The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Sunday Times says importers of second hand cars have questioned an increase in registration rates. It also reports that Simon Busuttil is to stand for the general election. Alfred Sant is not expected to seek re-election.
The Malta Independent reports that the Prime Minister said yesterday that Air Malta will break even in 2014. It also says that the US has rushed spies and drones to Libya.
Malta Today says Franco Debono has promised a bumpy ride for Lawrence Gonzi.
It Torca leads with the story of the 14-year-old girl who died after inhaling fuel, and the young man who died after a traffic accident. It also says the police are investigating a Mepa architect for conflict of interest on the granting of a car wash permit.
Il-Mument quotes the prime minister saying the PN remained the agent of change. It also says two Labour councils have removed Charles Buhagiar from being the councils’ architect.
Illum says the Health Minister is hiding the salary given to a Czech doctor.
KullHadd says the prime minister approved a WHO document which includes reference to abortion.
The overseas press
Reuters reports that Al Qaeda in Yemen has called for more violence against American embassies across the Arab world after days of deadly protests against the film “Innocence of Muslims” that mocks Islam. Some parts of the Moslem world has returned to calm after the violence that left the US ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens dead along with three other Americans. On Friday, at least seven others were killed – three in Sudan, two in Tunisia, one in Egypt and one in Lebanon.
USA Today says the US State Department has ordered non-essential diplomatic staff and their families to leave Sudan and Tunisia. Earlier, Sudan refused to allow the US to send Marines to protect its embassy. Sudanese officials had said the country's security forces were capable of providing protection to all diplomatic missions itself. On Friday, crowds of people attacked the embassies of Germany and Britain in Khartoum and forced their way into the compound of the American embassy.
ABC reports Islamic groups have condemned a violent protest in Sydney's commercial business district yesterday. Six people have been arrested. Six police officers were injured as hundreds of Muslims marched towards the US consulate in central Sydney.
Libyan President Mohamed Magariaf has told NBC that Libyans and "foreigners" carried out the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi that killed the US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. Magariaf did not identify the foreigners or where they came from.
Egypt has urged the United States to take steps to prevent any repeat of the offence caused by the film. Hisham Qandil told the BBC Arabic that millions of people had been insulted and measures should be taken to prevent further incidents.
CNN reports President Obama honoured the four Americans who were killed in the American consulate in Benghazi. In his weekly media address, Obama said the US depended on such people to sustain the freedoms that Americans enjoyed. He said the US resolve would not be broken and that everything possible was being done to protect Americans overseas.
al-Masri al-Youm reports Salafite Nour and Dawa parties plan to produce a biographical film on the life of Islam's Prophet Mohammed. The half-hour documentary film “What if the world did not witness Mohammed?” is in response to “Innocence of Muslims” in which an actor playing Mohammed is portrayed as a drunken and predatory bisexual.
VOA says the man allegedly behind the film that sparked violent protest demonstrations in the Muslim world, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, was escorted from his California home on Saturday by deputies in Los Angeles. He was questioned for possible probation violations stemming from a 2010 bank fraud conviction. Sherriff officials said the terms of his probation include a five-year ban on using computers or the Internet, without approval from a probation officer.
Associated Press reports Britain’s defence ministry said it did not plan to cut short Prince Harry's deployment to Afghanistan, despite the Taliban attack on the base where he is stationed. Two US marines died in the assault on Camp Bastion in Helmand Province on Friday, and the Taliban claimed it carried out the attack to avenge an anti-Islamic film that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and because Prince Harry was there.
The international peace envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi has met with President Assad and said the crisis in the country was getting worse. al bawaba says he told reporters the crisis now posed a threat to the entire region and the rest of the world.
Pope Benedict will end his visit to Lebanon today with an open-air Mass on the seafront in Beirut. An Nahar reports that yesterday he called on Lebanon to be a model of peace and religious freedom in the Middle East. During his speech to young people, the pontiff also expressed sympathy with youth in Syria, saying he admired their courage. He said this was the time for Christians and Moslems to come together “so as to put an end to violence and war”.
Antena 3 says crowds of people from all over Spain and Portugal have taken part in big demonstrations against government austerity measures. Tens of thousands streamed through Madrid to protest against cuts they say were hitting Spaniards with moderate incomes while sparing the wealthy. Two protesters were arrested in Lisbon as demonstrators threw tomatoes and fireworks at the Portuguese headquarters of the International Monetary Fund.
Pravda reports thousands of people streamed into central Moscow Saturday to protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin and his unprecedented third term as president. The demonstrators claimed Putin ran the country through a tightly controlled political system and corruption. The Kremlin denies the charges.
China’s vice-president Xi Jinping, has appeared in public for the first time in two weeks. Xinhua reports he spokes to students and officials at China Agricultural University in Beijing at activities marking the National Science Popularisation Day. Photos showed a healthy-looking Xi examining plants, holding hands with children, and speaking to a group of adult men.
The Independent says a legal battle is brewing between Italian media magnate Silvio Berlusconi and the British royal family for running pictures of the Duchess of Cambridge topless in the French magazine Closer on Friday, and the Italian Chi next Monday. Both newspapers are published by Mondadori, controlled by Fininvest. Meanwhile, the company which owns the Irish Daily Star has criticised the newspaper for running the pictures and were “taking immediate step” to close down the newspaper.
Le Parisien annopunces the death in Paris of actor Pierre Mondy. He was 87 years old. The actor, known throughout the world for his role as Commissioner Pierre Cordier in the TV series “Commissaire Cordier”, fought a long battle against cancer. Mondy was also famous for having lent his face to the character of Napoleon in the movie “Napoleon at Austerlitz” in 1960 and “The Count of Monte Cristo”in 1961.