The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
Times of Malta leads with details of the Greek plan for reform, while the Malta Independent quotes the prime minister saying the plan is a good basis for discussion.
In-Nazzjon says the PN is shocked by the government’s interest in hacking and spying technology.
l-orizzont quotes President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca saying that Dom Mintoff’s stand in the Helsinki CSCE conference 40 years ago has been vindicated. Mintoff had insisted on linking security in the Mediterranean with security in the Mediterranean
The overseas press
Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras clinched the backing of Greek lawmakers for his bailout proposal – a prelude to a weekend of political wrangling in Brussels that may determine his nation’s place in the euro. Bloomberg reports Tsipras won overwhelming support for the package of spending cuts, pension savings and tax increases with a majority of 251 votes in the 300-seat parliament early this morning. The country’s three creditor institutions also assessed the programme positively as a basis for a €74 billion bailout.
Sputnik says Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Greece was not solely to blame for its debt crisis. He said he’s concerned and hopes its crisis will be resolved soon, reiterating that Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras hasn’t asked him for financial aid. Even so, he said Russia has the resources to help its partners.
Quoting unnamed sources, both The Times and The Daily Telegraph report British Prime Minister David Cameron is seeking an exemption from EU employment laws on working time limits and equal rights for temporary workers as part of his push to gain more autonomy from Brussels. France 24 says Downing Street said the reports were “speculation” but added that the premier had made it clear he wants to reduce “unnecessary EU legislation”.
Ultima Hora says Pope Francis has praised the role of women in Paraguay, where he has arrived on the last stop of his South American tour. He said they played a huge part in rebuilding the country in the 19th century when disastrous wars with its neighbours wiped out an estimated 60 per cent of the population, including most of the men. According to Teleamazonas TV, before leaving Bolivia, the pontiff demanded an immediate end to what he called “a genocide” of Christians taking place in the Middle East and beyond, describing it as a third world war.
Avvenire reports a former Catholic archbishop and papal nuncio in the Dominican Republic will face trial today in the first criminal case of its kind in Vatican City. Polish Mgr Jozef Wesolowski, 66, is accused of abusing minors in the Dominican Republic and of possessing child pornography on his computer. He was recalled to the Vatican by Pope Francis in 2013 after allegations surfaced in an investigative TV programme in the Dominican Republic.
Xinhua quotes Chinese authorities preparing for super-typhoon Chan-hom, saying they removed 865,000 people from coastal areas of Zhejiang province, south of Shanghai. Airports have been closed and train services cancelled.
Donors at a UN conference in New York have pledged $3.4 billion to help three West African counties recover from the Ebola epidemic. The Wall Street Journal reports Helen Clarke, the head of the UN Development Programme, called it “a great start”. The putbreak has killed more than 11,000 people.
Universal says new Barcelona mayor Ada Colau has decided to cut 27 per cent of her to €80,115 a year, compared with €109,000 which former Conservative Mayor Trias used to earn. The first woman mayor in the history of the Catalan capital yesterday made public the earnings of the new Podemos leaders of the city.
The Hindu says at least 23 women and four children were trampled to death and 50 others injured in a stampede that took place when hundreds of people stormed the home of a businessman in northern Bangladesh for a charity handout during the holy month of Ramzan. About 1,500 people had gathered in front of the house of Shamim Talukder, who owns a chewing tobacco factory, to receive free gifts and clothes and tried to force their way in. One of the injured women alleged that workers of businessman’s factory had swooped on them with batons.
Exposè Magazine says 50 Cent has been ordered to pay Lavonia Leviston $5 million for posting a sex tape of her online without her permission. And $5 million might not be the only thing the 40-year-old P.I.M.P. rapper – real name Curtis Jackson – is ordered to pay, as the jury will weigh punitive damages next week, which means he may need to shell out several more millions.