The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times quotes Austin Gatt saying he will resign if Franco Debono and Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando go.
The Malta Independent reports how Franco Debono yesterday presented a no-confidence motion against Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt.
In-Nazzjon reports how the 5+5 summit opens today. It also reports how August set an all-time tourism record.
l-orizzont says the government is trying to continue to dictate what takes place in parliament, without having a majority.
The overseas press
According to The Irish Independent, police in Wales searching for missing five-year-old April Jones, have begun digging up paving stones at the home of Mark Bridger, the man being held over her abduction, as it emerged that he was seen driving through April’s estate an hour before she went missing. Bridger, 46, is being questioned for a third time by detectives in the hope that he can help them locate the child. April, who has cerebral palsy and irritable bowel syndrome and requires daily pain killers, has been missing since Monday.
The Daily Mirror reports witnesses claim they saw a man carrying a bin bag towards the river that runs through the town the day after the child went missing.
Fox News says the UN Security Council has condemned, “in the strongest terms”, Syria’s mortar attack on the Turkish border village of Akçakale, which killed two women and three children. The council demanded an immediate end to such violations of international law and called on Damascus to fully respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbours.
Meanwhile, Hurriyet reports Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said his country had no intention of starting a war after parliament in Ankara authorised military action inside Syria. Thousands of Turks have gathered in towns and cities across the country to protest against the possibility of going to war with Syria.
Al Ahali says that on the eve of a major opposition rally, King Abdullah of Jordan has dissolved parliament and called early elections. Today’s protests had been seen as the biggest challenge to the monarch since last year’s Arab spring. Jordanians have been pressing for a greater say in how their country is run and demanding corruption be tackled.
Libya Herald reports Prime Minister-elect Mustafa Abushagur has withdrawn his cabinet list submitted to the General National Congress following angry opposition to it from Congress members. They accused him of not having negotiated with them and insisted that several names were unacceptable. At one point last night, Wednesday, as a many as 50 members walked out of Congress in protest after protesters, from the city of Zawiya, stormed the chamber in Tripoli.
Scientific American reveals customs authorities in the United States have shut down nearly 700 websites that were selling counterfeit medicines online. The American effort was part of an international operation led by Interpol that has already resulted in 79 arrests worldwide.
Meanwhile, The New York Times reports doctors, nurses and other medical professionals are among some 100 people in the United States charged with defrauding the country's medicare programme of $430 million. A government investigation in seven cities discovered the alleged false billing schemes in home health services, mental health services and ambulance costs.
The Boston Herald announced early this morning that US authorities have recommended parole for a follower of infamous mass murderer Charles Manson more than 40 years after he killed two people who were tortured and mutilated. Bruce Davis, 70, was already recommended for parole once in 2010 but then-California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger rejected the recommendation, saying Davis would pose a danger to society.
CNN reports President Barack Obama has accused Republican candidate Mitt Romney of being dishonest, after the first US presidential debate that most observers agreed his Republican rival won. Speaking in Denver, Colorado, Obama urged his rival to tell the "truth" about his own policies. Romney, on his side, said the November election would be a "close-fought battle". According to a CNN poll, adult viewers agreed Romney won by a 67-25 per cent margin.
The Daily Telegraph claims the BBC has been accused by MPs of helping thousands of employees avoid paying tax. And The Times claims Anne Robinson and three members of the pop band Take That are among 2,000 people who attempted to shelter £1.2 billion through the aggressive tax avoidance scheme.
France 24 reports that bees at a cluster of French apiaries have been producing honey in mysterious shades of blue and green, alarming their keepers who now believe residue from containers of M&M's confectionery processed at a nearby plant is the cause. The honey is a new headache for about a dozen affected beekeepers already dealing with high bee mortality rates and dwindling honey supplies following a harsh winter. Alain Frieh, president of the apiculturists union, sad the honey was unsellable and would be wasted. Mars had no immediate comment.