The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times leads with comments by an angry family about their dad having been sent home to die in just a nappy.
The Malta Independent says Sargas is proposing to finance a carbon negative power station in Malta. The power station would be built on a barge.
In-Nazzjon reports investment made by a general aviation company. It also says that unemployment has dropped.
L-orizzont says that 448 families have been left without electricity because of unpaid bills. It also reports union complaints about lack of consultation on tax cuts.
The overseas press
Deutsche Welle reports that the leaders of France, Germany and Italy have agreed to change the European Union's treaties in order to improve economic governance among the 17 nations that share the euro currency, while making assurances that the changes would not impact the independence of the European Central Bank. President Sarkozy said the EU treaty changes would aim to "improve the governance of the eurozone so that there is more integration and convergence of economic policies", adding that the specific "modifications" would be presented to the broader EU during a summit in Brussels on December 9.
Euronews says a general strike and a credit rating downgrade dealt a double blow to Portugal, as the country struggled to overcome its debt problems. Transportation and other public services ground to a virtual halt. Across the nation workers brought their anger over severe austerity measures onto the streets. The government is pushing through tough reforms and cutbacks as part of a €78-billion-bailout deal. Several tax offices were targeted in a rare display of violence by protesters. That, and the downgrade by Fitch of Portugals credit rating to junk status are worrying developments for the government.
Tripoli Post reports Libya’s new transitional government has been sworn in at a ceremony in Tripoli. The new prime minister, Abdurrahim al-Keib, said they were looking forward to leading the country until the elections in a few months’ time.
Al Masry al-Youm says that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and the leader of the rival Islamic group Hamas met in Cairo yesterday and agreed to go ahead with elections in the Palestinian territories next year. However, they failed to resolve differences over an interim unity government to prepare for the vote.
Moroccans go to the polls today to vote in a parliamentary election. It is the first since the introduction of a new constitution, proposed by King Mohammed VI, was approved by a referendum in July. L'Observateur says the election is expected to be a close contest between a moderate Islamist opposition party and a new coalition of liberals with close ties to the royal palace.
Al Ahram reports former Egyptian Prime Minister Kamal Ganzouri has agreed to form o new government after talks with the ruling military council. Ganzouri, who headed Egypt's government from 1996 to 1999 under former President Hosni Mubarak, had distanced himself from the Mubarak regime and even been suggested as a possible presidential candidate. During his term as prime minister, he was known as the "minister of the poor" because he was seen as representing the less well-off, and he remains popular with Egyptians.
Meanwhile, The Egyptian Gazette says clashes near Cairo's Tahrir Square have subsided but activists are calling for renewed protests through a mass rally after Friday prayers. Earlier on Thursday, military leaders apologised for the deaths of about 38 protesters in clashes with police since Saturday.
Cairo Times announces that the Arab League has given Syria 24 hours to agree to allow an observer mission into the country or face sanctions. Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo said that if Syria refused, the League’s economic arm would meet tomorrow to vote on imposing sanctions.
IRNA news agency reports that Iran has arrested 12 CIA spies. The agency quotes Parviz Sorouri, an influential lawmaker, saying the agents, who were targeting Iran's military and its nuclear programme, were operating in co-ordination with Israel's Mossad and other regional agencies. The United States and its allies suspect Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapon program, a charge Tehran denies.
Newsday quotes Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar saying the police have thwarted an assassination plot against her. At least 12 people have been arrested, including members of the army and the police. She said that criminal elements, angered by the state of emergency she had declared last August to tackle drug-related violence, were to blame.
Pan-American TV shows scenes of thousands of people in northern Peru protesting against plans for a huge open-cast goldmine in the high Andes. People in the Cajamarca region say the proposed mine will cause pollution and destroy water supplies. The US-based mining company Newmont has promised modern reservoirs to replace threatened mountain lakes. The dispute is a test for President Ollanta Humala, who has promised to continue mining development while protecting affected communities.