The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times says the potentially unsafe site of the fireworks factory explosion at Gharb is still accessible to the public. It also reports that the PN has asked councillor Edward Cuschieri to withdraw his name from a motion of no confidence in Cyrus Engerer, who has been nominated to serve as Deputy Mayor in Sliema.
The Malta Independent reports how the schooner Fernandes hit a reef after a miscalcuclation by the Captain. It also reports that the Health Ministry has denied trying to poach Pakistani nurses.
Malta Today says Malta has complained to the EU that it has zero percent representation in the EU diplomatic service. It also quotes PN general secretary Paul Borg Olivier saying the party would not tolerate any more nonesense at Sliema council.
In-Nazzjon highlights the first funeral of the Gharb fireworks factory explosion, held yesterday. It also reports how the Health Ministry is insisting that the MUMN withdraw industrial action that is harming patients.
l-orizzont reports that there is suspicion that efforts are being made to undermine the Red Cross Gozo Branch.
The overseas press:
The Wall Street Journal reports new EU proposals aimed at regulating financial practices blamed for intensifying the global financial crisis would be published later today.
Le Soir says the European Commission has strongly criticized the French government for its decision to deport hundreds of Roma migrants in recent weeks. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding said she was appalled by the expulsions and described the policy as a "disgrace". She said she thought the EU should initiate legal proceedings against France over the deportations.
Le Monde reports that the French parliament has adopted a Bill to ban women from wearing a full veil in public spaces. France's Constitutional Council now has to ratify the Bill which should come into force next spring.
Le Parisien says the Eiffel Tower, which attracts around 6.6 million visitors a year, had to be evacuated after an anonymous bomb scare. The false alarm sparked panic as some 2,000 people were led to safety and police combed the area. A second tourist hub - the Saint-Michel subway station near Notre Dame Cathedral - was also evacuated after a similar threat.
EurasiaNet reports the European Court of Human Rights has said the Turkish state was negligent and did not do enough to protect the well-being of a journalist who was assassinated in 2007. Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was shot dead outside his newspaper's office, following a series of threats and attacks.
Environmental News quotes FAO saying the number of hungry people around the world had dropped back below the one billion mark this year but it remained "scandalously high" despite a 98 million decrease. The Rome-based UN agency estimated that 925 people would suffer chronic hunger this year, compared to 1.023 billion in 2009 following the effects of the global recession and the 2008 spike in food prices.
Tribune de Genève reports the UN special investigator on children and armed conflict has said camps for the internally-displaced are the most dangerous places for children caught up in war. The lack of protection offered to children in camps left them vulnerable for sexual violence and forced recruitment by armed groups.
Ansa quotes Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni saying Libya has apologised for firing on an Italian trawler last Sunday some 30 nautical miles off the North African country's coast. He told a TV news show that the incident "should not have taken place". He added that he believed they must have mistaken the trawler for a boat carrying illegal immigrants.
Oman Daily says an American woman freed by Iran after more than a year in jail said she would press for the release of her two companions. Sarah Shourd, who was flown to Oman, urged Iran to free her fiance Shane Bauer and friend Josh Fattal. The three say they accidentally crossed into Iran while hiking in Iraq.
Chilevision reports that the wife of one of the miners trapped 700 metres underground in Chile has given birth to a baby girl. Ariel Ticona, trapped for more than a month, has asked his wife to name the girl Esperenza, Spanish for hope. Meanwhile, Chilean President Sebastián Piñera said the massive rescue effort was on track to bring 33 trapped miners out of the ground by Christmas and possibly sooner.
The Daily Mirror quotes sources saying George Michael "cried his eyes out like a little boy" when he arrived in prison after being sentenced to eight weeks in jail after admitting crashing while under the influence of cannabis. The 47-year-old was also banned from driving for five years and ordered to pay a £1,250 fine, £100 costs and a £15 victim surcharge.
The Independent leads on the controversy surrounding the Pope's visit to the UK on Thursday. The paper asks whether he would apologise to the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of Catholic priests. As Catholics look to move on from the abuse scandal, the Church in Britain is grappling with how to restore faith in the clergy and protect children in the future. Meanwhile, Metro reports that British bookmakers are taking bets on whether the popemobile will have a flat tyre or crash during the Pope's visit. The odds for a puncture are 26-1 while an accident is 67-1.