The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
Nearly all the Maltese newspapers feature the lowering of the green Libyan flag on the Libyan embassy in Malta and its replacement with the pre-Gaddafi flag.
In other stories, The Times says EU leaders will hold a summit meeting on Libya next week.
The Malta Independent quotes the prime minister saying that Malta will not serve as a military base against Libya.
Malta Today says Malta is looking into what assets Col Gaddafi could have in Malta.
l-orizzont says the AFM has practised the rapid blocking of the runways in case of an unauthorized Libyan landing to recover the two Libyan fighters in Malta.
The overseas press
The New York Times quotes UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warning that thousands of lives were at stake as people try to escape the growing turmoil in Libya. He called for urgent action on the ground to provide humanitarian aid for tens of thousands of people. According to the world body, some 75,000 people have fled to Tunisia since the unrest began and 40,000 more were waiting to cross. Egyptians, Vietnamese, Indians, Turks, Tunisians, Chinese and Thai workers were among those stranded. About 70,000 more left Libya through the Egyptian border.
Meanwhile, Associated News reports that on the ground, Gaddafi's forces battled poorly-armed rebels for control of towns near Tripoli trying to create a buffer zone around his seat of power. They have retaken at least two towns and threatened a third, while rebels repulsed attacks on three other key areas – Misrata to the east, Zawiya to the west, and the mountain town of Zintan to the south of the capital.
Amid the intensified fighting, the international community stepped up moves to isolate the longtime Libyan leader. CNN says the UN General Assembly has voted to suspend Libya from the UN Human Rights Council. The resolution accused the Gaddafi regime of committing “gross and systematic violations of human rights. Mr Ban said reports had suggested about 1,000 people had so far died in the Libyan unrest.
The BBC reports there appeared to be little enthusiasm for a resolution imposing a no-fly zone over Libya. US Defence Secretary Robert Gates warned that any military action over Libya, such as setting up a no-fly zone, must be carefully considered because of the potential consequences. He said he ordered two ships into the Mediterranean, including the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge, and was sending 400 marines to the vessel to replace some troops that left recently for Afghanistan.
Al-Ayyam says Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh has accused the US, his closest ally, of instigating the mounting protests against him, but the gambit failed to slow the momentum of calls for him to step down. Hundreds of thousands rallied in cities across the country, including one addressed by Sheik Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, an influential firebrand cleric and former ally of Saleh, whom the U.S. has linked to al-Qaida.
France 24 says police in Tehran have used tear gas to disperse anti-government rallies calling for the release of opposition leaders Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karoubi, who supporters say are in a Tehran jail. The Iranian authorities deny the men are being held.
Eurozone countries could get a far greater say in each others' economic policies, according to draft documents seen by the BBC. They would also have to make "concrete commitments" on economic targets, which would be reviewed every year. These moves, and a closer co-ordination of fiscal measures, would be discussed later this month at a meeting of eurozone leaders. The proposals are part of plans to try to improve confidence in the euro.
The Dominion Post quotes Christchurch police saying the bodies of some victims of New Zealand's devastating earthquake might never be recovered because they were pulverized by the buildings that collapsed around them. The comments came as four more bodies were pulled out from rubble y, taking the total death toll to 159. Many more people remain missing, with the final tally likely to be around 240.
Tageblatt reports that the European Court of Justice has banned insurance companies from basing prices on gender, ruling that making men pay more than women for life and car accident policies was discriminatory. It ruled that insurance companies must stop charging different rates for women and men from December 21, 2012 – a decision which the industry said would drive up costs for consumers.
Metro says British holidaymakers were told to expect a flurry of price increases after one of Britain’s biggest tour operators announced a new fuel surcharge. The warning came as Thomas Cook added £15 to the price of a short-haul trip to cover the soaring cost of oil. Other operators were expected to follow suit. Oil prices have surged 10 per cent in the past month because of the turmoil in Libya.
Ansa reports that anti-mafia writer Roberto Saviano got a free life's supply of mozzarella on Tuesday after he put it at the top of his reasons for living in a new book out this week. The award-winning 31-year-old 'Gomorra' writer, who is under round-the-clock police protection after death threats from Neapolitan Camorra godfathers, based his new book, Vieni Via Con Me (Come Away with Me), on monologues on organized crime he gave on a recent hit TV show of the same name on state broadcaster RAI.