The following are the top stories in the national and international press today.
The Times says that the International Olympic Committee is not impressed at the Malta Olympic Committee’s vote of confidence vte in Mr Justice Lino Farrugia Sacco and Joe Cassar. In another story it says that elections for the Labour Party deputy leader can be a one-man race. MEP Louis Grech submitted his nomination yesterday, which was seconded by people who were among the favourites to contest the election.
L-Orizzont also leads with the forthcoming election for a new PL leader and says that Mr Grech has submitted his nomination. In another story, father Matthew Zahra appeals to his son to return home for Christmas.
Both The Independent and in-Nazzjon lead with former PL deputy leader Anglu Farrugia’s resignation letter and carry PN deputy leader Simon Busuttil’s reaction to it.
The Independent also tackles the end of the world rumours while in-Nazzjon says that Enemalta had already saved €1 million in fuel since the Delimara extension started working a week ago.
The international press
The United States’ most powerful gun-rights lobby has called for placing armed security guards in every school, saying that children had been left vulnerable in their classrooms. The Wall Street Journal quotes Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the four-million-member National Rifle Association, saying that "the monsters and the predators of the world" had exploited the fact that most schools were gun-free zones. Other important institutions – such as banks, courts and power plants – were protected with armed security, he said. In response to the mass shooting in Connecticut a week ago, in which 20 children and six staff members were killed, LaPierre said, “The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.”
The Christian Science Monitor says gun-control advocates responded swiftly – and negatively – to the National Rifle Association’s unusual calling for armed guards in the nation’s schools. New York mayor Michael Bloomberg accused the NRA of “a shameful evasion” of the crisis facing the United States. Democrat Carolyn McCarthy of New York, one of the House’s most vocal proponents of gun control, said she was saddened that the NRA had missed “an opportunity to help unite the nation behind efforts to reduce gun violence.” The Violence Policy Center (VPC) in Washington noted that there were two armed law enforcement agents at Columbine High School during the 1999 armed attack by two students that killed 15 people.
The Washington Post reports education officials had mixed reactions to the NRA proposal. Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers, called the idea “irresponsible and dangerous” and said in a statement that “schools must be safe sanctuaries, not armed fortresses”. In Connecticut, where residents are still in the midst of funerals after last week's shootings, Karissa Niehoff, executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools, to The Newtown Bee that the NRA comments hit her “like a punch in the stomach”. President Obama has said he would do everything in his power as president to advance the effort to reduce gun violence and asked the American people for their help.
Voice of America says President Obama has nominated Senator John Kerry as the next US Secretary of State to replace Hilary Clinton. Kerry is the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and was the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004.
Ansa reports Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti has formally resigned as head of the government after his 2013 budget was approved by parliament. Monti, who was appointed to rein in Italy’s public spending, has been widely-credited with helping the country to avoid a debt crisis. His resignation paves the way for an early election, expected on February 24.
Al Ahram says there have been clashes in Alexandria as 17 of Egypt’s 26 provinces prepared to cast their vote in the country's second leg today of the constitutional referendum. Police fired tear gas as thousands of Islamists were met by a smaller group of protesters near a large mosque. The Islamists back President Mohammed Morsi and his draft constitution. Opponents say the document has been rushed and does not protect minorities. Both Alexandria and Cairo voted in the first leg of a referendum that has split the nation
The New York Times quotes UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemning the shooting down of a UN helicopter by the South Sudanese army. He said the helicopter was clearly marked. All four Russian crew members were killed.
CNN says three UN peacekeepers working in Darfour as part of the joint UN-African Union mission, have been shot dead by another peacekeeper. Another member was wounded before the gunman shot himself. The nationality of the dead has not been disclosed.
Clarin says a judge in Argentina has suspended the weeding between a 22-year-old woman and the man convicted of the murder of her identical twin sister two years ago. Edith Casas insists Victor Cingolani, who is serving 13 years in prison for the murder, did not murder her sister Johana, a model with whom he also had a relationship. Her mother, who said Edith was “psychologically ill”, had filed a request for the wedding to be suspended. The mother's lawyer said Edith was “not in full control of her mental faculties” and said her physical and psychological wellbeing were in danger.
Asia Times reports that Taiwan has executed six death row inmates – the first use of the death penalty this year. Amnesty International has condemned the move as "cold-blooded killing". The deputy justice minister said the brutality of the men's crimes meant there was no reason to show mercy. All six of the men had been convicted of murder.
Reuters reports "Two and a Half Men" star Ashton Kutcher has filed for divorce from actress wife Demi Moore after more than a year of separation. Kutcher, 34, cited irreconcilable differences in divorce papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, adding that he was not seeking spousal support or denying support to Moore. Moore, 50, and Kutcher separated in November 2011 after six years of marriage, after a San Diego woman said she had had a brief affair with Kutcher.
The BBC says the Gangnam Style music video by the Korean pop star Psy has been viewed by over a billion times on YouTube – a new milestone in the history of the Internet. The video of the rapper doing his distinctive horse-riding dance thrust the craze that swept the globe.