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

The Times reports how the government will fund Leah's fund-saving treatment. The young girl is suffering a rare form of cancer.

The Malta Independent says the prime minister was aware of the OLAF investigation into John Dalli since July.

MaltaToday says there is a drive within the PN to unite behind Simon Busuttil as deputy leader of the party, with other potential contenders being encouraged not to contest.

l-orizzont says policemen are under investigation for allegedly giving  a Somali migrant urine to drink in a police station.

In-Nazzjon reports how 315 students were awarded government scholarships yesterday.

The overseas press

 The Irish Independent reports a majority of members of the European Parliament have backed a 6.8 per cent rise in EU spending next year and an overall increase of at least five per cent in the EU's long-term 2014-2020 budget. Both budgets still have to be approved at the EU summit next month.  British MEPs were outnumbered almost five to one in the vote, with the leader of the Tory contingent, Richard Ashworth insisting that the last word would be at the November summit, where Britain has a right of veto. He predicted “some hard bargaining” to follow.

The Emir of Qatar, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, has made a historic visit to Gaza – the first time a head of state visited the Palestinian territory since Islamist Hamas militants took control in 2007. Al Aqsa says he promised another $150 million (€115.5 million) to help with construction projects. Israel said the emir’s visit to Gaza was unacceptable, especially since he had never visited the rival Palestinian Authority.

Al Thawra reports President Bashar al-Assad of Syria issued an amnesty on for all crimes committed before Tuesday except for the crimes of "terrorists" – the regime's term for anti-regime rebels – as fresh violence flared across the country. Meanwhile, Al Quds quotes the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights saying 20 people were killed and more than 50 were injured in the shelling of a bakery in Aleppo, on a day that saw more than 100 killed across the country.

With just two weeks before the election, President Barack Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney are hitting the election campaign trial once more, making their final appeals to undecided voters. According to VOA News, during a rally in Florida – one of those states that could decide the election – Obama accused Romney of changing his mind on major issues, including the operation to kill Osama Bin Laden. Meanwhile, in Nevada, Romney said he had a definite plan to revive the economy while the president did not.

France 24 says Airbus inaugurated a factory in France on Tuesday for its new long-range A350 aircraft, which will allow longer-distance direct flights. The new model should make its maiden flight by the summer of 2013.

The Guardian reports that the British coalition government is poised to introduce legislation to give prisoners the vote. Minister are said to be preparing to launch a draft Bill to comply with a ruling by the European Court of Human Rights.

The Independent says the head of the BBC, George Entwistle, has shocked MPs with his lack of knowledge of the Jimmy Savile child abuse scandal while admitting that its former star presenter was only able to get away because of a broader cultural problem at the corporation. He told MPs he thought the investigation into the presenter should have continued but denied the corporation tried to cover up the abuse allegations.

Le Matinal quotes the Benin state prosecutor saying the physician of President Boni Yayi, along with his niece and a government minister, were behind a failed to plot to poison him. The trio were arrested on Sunday.

Reuters reports the UN is warning that huge swarms of locusts could pose a threat to crops in pastures in north-western Africa. Good summer rains provided ideal breeding conditions for desert locusts and triggered a 250-fold increase in their population in Chad, Mali and Niger. A FAO official says predict the swarms could soon move toward Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco.

A type of haemorrhagic fever that is prevalent in Africa, Asia, and the Balkans has begun to spread to new areas in southern Europe. Medical Xpress reports Swedish researchers have shown that migratory birds carrying ticks are the possible source of contagion. The discovery is being published in the US journal Emerging Infectious Diseases. Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic fever is a serious disease that begins with influenza-like symptoms but can develop into a very serious condition with a high 30-per-cent mortality.

New research has found that homework is of little value to primary school children, and students are regularly given too much. ABC reports Australian academics Richard Walker and Mike Horsley's new book “Reforming Homework” concludes that the quality of the homework that is set is more important than the quantity.

Sky News says the new Bond film “Skyfall” has opened with a Royal Gala at the Royal Albert Hall in London, continuing 50 years of film about the suave British spy. Daniel Craig, playing the spy for a third time, has declared the launch of the new film as his greatest 007 premiere yet. Skyfall is the 23rd official Bond film.

Le Parisien reports France’s classic sailor T-shirt saw a 65 per cent jump in sales this week after it was modelled by French Industry Minister Aranud Montebourg on the of its magazine. Montebourg, a strong critic of the way France has opened its markets to globalisation and free trade, is pushing a campaign for consumers to buy local goods and encourage supermarkets to create sections of floor space solely for "Made in France" products. Laurence Parisot, the female CEO of French business federation Medef, described the minister as ‘very sexy’.

 

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