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

The Times reports how Enemalta is being fined by Mepa for exceeding derogation limits in the operation of Marsa power station. It also reports that MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando does not rule out a gay marriages bill.

The Malta Independent says EU leaders yesterday signed the Fiscal Pact for balanced budgets.

The same story is given prominence in In-Nazzjon, which also reports that the government is to move a Bill against crimes of homophobia.

l-orizzont says that a recording shows how a Nationalist candidate has a phobia against Labourites and pays his Labourite employees less.   

The overseas press

ABC reports that a UN commission investigating alleged war crimes in Libya has been unable to determine the cause of death of slain leader Muammar Gaddafi and his son Mutassim. The International Commission of Inquiry on Libya report released on Friday said that Gaddafi and his son, who were captured separately on October 20 by fighters from the port city of Misrata, died in unclear circumstances. Libyan authorities declined to provide the commission with access to Gaddafi's autopsy report despite "numerous requests," it said, noting that its pathologist could not conclude the cause of death from images of the corpse.

US president Barack Obama has warned against a premature military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities ahead of crucial talks in Washington with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In an interview with The Atlantic Magazine, Mr Obama signals that he will press the Israeli leader to postpone any Israeli plan for a unilateral strike at Iran's nuclear facilities. Mr Netanyahu is in Canada ahead of talks next week at the White House. Mr Obama says a premature attack could allow Iran to portray itself as a victim.

Khaleej Times says Obama’s comments came as Iranians voted in a parliamentary election likely to reinforce Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s power over rival hardliners led by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Iranian leaders were looking for a high turnout to ease an acute crisis of legitimacy caused by Ahmadinejad’s re-election in 2009 when widespread accusations of fraud plunged the Islamic Republic into the worst unrest of its 33-year history. Iran also faces economic turmoil compounded by Western sanctions over a nuclear programme that has prompted threats of military action by Israel, whose leader meets U.S. President Barack Obama in the White House on Monday.

European Voice reports all but two European Union countries have signed a treaty enforcing balanced budgets in a bid to prevent more crises and to build up confidence in the euro. It is the latest attempt by Europe's leaders to stave off the threat of a widespread recession. At a meeting in Brussels, 25 of the 27 leaders signed off on the treaty, aimed at stopping countries running up huge debts and repeating the Greek saga. Under the news rules, they will face economic sanctions if they do not stick to the script. As expected, the UK and Czech Republic were missing from the list, disagreeing with some of the aspects of this bid to control budgets.

Bloomberg says Moody's has cut Greece's credit rating again, citing a risk of default despite a recent debt write-off deal. Moody's cut Greece's rating to "C" from "Ca", the lowest level on its scale. The firm said on Friday: "Today's rating decision was prompted by the recently announced debt exchange proposals for Greece, which imply expected losses to investors in excess of 70 per cent." The deal writes off €107 billion of Greece's debt.

Al Jazeera reports that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has told member states of the international body about "grisly reports" of Syrian government forces arbitrarily executing, imprisoning and torturing people in the flash point city of Homs. In some of his toughest criticism of Damascus to date, Ban said the Syrian government had failed to deliver on its responsibility to protect its people and that civilian losses had clearly been heavy.

Al Bawaba says that taking to the podium after the Secretary General, Syria's ambassador to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, told the 193-member General Assembly that Ban's statements were "slandering" his country. Speaking for 45 minutes, the Syrian envoy said the UN chief's remarks included "extremely virulent rhetoric that confines itself to slandering a government based on reports, opinions or hearsay".

The New York Times says that earlier on Friday, Ban made a plea for Damascus to grant access for aid workers to besieged Syrian towns, describing images of death coming out of them as atrocious. He was speaking to reporters after the International Committee of the Red Cross told Syria it was unacceptable that its aid convoy had been prevented from entering a battle-scarred district of Homs where the opposition said President Bashar al-Assad's army had committed a massacre.

CNN reports a series of powerful tornadoes have killed at least six people in the US state of Indiana, and caused damage and injury in Tennessee and Kentucky. A local official confirmed three people had been killed by storms in each of Jefferson and Scott counties, Indiana. Earlier on Friday tornadoes hit Alabama, causing widespread damage to houses and injuring five people.

Voice of America says the US authorities have smashed several major international smuggling rings stretching from the US to China, Taiwan and the Philippines. In all, 29 people were charged with distributing contraband cigarettes and fake luxury goods in the United States, as well as drug smuggling. The smuggled goods were manufactured in China and were worth hundreds of millions of dollars, prosecutors say. All the rings used a port in New Jersey. Six suspects remain at large.

 

 

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