The following are the top stories in the national and international press today.
The Times speaks to nine former politicians and commentators asking them what Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi should do in view of the deadline imposed by Nationalist MP Franco Debono for a split in the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry. It also interviews a woman who donated her kidney to a stranger she met at a party.
L-Orizzont speaks to the Prime Minister who says he does not feel the shots fired near Girgenti on Wednesday morning were an attempt on his life. It also says that the situation within the PN gets hotter as the ultimatum set by Nationalist MP Franco Debono expires in 48 hours.
In-Nazzjon reports on the coming into effect of a legal notice which prohibits smoking in playgrounds and public gardens. It also reports on the success achieved in tourism this year.
The Independent leads with the economic developments in Italy and the improvements made since the appointment of Mario Mizzi. It also reports on the success obtained in tourism.
The international press
According to Pyongyang Times, North Korea has said there would be no changes in policy despite its change of leadership. The newspaper says that in it first statement since Kim Jung-un was declared the new “supreme leader”, the North Korean National Defence Commission said it would till refuse to engage with “the traitorous South Korean government”.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post says the US was sending its most senior regional diplomat to East Asia to discuss the implications of the political succession in North Korea. The Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell would have talks in China, South Korea and Japan – three countries equally anxious about the new leadership in Pyongyang.
Sole 24 Ore quotes Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti saying competitiveness, jobs and liberalisation, as well as social issues, would become priority measures for growth in January s “Growth for Italy” package. During a news conference that lasted more than two and a half hours, Monti aid the first set of provisions would be ready for the January 23 Eurogroup meeting and the second for February's gathering. There would then be a National plan for Reform to be presented before April together with the Stability Programme. The prime minister said he was determined to complete all this at an earlier date.
CNN reports two US warships have crossed the Strait of Hormuz as Iran threatened to close it and to militarily challenge any foreign naval group that violates the area to the east of the inlet opening, where the 'Velayat 90' drill has been taking place since 24 December. The US Navy said the warships were the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis and missile-launching destroyer USS Mobile Bay. From its headquarters in Bahrein, a spokesperson of the US Fifth Fleet, Lt. Rebecca Rebarich, pointed out that the warships actually crossed the strait the day before yesterday, when the Ayatollahs' regime had already warned about its intentions. Rebarich said the drill had been “planned previously” and defined it a "routine" drill.
Jamaica's opposition People's National Party has won national elections with a wide margin. The Daily Gleaner says with almost all the results declared, PNP leader Portia Simpson Miller's party has gained 41 of the 63 seats in parliament. The 66-year-old veteran politician was first elected to parliament in 1976 and became Jamaica's first woman prime minister in 2006-07. She will face deep problems, with debt running at approximately 130 per cent of GDP and unemployment at more than 12 per cent.
Al-Arabiya says Syrian security forces were bracing themselves for more massive anti-government street protests after Friday prayers later today as Arab League monitors overseeing compliance with a peace plan visited Damascus. However, killings showed no sign of abating with activists saying some 40 people were killed by security forces on Thursday, mostly in areas where monitors are visiting. The Arab League peace plan calls for a complete halt to the violence, the withdrawal of all armed forces and the release of all detainees. The UN says more than 5,000 civilians have died in 10 months of unrest.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reports that the United States has urged activists to be patient and give the Arab League mission more time. The mission's chief, Sudanese General Mustafa al-Dabi, also said the investigation of the regime's bloody suppression was still in its early stages, and needed more time to assess the problems on the ground. The Syrian opposition has condemned the investigation as ineffective. The US has also called on the Syrian authorities to give the Arab League observer mission full access for its investigation into the government's clampdown on civilian protesters.
Deutsche Welle says Germany and the US have expressed great concern over Egyptian raids on non-government organisations. Human rights groups have described the raids as a campaign against them by the country's military rulers. The raided offices included those of the US-based International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute and Freedom House, a democratic watchdog group. The official Mena news agency said the raids were part of an investigation into alleged illicit foreign funding of the organisations. The authorities confiscated equipment and documents.
Moscow Times reports that several hundreds of people took to the streets in Moscow to protest against the imprisonment of an opposition member, activist Sergei Udaltsov, leader of the Left Front. The magistrates courts handed him a 10-day prison sentence, despite his bad health conditions, due to a long hunger strike. The protesters chanted slogans calling for freedom for political prisoners. No arrests were made.
The Atlantic says the US ha secured a $29.4-billion deal with Saudi Arabia for the supply of 84 new F-15s and the refurbishment of another 70. Deputy White House spokesman Josh Earnest explained the deal included munitions, spares, training and maintenance. The deal would support 50,000 jobs in the US and generate a $3.5-billion economic turnover.
Times of India reports chaotic scenes in the Upper House of the Indian parliament where MPs have been unable to vote on a controversial ant-corruption Bill. The Bill, which had already been approved by the Lower House has stalled in the Upper Chamber after 10 hours of often vitriolic debate.
Le Parisien announces that the police in France have limited the sale of petrol to curb the burning of cars at New Year's, a “tradition” in the French suburbs. Starting at the beginning of the 1990's, the phenomena, very popular amid youth in the poorest areas of the city, has reached worrying levels, with hundreds of cars burned in a contest of who can do more damage. In Paris, where the presence of tens of thousands of persons is expected on the Champs Elysees to celebrate the new year, the ban on the sale of domestic combustibles was already in place yesterday.