Newsround: what Monday's papers say

The top stories in Monday's newspapers:

THE IRISH TIMES

-The paper's lead story reports that Ireland's rail lines could close due to a funding crisis at Iarnród Éireann. It says that a confidential report finds the rail system needs an investment of €600 million over the next five years and the financial shortage is "giving rise to increased safety risks".

-The front page also reports that UK prime minister Theresa May will today offer the leaders of Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales a formal role in shaping Britain's strategy for leaving the European Union.

-A report on the paper's Home News pages says that two boys, aged 11 and 13, are the latest to die after road crashes. A 13-year old boy, Lee Henry, was killed in an apparent hit-and-run in Coolock, north Dublin on Saturday night, while an 11-year old boy who was involved in a collision in Navan, Co. Meath a week ago, died in hospital yesterday.

-Special treatment for striking gardaí and secondary teachers would be "unacceptable" and trigger a series of claims from unions inside the Lansdowne Road agreement, Impact, the largest public sector trade union, has warned.

FINANCIAL TIMES

-AT&T faces an uphill battle to convince US regulators that its proposed $85.4 billion purchase of Time Warner will not unfairly distort the media and communications industries after opponents of the deal said the combined entity would wield too much market power, the paper's front page reports.

-The paper also reports that British business is warning of the risk of major disruption at borders as the UK struggles to upgrade a troubled new computer system to cope ahead of a huge increase in customs declarations expected after Brexit.

-The FT's Bid Read focuses on Silicon Valley, reporting that investors seeking a return, employees who want to cash in and a need to fund deals are adding to the demand for big-name technology companies to launch IPOs after years of defending their private status.

-The lead story in the paper's Companies & Markets section says that EU authorities have ratcheted up pressure on Volkswagen over 'dieselgate', telling the company its recall programme does not go far enough to mend harm done to customers and it should consider repurchasing at least some of the cars affected.

IRISH INDEPENDENT

-The paper also leads with a transport-related story, reporting that the country's busiest motorway is at the point of breakdown due to the sheer number of vehicles using it every day. Rush-hour on the M50 now lasts a full eight hours each day, the paper says.

-It also reports that Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar has gone after the Fine Gael base with promises of dole for the self-employed in next year's budget. In a pitch to small business owners and entrepreneurs, the party's leadership front-runner is also appealing to his party's base by linking tax contributions to welfare benefits.

-The paper reports that six out of 10 businesses expect to be the victims of cyber crime in the year ahead while 90 per cent say the country is not prepared for a potential attack on the state.

-Britain could slash corporation tax to 10 per cent if the European Union uses the Brexit negotiations to block UK-based banks and businesses from the single market. The paper reports that a plan that would see the UK halve its headline tax rate from 20 per cent has been put forward by UK prime minister Theresa May's advisers.

IRISH EXAMINER

-The paper reports that a Garda watchdog investigation into the treatment of whistleblower Sergeant Maurice McCabe has been stopped in its tracks because of a legal roadblock.

-Its front page also carries a report on a scheme designed to compensate turf cutters who were relocated away from bogs designated as conservation areas, saying it could end up costing the state close to €60 million.

-The Department of Justice may have only days left to formulate offers to avert garda strikes, with both staff associations set to hold their executive meetings toward the end of the week.

-In a special report on data breaches, the paper says that no matter what you do, your security is at risk when you use the internet and there is no such thing as total risk elimination.