Times of Malta quotes the prime minister urging people 'not to be afraid to blow the whistle'. He was speaking in the context of claims made about the minister for Gozo and her husband.

 

The Malta Independent says a $629 million account mentioned in the Swissleaks list is linked to PN leadership hopeful Ray Bugeja. The link is related to regulated and above board hedge funds, and Mr Bugeja said it is not his money.

 

In-Nazzjon quotes Simon Busuttil saying that after two years, Malta has a government that is arrogant and deceitful. It also says OLAF director general Giovanni Kessler will come to Malta today to give testimony about John Dalli in Parliament tomorrow.

 

l-orizzont reports that a new promenade, yacht marking and parking facility have been proposed for St Paul's Bay.

 

Avvenire reports Pope Francis has condemned two Taliban suicide attacks on churches in Lahore which left 15 people killed and more than 70 injured, 15of them seriously. After his weekly Angelus prayer, he accused the world of “seeking to hide” the persecution of Christians. A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Ahsanullah Ahsan, claimed responsibility for the attacks.

Nigerian Tribune says women and children were among 45 people killed in a dawn raid by unidentified gunman in Egba, in central Nigeria. However, a local politician has put the number at 81. Clashes between herdsmen from the Fulani ethnic group and farmers over grazing rights have plagued the region.

Ansa quotes Human Rights Watch saying they had evidence of the use of cluster bombs in at least two places in Libya in March and last month. In its report, the organization claims that it is not possible to determine who has used, but noted that the Libyan air force recently bombed the town of Bin Jawad and Sirte. Libyan forces have denied having made use of prohibited weapons.

Ta’ Nea reports Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras insisted yesterday his government did not have any problem with liquidity. The denial came as Greece prepared to issue a billion euros in three-month treasury bills to meet debt repayments. To Vima weekly reported yesterday the government this week must repay over €900 million to the IMF and redeem €1.6 billion in three-month treasury bills.

According to Morgunbladid,  some 7,000 Opposition supporters have taken part in Iceland’s biggest protest demonstration against the government’s decision to drop its bid for membership of the European Union. Iceland’s centre-right government withdrew its EU membership bid on Thursday, saying its interest were better served outside the bloc.

Haaeetz reports Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged his supporters to prevent a left-wing government from coming to power. Israelis vote in the second snap election in two years tomorrow, and polls indicate that Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party is facing a serious challenge from the centre-left Zionist Union.

Euro Investor reports China has overtaken Germany to become the world’s third-biggest arms exporter. However, its five per cent of the market remains small compared to the combined 58 percent of exports from the US and Russia.

Missouri Net says US police have charged a 20-year-old protester with the shooting of two police officers in the racially troubled suburb of Ferguson. The suspect was identified as Jeffrey Williams, who police said had admitted his involvement in the shooting that wounded the two officers.

Iraqi forces and militiamen fighting Islamic State militants in Tikrit say the tomb of the country’s former leader Saddam Hussein has been almost completely destroyed. Footage filmed by an AP camera crew with the Iraqi army shows that all that remains of the lavish mausoleum are the support columns that held up the roof.

Brazil’s O Globo estimates that more than one million people have demonstrated against President Dilma Rousseff across 22 Brazilian states asking for her impeachment over a huge corruption scandal in the state oil company, Petrobras when she was head of the company. Rousseff has been exonerated in an investigation by the attorney general and denied any involvement.

Darjeeling Times reports Indian police have identified four of the six suspects in the gang-rape of a 74-year-old nun at a convent in West Bengal. Eight others have been detained for questioning, but there have been no arrests. The nun was attacked last Friday after the robbers broke into the convent school and ransacked the premises.

Sky News says singer Elton John and several other celebrities have called for a boycott on the Dolce & Gabbana label after the designers’ expressed a skepticism to creating families using in vitro fertilization, surrogate mothers and gay adoption. Domenico Dolce said in a Panorana magazine interview, “I call children of chemistry, synthetic children. Rented wombs.”  Elton John described IVF as “a miracle that has allowed legions of loving people, both straight and gay, to fulfil their dream of having children”.

USA Today says the Kenneth Branagh-directed Disney retelling of the 1950 animated classic “Cinderella” was the belle of the US box office ball, topping the weekend with $70.1 million. Downton Abbey star Lily James, as Cinderella, and Game of Thrones’ Richard Madden, as Prince Charming, were a hit with critics, scoring an 83 per cent approval rating. Audiences gave the film an “A” on CinemaScore. It outperformed Disney’s last live-action fairy tale, 2014’s “Maleficent”, which started with $69.4 million.

Le Matin says a 90-year-old man in Lausanne received a surprising letter from the tax office, demanding €50 for a payment he missed in 1951. The man promptly set his account straight. Following a recent audit, Lausanne’s tax department found it was owed millions in unpaid debts.