The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times says the EU has agreed on a treaty to save the euro, but the UK stayed out. The treaty makes no mention of the proposed financial transactions tax.
The Malta Independent says the Golding Rule on budget discipline is to be enshrined in the Constitution. It also says that the Tritons Fountain is too damaged to be moved.
In-Nazzjon quotes the prime minister saying the outcome of the EU summit was a message of stability to financial markets.
l-orizzont focuses on the situation of cleaners employed by contractors to work for the government and says efforts by the contractors to form an association have failed.
The overseas press
The Malta Independent The Washington Post reports that a landmark summit of the 27-nation European Union ended In Brussels with both “a pledge and wedge”: a pledge among nations to work toward a new treaty binding them more closely together in a pact to save the euro, and a wedge between the continent and Britain, which opted to sit it out. In a summit portrayed by leaders as “a make-or-break moment”, the outcome signalled the growing clout of Germany and a potentially wayward path for Britain. The paper says the veto by British Prime Minister David Cameron underscored his nation’s long unease with relinquishing national powers to the EU and left London isolated in a region now moving toward deeper integration without it.
All British nationals focus on the veto used by Cameron, who, according to The Daily Telegraph, stands as the lone man of Europe. The paper says he took a decisive step to distance Britain from the European Union, provoking anger among other leaders. The Daily Mail looks at what it calls “Cameron's historic decision”, dubbing it "the day he put Britain first". The Financial Times reports Cameron has cold-shouldered Europe and says his veto has been hailed as “historic” by some Conservative MPs.
The Daily Express sees the move as a massive step towards Britain quitting the EU. The Independent also looks at how Britain is on the margins of the EU following the summit. The Guardian says Cameron has plunged Britain's position in Europe into the greatest uncertainty in a generation and asks, “Will it be splendid isolation, or miserable?” while the “I” newspaper says the EU has left the "UK out in the cold".
The Times has a cartoon depicting Cameron as the Mannekin Pis – the emblem of the rebellious spirit of the City of Brussels – urinating on French President Nicholas Sarkozy. The Sun leads with the headline 'UP URS'. It shows David Cameron dressed up in the style of Winston Churchill and says he has a "bulldog spirit" after he used a veto to avoid signing up to a new EU economic treaty.
Meanwhile, European commentators have reacted with anger at Britain's decision. Many Germans are outraged by the British move. Börzen Zeitung quotes Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, head of the Germany's FDP group, part of the European Liberals, going as far as to say it was "a mistake to let the British into the EU". Britain must now renegotiate its relationship with the EU, he said.
La Repubblica says that the summit "sank... because of the old but still unresolved division between... pro-European and Eurosceptic states".
Meanwhile EU Times reports that Daniel Cohen-Bendit, joint leader of the Greens in the European Parliament labelled Cameron "a weakling" while German Christian Democrat MEP Elmar Brok, foreign policy spokesman for the centre-right in the European parliament, echoed his sentiment: "If you're not ready to abide by the rules, you'd do better to keep your mouth shut."
Italy’s main financial daily, Il Sole 24 Ore, calls the move a "British bluff" which leaves the country isolated.
In France, Le Figaro calls it Cameron's "dangerous game" and writes that Britain has merely honoured its reputation as a dissident nation, never intending to play along. On the other hand, Le Monde says the British “are not part of this euro crisis and they have no responsibility for the failure of its institutions to resolve this sovereign debt crisis".
Danish Economy Minister Margrethe Vestager told Jyllands-Posten that while she thought the plan was a step in the right direction, it was unfortunate that the EU would be split. "It's good if it stabilises the euro and increases economic responsibility," she said, "but it's annoying that it won't happen through a treaty change with all 27 countries. It's better to stick together than for each of us to go our own way in a crisis of such enormous dimensions.
In Sweden, Carl B Hamilton, MP for the Liberal People's Party and chair of the EU committee in the Swedish parliament, is highly critical of the UK. He told the Europaportalen website: "They're splitting Europe. Great Britain has acted in an unconstructive way. 'Unhelpful' as they say in English."
Meanwhile, The Washington Times quotes the top US military officer, General Martin Dampsey, saying he was extremely concerned about the viability of the euro, because its collapse could lead to civil unrest. Gen. Dempsey, who is chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told an event hosted by the Atlantic Council, a Washington think-tank: "The eurozone is at great risk." He said it was not clear whether the latest measures would hold the eurozone together.
In other news…
There are appeals for calm in the Democratic Republic of Congo as disputed elections threaten to plunge the volatile Central African nation into chaos as the main opposition candidate Etienne Tshisekedi rejected official election results giving incumbent President Joseph Kabila another term in office. He told RFI radio he considered himself as the victor and the announcement of victory for his rival was “a provocation”. Tshisekedi along with the EU, the US, Britain, France and former colonial power Belgium appealed for calm. Riot police are patrolling the capital, Kinshasa, and gunshots have been heard.
Le Matin says several thousands Haitians have demonstrated to demand that the UN compensated people with cholera. The protesters said UN soldiers inadvertently carried the disease into Haiti.
Kommersant reports that a human rights council set up in Russia to advice President Dimitry Medvev says parliamentary elections should be re-run if allegations of widespread vote rigging are confirmed. The new as tens of thousands of Russians are preparing to take to the streets today in various Russian cities to protest at the election results and demand a re-run.
Gazete Oku says Turkey has warned it could not stand by if the Syrian government’s continued use of force against protesters threatened regional security. At least 24 people are killed in renewed anti-government protests across Syria, activists say, with one report putting the toll at 35.
Durban Post suggests a new text circulating at the UN Climate Conference in South Africa suggests nations may be edging towards agreement. The EU and many poor countries rejected an earlier draft under which no country needed to cut emissions before 2020.