The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times leads with a story on gas cylinders saying that safety fears grow as illegal gas cylinders are uncovered. In another story it quotes the Prime Minister’s position on tomorrow’s vote, his offer to Labour for the setting up of a joint parliamentary committee and Franco Debono’s decision to abstain.
l-Orizzont gives its view on tomorrow’s vote calling for Dr Gatt’s resignation and its implications. It quotes a BDC research conducted for the paper which found that 70 per cent of respondents believe the minister should resign. The newspaper also has a story on the PM position on the vote and Dr Debono’s decision.
The Independent leads with yesterday’s special sitting in Parliament to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the first sitting of the legislative assembly and the senate following the Amery-Milner Constitution of 1921. It also reports the Public Accounts Committee sitting and says that the BWSC extension saves Enemalta €30 million a year.
In-Nazzjon also reports on the commemorative sitting and tomorrow’s vote of no confidence. In another story it reports on Brussels’ Airlines maintenance contract with Lufthansa Technik.
The international press
The Wall Street Journal quotes Prime Minister George Papandreou saying he was confident the Greek people would vote to accept an EU bailout plan in a referendum which is now set to be held as early as December 4. Speaking after emergency talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Cannes, Papandreou stressed he was expecting a “positive outcome”. He told reporters it was “important that the Greek people make decisions on these important developments – it's their democratic right". He believed the Greek wanted be a strong partner in Europe.
According to Reuters, the International Monetary Fund, which with the European Commission and the European Central Bank, was one of Greece’s three foreign lenders, it would withhold its next €8 billion instalment of aid to Greece until after the referendum. Greek officials have said that without the additional funds, the country would run out of money by mid-December.
Meanwhile, Sole 24 Ore says the Italian government has agreed to introduce a package of economic reforms aimed at easing pressure from nervous markets. The move comes a day after the Italian stock market suffered its worst losses since the beginning of the global crisis back in 2008. The details of these measures are still unknown.
The New York Times quotes the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor saying Muammar Gaddafi's son Saif al-Islam might be trying to flee Libya with help from mercenaries. In a statement to the UN Security Council, Luis Moreno-Ocampo called on other countries to disrupt such plans. Ocampo also said they were examining allegations against Nato and interim forces, as well as pro-Gaddafi troops.
Iran has issued a warning to Israel against any pre-emptive attack. Both the semi-official Fars and Isna news agencies quote the commander of the joint chiefs of staff saying Iran would "punish" any threat. The comment comes amid the possibility of a military strike on the Islamic republic. Yedioth Ahronoth suggests Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak both supported a strike against Iran's nuclear programme. Haaretz said Netanyahu was lobbying members of his cabinet to support a military strike against Iran. The publication of the two reports in the Israeli media brought criticism from cabinet members.
France 24 says French Prime Minister Francois Fillon has condemned a petrol-bomb attack on the offices of the satirical magazine “Charlie Hebdo”, which named the Prophet Muhammed as a "guest editor". Fillon said freedom of expression was an inalienable right in France and no cause could justify such violence. The director of the newspaper, who uses the name Charb, said on BFM television that “the material damages are large” and many computer files were destroyed. The front cover of Wednesday's “Charlie Hebdo” carried a caricature of the prophet making a facetious comment.
Al Jazeera reports 15 members of the Syrian security forces and pro-government gunmen have been killed by army defectors. The two separate attacks came as the Arab League said Syria had agreed to its proposals to end the violence. The agreement requires Syria to withdraw all troops from cities and an immediate stop to all killing. It also sets a timeframe for talks with the opposition.
Metro says WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange could be extradited from Britain to Sweden within two weeks to face allegations of sex crimes, after a British court rejected his appeal. Assange, who has spent much of the year under house arrest in England, denies any wrongdoing and says he would not receive a fair trial in Sweden. He claims the allegations are political, relating to WikiLeaks' publication of more than 250,000 US diplomatic cables and other secret documents.
An allegation that Justin Bieber fathered a baby by a woman who has filed a paternity suit was "demonstrably false", a spokeswoman for the singer said Wednesday. Melissa Victor said it was sad that “someone would fabricate malicious, defamatory and demonstrably false claims”. Salt Lake Tribune says Mariah Yeater, 20, filed a paternity lawsuit against Bieber, 17, on Monday in San Diego Superior Court. She said she had sex with Bieber after one of his concerts in October 2010 and gave birth to a boy in July. She believes the teen heartthrob was the father because “there were no other possible men she had sex with at that time”. She is asking a judge for child support and a paternity test.