceasefire gesture or the unveiling of a peace plan Poroshenko ordered a seven-day ceasefire in the fight against pro-Russian separatists, but also warned them they could face death if they did not use the time to put down their guns.
CNN says the United States has blacklisted seven separatists in Ukraine and threatened further sanctions on Russia‘s financial, defence and high-tech industries as more Russian military material has flowed into Ukraine.
The EU has taken steps to curb tax avoidance by global corporations. According to Deutsche Welle, European Union finance ministers have approved new legislation aimed at ensuring that multinational corporations could no longer shift profits across the bloc's borders to avoid paying taxes. In recent months, criticism in the budget-strapped bloc has mounted over tax loopholes exploited by companies such as Apple, Google and others.
The Guardian reports three men who claimed to be British have appeared in a recruitment video for the terrorist group Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isis), in which they directly appeal for other westerners to join them fighting jihad and state their intention to join the war in Iraq, where the army is struggling to repel the Sunni insurgents.
The Associated Press reports the countries generating the most refugees are all conflict zones. The three biggest refugee populations are from Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria, which together account for more than half of all the world’s refugees, according to an annual report by the Geneva-based UN refugee agency. By descending order, the top 7 are: Afghanistan, Syria, Somalia, Sudan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar and Iraq.
South China Morning Post says China’s latest anti-graft investigation was raising questions about the fate of the former president’s top aide, whose political ascent was hurt by a lurid scandal involving his alleged cover-up of his son’s death in a speeding Ferrari.
The Washington Post says failure to meet minimum standards in fighting human trafficking has landed Thailand and Malaysia on a State Department blacklist – a move that could strain relations with two important US partners in Asia. The department, however, improved its rating of strategic rival China, citing Beijing’s steps to abolish re-education-through-labour camps.
USA Today announces the death of Stephanie Kwolek, the inventor of Kevlar, the lightweight fibre used in bulletproof vests and body armour. She was 90.
O Globo reports Japan’s clash against Ivory Coast was one of the most viewed games of the 2014 World Cup so far as television coverage shattered a host of records during the first round of group matches.