The following are the leading stories in the Maltese and international press on Wednesday:
The Times reports Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi urging the people to put the country's interest first when they come to vote. On the back page it reports on plans for an adventure park at Ta'Qali.
The Malta Independent says MLP leader Alfred Sant has called on the Police Commissioner to investigate the Mistra development permit case. It also reports Dr Lawrence Gonzi saying the moment has arrived, and the choice is clear.
MaltaToday leads with the heading 'Santscreen' in the context of Dr Sant's decision to refer the Mistra case to the Police Commissioner even though he had earlier said the commissioner was being used as a smokescreen.
l-orizzont says the GWU delegates at Malta Shipyards have approved a resolution backing the reopening of talks with the EU on the shipyards. It also asks questions about a strip of land requisitioned from Minister Ninu Zammit.
In-Nazzjon leads with the PN mass meeting in Gozo, saying the PN is proposing certainty and peace of mind.
The Press in Britain...
The Times reports that the UN has criticised authorities for being too lenient towards celebrities caught abusing drugs. It also reveals cocaine prices have plummeted as criminal gangs operating with "impunity" target Europe from a new trafficking hub in West Africa.
The Guardian says that fearing the government will introduce a news tax in next week's budget, energy firms have warned that any windfall tax on the industry would undermine investment in climate change projects.
The Financial Times also refers to the budget and reveals that all mortgages in Britain will be graded and the least risky will be given an official seal of approval.
The Daily Telegraph has learned that Prime Minister Gordon Brown has ordered a review of the controversial Barnett formula under which Scots each receive £1,500 subsidy each year from English taxpayers.
According to the Daily Express, under new government proposals to cut congestion, millions of motorists could have to pay to drive on motorways.
The Independent uses its front page to highlight what it calls "the great green betrayal". It accused the government of "standing still or even going backwards" on environmental policies.
The Daily Mail says despite £90bn being ploughed into the NHS this year, hospital waiting times are longer than under the Conservatives with the average wait for treatment up to 49 days from 41 days in 1997.
The Daily Star has spoken to a former lover of killer nurse Colin Norris who claims that he had "a twisted obsession" with TV hospital drama Holby City.
And elsewhere...
Washington Post reports that Arizona Senator John McCain has won the US Republican presidential nomination after he surpassed the requisite 1,191 delegates needed. Voters have been going to the polls in primaries in four US states, which could go a long way towards deciding who also becomes the Democratic Party's candidate in this year's presidential election. Illinois Senator Barack Obama has defeated New York Senator Hillary Clinton in the Vermont primary. This was his 12th straight victory over the former first lady, who has won Ohio and Rhode Island, and was hoping to continue her rebound by winning Texas. US media are reporting that the Democratic race there is still too close to call.
Al Quds al-Arabi reports that Israeli troops have again clashed with Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip. The incursion came as US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was in Jerusalem, urging both the Iszrealis and the to resume negotiations, saying that she believed a peace deal was still possible this year.
Moscow Times says Russia's state-run gas monopoly, Gazprom, has cut the flow of natural gas to Ukraine by a further 25 percent. This comes a day after a similar cut because of a dispute over almost a billion euros in unpaid debts. The situation is being closely monitored in the European Union which has some 80 percent of the its gas orders from Russia -- a quarter of its total gas supply -- flowing through Ukraine.
Brussel's financial broadsheet L'Echo says European Union finance ministers have agreed on the need to step up the fight against tax evaders who hide their savings in tax havens such as Liechtenstein. Switzerland and Andorra even if no concrete measures will be taken in the near future. The meeting came just weeks after German prosecutors launched a tax fraud probe revealing more than €3 billion were hidden in Liechtenstein.
USA Today reports that Harvard University has banned men from one of its gyms for a few hours a week to accommodate Muslim women who, for religious and cultural reasons, cannot exercise comfortably in their presence. The special hours allow the Muslim women, who adhere to traditional dress codes by covering their hair and most of their skin while in public, to dress more appropriately for exercising. It would be a breach of their moral and religious code if a man were to see them with their hair uncovered and it's not possible for them to be in a mixed environment. However, the policy is already unpopular with many on campus, including some women who consider it sexist. But a spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations said Harvard's policy is no different from commercial gyms that cater partially or even exclusively to women.