The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas prer
Times of Malta leads with a 'curtain-raiser' on the referendum. It also reports how Maltese and Italian forces are working to rescue 1,500 migrants in the Mediterranean.
The Malta Independent says 93.8 per cent of ballot papers for spring hunting have been collected, but l-orizzont says the nuMber of uncollected voting documents is at a record.
In-Nazzjon also reports on the referendum being held today. It also reports that there are questions on promotions in the ambulance garage.
The overseas press
La Prensa reports President Obama has told a forum of Latin American civil society members in Panama that the days of US meddling with impunity in the region were over. He was speaking ahead of the two-day 35-nation Summit of the Americas where he is due to hold a historic meeting with Cuban leader Raul Castro.
CNN quotes the US State Department saying a delegation of Libyan lawmakers recognized by the international community will head to Washington next week as part of UN efforts to create a stable unity government in the war-torn country. The US said it was looking forward to work with UN Special Representative Bernardino Leon in support of the UN-led process to constitute a national unity government.
South Asia Media says Pakistan’s parliament has voted unanimously to stay out of the Saudi-led air campaign targeting Shiite rebels in Yemen, offering instead to mediate a solution. The decision is seen as a blow to Saudi Arabia’s attempts to build a Sunni front in an increasingly sectarian conflict although it is unlikely to greatly affect the Saudi-led coalition’s military capabilities.
All-India Radio reports India has condemned Pakistan’s release of Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, the man accused of having masterminded the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 166 people died. The case has further strained ties between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
Kashmir Times says police in Indian-administered Kashmir have used tear gas to break up violent demonstrations against plans to house Hindus separately from the state majority Moslems. Dozens of people were arrested. The mainly-Muslim demonstrators said they wanted the Hindus, planning to return after 25 years of displacement caused by the former separatist war, to live side by side with Muslims.
ABC News reports John T. Booker, a 20-year-old Kansas man, has been arrested and charged with having attempted to could launch an ISIS-inspired attack on American soldiers. A second man, Alexander E. Blair, 28, was arrested and charged for failing to tell police about the plot. They are the latest alleged ISIS sympathizer nabbed by the FBI following a string of arrests involving Americans allegedly plotting to join ISIS overseas or launch attacks on their behalf in the US.
In the UK, an analysis for The Independent confirms the Conservative Party is struggling to attract the voters it needs to win the election. The latest poll of poll puts Labour unchanged on 34 per cent with the Tories down two at 32 per cent. Ukip are on 15 per cent, the Liberal Democrats nine per cent and the Green Party four per cent. The latest polls point to Labour winning 302 seats – enough for Ed Miliband to form a government with 20 Lib Dems. The Tories are heading for just 262 seats, partly because of their failure to regain support from Ukip.
A majority of the British public does not want Camilla to become queen if Prince Charles succeeds to the throne, a poll for the Daily Mail reveals. And the nation is completely split on whether Charles should become king at all: only 43 per cent believe he should ascend to the throne compared with an almost identical number saying he should stand aside in favour of his elder son Prince William.
Deutsche Welle reports Italian gay activists have slammed the Vatican after it reportedly refused to accept France’s nomination for new ambassador Laurent Stefanini on the grounds of his alleged homosexuality.
The Express Tribune says Malala Yousafzai, the youngest ever winner of a Nobel Peace Prize, has now got something else cool to her name. A Nasa astronomer has named Asteroid 316201, in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter, after the activist.
According to the Tribune de Genève, WHO has warned that too many women in developing and wealthy countries alike are resorting unnecessarily to Caesarean sections to give birth.
El Universal reveals the police in Chile are investigating a group of prisoners who made hundreds of phone calls to random people in Spain to extort money. Operating from inside the jail in Santiago, the prisoners claimed to have kidnapped relatives of the people they spoke to and threatened to kill them unless a ransom was paid.
Business Insider says the US Department of Justice has felt it necessary to send a memo to all its employees reminding them that soliciting prostitutes is against department regulations, whether on or off duty, and even in jurisdictions where its legal. The memo, from US Attorney General Eric Holder, comes after allegations that Drug Enforcement Administration agents working in Colombia had “sex parties” with prostitutes hired by – of all people – drug cartels. Employees found to violate the prohibition could be suspended or fired.