The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times leads with a landmark judgement where a couple won back €1,700 paid in VAT on an imported car. It also reports that Education Minister Dolores Cristina is to call it a day.
The Malta Independent leads with the banning of the French magazine Closer. It also says an Eritrean will be charged in connection with the Hal Far car crash where eight were hurt.
MaltaToday reports that Herman Schiavone has been snubbed as the battle within the PN for the fifth district intensifies.
In-Nazzjon reports how Deborah C won the Independence Song Contest. It also quotes the prime minister saying that the PN brought about choice and change which led to wealth creation.
l-orizzont also leads with the VAT refund given on an imported car.
The overseas press
French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo has announced it would today publish caricatures depicting the Prophet Mohammed – a move that could spark further protests by Muslims already enraged at the internet video depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a bloodthirsty womaniser and paedophile. Stephane Charbonnier, editor of the weekly, told broadcaster iTele that the caricatures "would shock those who wanted to be shocked". He said the decision was aimed at defending freedom of the press. The announcement drew immediate calls by French politicians to avoid actions that could further inflame the situation.
Asia Times reports the protests against the anti-Islam film had spread to Asia – Indonesia, Thailand, northwest Pakistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir. Al-Qaida's North Africa branch threatened attacks against US diplomats in Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Mauritania.
Meanwhile, The Los Angeles Times reports that more Islamic countries were trying to keep it from being seen around the world. Google has already stopped the film trailer from being viewed on YouTube in Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Egypt and Libya and has restricted it in Indonesia and India over concerns that it violates local laws. Al Ahram reports there were at least 50 different videos showing various clips of the film, and in countries where YouTube has yet to block them, some governments were doing it for them by shutting down YouTube entirely.
In an interview on CBS, President Barack Obama has accused his Republican opponent Mitt Romney of writing off a big part of America after Romney made disparaging comments about a wide section of voters at a private fund-raising gala. The Romney comments came from a secretly-recorded video obtained by Mother Jones magazine in which he told voters that 47 per cent of voters would vote for Obama no matter what. He then went on to characterise those voters as “dependent on government help and people who see themselves as victims”.
ABC reports that Australia’s opposition Leader Tony Abbott was facing calls to sack his parliamentary secretary Cory Bernardi, after he suggested allowing gay marriage could lead to social acceptance of polygamy and bestiality. During a Senate debate Liberal Senator Bernardi said the push for same sex marriage was coming from "radicals" who were determined to overturn the social fabric of Australian society. Four bills are currently before the Parliament that would legalise same sex marriage.
El Universal says the Mexican authorities had launched a manhunt along the US border for more than 130 inmates who staged a daring daylight prison breakout. They prisoners escaped one-by-one through a seven-metre long tunnel that started in the jail's carpentry workshop and surfaced at a watchtower just outside the Texan border in the city of Piedras Negras. The inmates then cut through a perimeter fence and slipped away through a vacant lot. It was at least an hour before guards realised they were gone.
Most of today's newspaper in Britain are dominated by the killings of two police constables. Manchester Evening News quotes the police saying one of Britain's most wanted men killed the two unarmed policewomen in a gun and grenade ambush in an attack in Greater Manchester. Prime Minister David Cameron described the attack as "despicable". The British force is one of few in the world which is not routinely armed.
Le Parisien reports a French court has banned a magazine from reusing photographs of the topless Kate Middleton after labelling them a “brutal display” of her private life. French magazine Closer must also hand over all copies of the pictures within 24 hours or face a daily fine of €10,000 if it fails to produce the photos taken during the royals’ holiday in southern France. It cannot disseminate them any further, including on its website and tablet app. The pictures were also published in Ireland and Italy but today’s ruling only affects Montedori Magazines France, Closer’s publisher. The publisher also faces a €2,000 fine.
The Washington Times quotes Burmese opposition leader as Aung San Suu Kyi, who is visiting the United States for the first time for more than 30 years, saying she supported the further easing of US sanctions on her country. In a speech in Washington, she said US relations with Burma should be based on accountability.
Globe & Mail reports striking miners at the Marikana platinum mine in South Africa are to return to work tomorrow, ending a six-week dispute that cost 44 lives. The deal with the owners Lonmin includes a 22 per cent pay increase and a one-off payment of 2,000 rand (€190) to help cover the weeks of not being paid while they were on strike.
Two Swedish women in their 30s have been given the wombs of their mothers in the world’s first mother-to-daughter uterus transplants. Aftonbladet says specialists at the University of Goteborg completed the surgery over the weekend without complications, but say they would not consider the procedures successful unless the women became pregnant after their observation period ended a year from now. After a maximum of two pregnancies, the wombs would be removed again. One recipient had her uterus removed many years ago due to cervical cancer and the other was born without a uterus.
Former England striker Emile Heskey could be following Alessandro Del Piero on his way to Australia, with media reports suggesting the Newcastle Jets are close to signing the veteran striker. ABC reports the Jets are reportedly on the verge of signing the 34-year-old from Aston Villa to a one-year deal worth $1.3 million. Should Newcastle land its target, the powerful attacker could make his A-League debut away at Del Piero's Sydney FC on October 13.