The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press

The Times reports that Air Malta is to fly 900 Egyptians out of Tunisia. It also says that the EU is to simplify the car registration process across borders.

The Malta Independent says rebels have tightened their hold on Libyan oil installations. It also reports that hundreds more oil workers have arrived in Malta from Libya.

l-orizzont leads with the story of a Maltese nurse forced to flee Tripoli at a moment’s notice. It also says that contact has been lost with three workers in Libya.

In-Nazzjon reports that the International Criminal Court is to investigate Gaddafi and his associates. In another story, it says that 18,000 Indians are to be evacuated to Malta.

The overseas press

The Washington Times quotes President Obama saying he was concerned that the crisis in Libya could turn into a bloody stalemate. He told a news conference that while most of the country starves, the US and its allies would have to consider how to get food in. In his strongest statement yet, President Obama called for the immediate resignation of the Libyan leader and authorised military airlifts to help refugees who fled Libya. Some 200,000 migrant workers have now fled Libya, into Egypt, Tunisia and Niger. Asked whether he supported a no-fly zone being established over Libya, Obama said he was examining all options.

Associated News reports that the opposition forces rebels in Libya reinforced the key oil port of Brega while facing new regime airstrikes in the east. Thousands of angry mourners buried victims of a counter-offensive by Gaddafi's forces, shooting guns in the air, shouting "Down with Gaddafi!" and swearing to take vengeance. Although there have been stirrings of a diplomatic effort to ease the crisis, an opposition spokesman flatly ruled out any negotiations with Gaddafi, saying "his hands are tainted with blood."

Sky News reports that Gaddafi’s son, Saif al-Islam, has denied that the Libyan air force had attacked anti-government protesters in Tripoli. But he acknowledged that the security forces were targeting potential rebel ringleaders.

The BBC says several hundred mercenaries from Mali have gone to Libyan to join forces loyal to Gaddafi.

NRC Handelsblad says the government of the Netherlands was negotiating the release of three members of a Dutch naval helicopter crew who have been held in Libya since Sunday while rescuing European citizens.

The Times leads with the resignations of the head of the London School of Economics, Howard Davies, over the acceptance two years ago of a multi-million dollar donation from Saif al-Islam after he was awarded a PhD now being investigated for plagiarism. The university has also ordered an independent inquiry into its financial links with Libya.

The New York Times says concern has been voiced at the UN Security Council about the risk of a new civil war in Ivory Coast. Troops loyal to Laurent Gbagbo, who has refused to leave office after disputed presidential election, opened fire and killed eight women marching in support of Alassane Ouattara in Abidjan.

The Washington Post reports that the Obama administration has learnt that a formed FBI agent, who disappeared four years ago in Iran, was alive. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said there were indications that Robert Levison was being held somewhere in SW Asia.

In an interview with Berliner Zeitung, a German-Turkish man, who spent over four years imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, has claimed US guards regularly carried out medical experiments on inmates. Murat Kurnaz’s claims correlate with the results of two separate studies by American lawyers and the US news website Truthout.

The Guardian says WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has lodged an appeal against a ruling that he should be extradited from Britain to Sweden over alleged sex crimes. Assange's defence team claim the allegations were politically motivated. Assange infuriated the US government last year by publishing thousands of secret US diplomatic cables. The appeal is likely to take months to be heard and, if unsuccessful, further legal challenges are expected.

Deutsche Welle reports the Green party has slammed a decision by the European Parliament to increase office expenses by €1,500. German politician Helga Trüpel, said lawmakers were "clearly out of touch with fiscal realities" and claimed the "irresponsible vote sends completely the wrong signal" to cash-strapped people across the continent. Lawmakers say they need extra help to handle the additional legislative powers acquired as a result of the European Union's Lisbon Treaty, which entered into force in late 2009. Office allowances were already increased by €1,500 last year.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.