The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Sunday Times of Malta reports that a Church commission is investigating four new cases of clerical abuse which surfaced after Archbishop Charles Scicluna took over. It also says that Fort San Leonardo will be restored at taxpayers expense and not as part of the new University. The fort will be part of a nature park adjacent to the university.
MaltaToday says the police are seeking evidence that Giovanna Debono was aware of the 'works-for-votes' scheme in Gozo.
The Malta Independent on Sunday says the FBI and the Malta police have been asked to investigate a company involved in John Dalli's Bahamas trip.
Il-Mument says Gozo Minister Anton Refalo is being investigated by the police about work carried out in private properties by government workers.
It-Torca says that according to people close to Giovanna Debono, a plan by fellow Gozitan MP Chris Said almost worked - she resigned from the PN - but she still held on to her seat in Parliament. The newspaper also says two policemen suffered abuse from a motorist whom they stopped near Mgarr on Saturday night last week. They were then faced with claims of excessive force.
Illum says Simon Busuttil has warned MP David Agius not to use underhand tactics in a bid to win the post of general secretary of the party.
The overseas press
Sky News reports a British police officer is being treated for a dislocated shoulder and 17 people are arrested for public order offences as protesters clashed with police at an anti-austerity demonstration outside Downing Street. The Women’s War Memorial in Whitehall was defaced with graffiti during the unplanned rally, which started outside Conservative campaign headquarters. The crowd then moved on to Downing Street to voice their anger at David Cameron’s party, a day after he claimed victory in the General Election.
Writing in the Observer, former British prime minister Tony Blair has said Labour must reclaim the political centre ground if the party was to recover from its crushing general election defeat. Blair, who led Labour to three consecutive election victories, praised Ed Miliband, who announced his resignation within hours of accepting defeat, for the way he put “his heart and soul into the fight”. But he made clear that a change of direction was needed if the party was to stand a chance of regaining power at the next election.
Scotland’s new pro-independence MPs and their leader Nicola Sturgeon have celebrated their seismic election gains in Britain’s general election with a pledge to end austerity measures. The Scotsman quotes Sturgeon saying, “The people of Scotland on Thursday voted for an SNP manifesto, which had ending austerity as its number one priority. No longer will Scotland be sidelined or ignored in Westminster.” Sturgeon spoke a day after Cameron promised to grant even more autonomy to Scotland, including new tax-raising powers.
Sputnik reports some 12 million people have participated in the “Immortal Regiment” march throughout Russia in the annual celebrations that mark the surrender of Nazi Germany and the Red Army’s key role in the defeat. In Moscow President Putin joined a column of people carrying portraits of their relatives who fought in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-45. Earlier Russia showed off new machines of war, including a highly sophisticated tank. The observances were overshadowed by the near-complete absence of European leaders from the ceremony.
Poland votes in the first round of a presidential election today that opinion polls show will send front-runner and incumbent Bronislaw Komorowski into a run-off against a conservative opposition challenger. Gazeta Polska says a comfortable re-election for Komorowski would give a confidence boost to his allies in the centre-right Polish government, who face what will be a tightly fought race for another term later this year.
France 24 reports hundreds of people have taken part in a demonstration in Paris as part of a world march calling for the legalisation of cannabis. Crowds of protesters, sporting T-shirts and caps printed with marijuana leaves smoking joints, made their way through the streets of the French capital from the Place de la Republique to Bastille calling for the legalisation of recreational marijuana use.
Gazete Oku announces the death of Turkey’s former President Kenan Evren, who notably led a still-contentious military coup. He was 97. Evren had been sentenced to life in prison for his part in the coup, which supporters say was “a necessary evil”.
ABC reports Queensland is facing all-time high youth homelessness figures, as legal problems keep young homeless people from finding accommodation or employment. Brisbane Youth Service has reported more young people than ever are looking for housing, with many of those dealing with lingering debts, criminal charges or family law issues. Social workers say many of the youths do not realise they need legal help.
According to The Mail on Sunday, British Army sergeant Emile Cilliers has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after his skydiving wife’s parachute failed to open during a solo jump in Wiltshire, causing her to plummet towards the ground at 100mph. Experienced parachutist Victoria Cilliers, 39, suffered multiple serious injuries including broken ribs, a broken collarbone, a broken leg and spinal injuries when her main and reserve canopies malfunctioned. Victoria’s South African-born husband was arrested after police were alerted to the possibility her parachute could have been sabotaged before the jump.
Granma reports more than 1,000 gay, lesbian and transgender Cubans marched through Havana yesterday, proudly displaying their truest selves for a day in a society where they still endure discrimination. The Eighth Annual March against Homophobia and Transphobia took on extra meaning this year for about 20 couples who participated in a “Celebration of Love” – symbolically exchanging vows as same-sex marriage remains illegal in Cuba.
Only one percent of people world-wide feel that gays are “completely accepted” on the sporting field. The Sydney Morning Herald quotes the results of a new international survey which found few positive signs that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people were welcome playing team sports. Participants in the study, who mostly came from Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States, were also largely unanimous in the view that spectator stands were not accepting of gay people.
AGI says that in an astonishing example of political correctness, World Health Organisation officials have called for terms such as swine flu, bird flu and monkey pox to be banned – in order to protect animals from needless slaughter. Other conditions – including German measles and Spanish flu – will also be outlawed because they might upset people from those countries. Experts believe the proposal would turn the Geneva-based UN agency into an international laughing stock.