Newsround: what Tuesday's papers say

The top stories in Tuesday's newspapers:

THE IRISH TIMES

- Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon has dramatically raised the stakes of Brexit by seeking a second referendum on independence before the final exit deal is agreed with the European Union, the paper says. She will ask the Scottish parliament next week to authorise a vote to be held between autumn next year and spring 2019.

- Church and state have joined in paying tribute to former bishop of Galway Eamonn Casey who died aged 89 yesterday after suffering from Alzheimer's disease for many years.

- All 250 employees at a beauty products business in Nenagh are to lose their jobs when multinational company Coty closes its plant in the town. The future of a further 200 jobs in Drogheda hangs in the balance as Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling is expected to announce plans to centralise certain operations across Europe, the paper reports.

- Bad weather has forced Taoiseach Enda Kenny to cancel engagements in Boston and Rhode Island which had been arranged as part of his visit to the US to mark St. Patrick's Day following the onset of Storm Stella.

FINANCIAL TIMES

- The paper also leads with Nicola Sturgeon's call for an independence vote for Scotland, reporting that the Scottish first minister has handed Theresa May the challenge of keeping the UK united with her demand for the referendum, just as the prime minister grapples with the country's plans to leave the EU.

- Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte has denied that blocking entry into the country of Turkish ministers at the weekend was a bid to outflank populist leader Geert Wilders whom he faced last night in a television debate before tomorrow's election.

- The contest to shape a huge Asian trade pact has stepped up a gear as China and Japan push different visions of a deal that would cover almost half the world's population and a third of its economic output.

- 'Ms Pragmatic v Mr Unpredictable' is the headline for the FT's Big Read on global politics as it reports that the leaders of Germany and the US, Angela Merkel and Donald Trump, meet this week. However, it says finding common ground on how to revive faith in the transatlantic alliance may be hard to find.

IRISH INDEPENDENT

- The paper leads with the death of controversial Bishop Eamonn Casey who passed away at a Co Clare nursing home at the age of 89 following a battle with illness. It reports that Casey rocked the Catholic Church in 1992 when it emerged that the then Bishop of Galway had fathered a child years before with American Annie Murphy.

- Irish punters will wager well in excess of €125 million at the Cheltenham Festival as more than 100,000 Irish are estimated to have travelled to Prestbury for the four-day horse racing event.

- Ireland looks set to remain the best-performing economy in the euro zone for a fourth year in a row despite escalating fears over Brexit. A survey of economists by Bloomberg showed the consensus growth rate for 2017 has risen to 3.5 per cent from an earlier prediction of 3.1 per cent.

- In its business section, the paper reports that a new report from Savills on Ireland's property investment market shows that 1.1 million square metres of modern office space has changed hands in Dublin since the beginning of 2013, equivalent to one third of the capital's entire office stock.

IRISH EXAMINER

- A religious order that ran two Magdalene Laundries told the government that its decision not to contribute any money to the redress scheme for survivors was based on the findings of the McAleese report.

- A blueprint given to the government for future growth in Cork has forecast the population of the city will increase from 542,000 to 846,000 by2050 and has warned significant infrastructure investment will be needed to support this.

- Boston mayor Marty Walsh has warned Taoiseach Enda Kenny that he will not support any deal that only saves illegal Irish people from Donald Trump's immigration clampdown, insisting Ireland must stand up for all immigrants.

- First-time buyers have claimed almost €4 million to date in tax refunds as part of the government's Help-to-Buy scheme announced in last October's budget and aimed at helping house hunters secure a home.