The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times and the other newspapers lead with the resignation of John Dalli after a fraud investigation. It also quotes the President who said that the jailed mother’s son helped him decide to free her.
The Malta Independent leads with a story on the evolution of the EU's single market over the past 20 years.
MaltaToday also leads with the Dalli resignation and how restaurateur and circus promoter Silvio Zammit is at the heart of the circus promotion.
In-Nazzjon in a separate story says more Maltese went abroad in August.
l-orizzont reports how a woman died when she was hit by a van in Paola. It also says that a planned auction sale of Frank Portelli's home has been stopped. Dr Portelli offered his home as security on a loan for medical equipment for St Philip's Hospital.
The overseas press
There were fierce exchanges between President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney in the second of their televised debates before next month’s presidential election.
The Wall Street Journal says seeking to regain campaign momentum President Obama attacked Romney's economic policies as favouring the wealthy while his opponent tallied the failures of the past four years in a tense and argumentative rematch debate. Obama was much more energetic and specific in defending his economic record and much more aggressive in confronting his opponent.The two candidates clashed over taxes, employment and energy policies. They repeatedly interrupted one another and on several occasions President Obama accused Romney of not telling the truth. Questioned about the killing of the US ambassador in Libya, Romney said the incident called into question Obama’s entire Middle East policy. He criticised Obama for not providing more security at the US consulate in Benghazi.
New Europe quotes a report by the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies saying more than 72 million people were forced to flee their homes last year as result of disaster, conflict and development. Of those, 42.8 million had fled their homes due to conflict, while 14.9 million others were displaced by natural disasters. At least 15 million people were forced to leave their homes due to development projects like dams and urban projects.
The Independent says Downing Street has insisted that Britain continues to "work closely" with Germany, amid claims that Chancellor Angela Merkel has lost patience with UK intransigence over the EU and wants to create a "new, more deeply integrated Europe" based around the eurozone. A spokeswoman for Number 10 brushed aside a commentary in Der Spiegel which compared Britain to Statler and Waldorf, the two old men on The Muppet Show who continually grumble as spectators in the gallery. The magazine, often taken as reflecting the views of the German establishment, said that Merkel wants to push ahead without Britain with measures including a separate budget for the 17 eurozone states and a joint EU headquarters for military missions.
According to Huffington Post, former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has told his war crimes trial he was a tolerant man who should be rewarded for his efforts to avoid war. Karadzic, 67, is defending himself against charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague. He is notably on trial for his role in masterminding the massacre of almost 8,000 Muslim men and boys at the eastern Bosnian enclave of Srebrenica in July 1995.
NBC News says a US appeals court has overturned the conviction of Osama bin Laden's former driver, who was imprisoned for providing material support for terrorism. Salim Ahmed Hamdan's conviction was thrown out by three judges who concluded that supporting terrorism was not a war crime at the time of his alleged activities between 1996 and 2001. The law against material support for terrorism was passed in 2006 in response to Hamdan's case, but the court ruled it could not apply to him retroactively.
The Independent leads on the Home Secretary's decision to halt self-confessed computer hacker Gary McKinnon's extradition to the US to face trial due to fears for his health. British Home Secretary Theresa May stepped in to halt proceedings on human rights grounds after medical reports showed the 46-year-old was very likely to try to kill himself if extradited.
The New York Times reports health authorities in the United States have searched the premises of a Massachusetts pharmaceutical company linked to a meningitis outbreak. Sixteen people have died of a rare fungal form of meningitis apparently after using contaminated drugs from the firm.
Pravda says Russia’s Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has called for a ban on all tobacco advertising. The World Health Organisation says that more adults smoke in Russia than in any other country – 44 million people, or some 40 per cent of the country’s population. Medvedev said Russia had no choice but to clamp down on smoking.
NRC Handelsblad reports seven paintings by some of the world's most famous artists have been stolen from an exhibition in the Netherlands. They include a Picasso, a Matisse, and two Monets all on display in a Rotterdam museum. The paintings, having a total value of more tghan €350 million, belonged to the private Triton Foundation.
Reuters reports that a painting by the US artist Roy Lichtenstein that went missing 42 years ago has been returned to the widow of its owner. The 1961 painting, “Electric Cord”, was handed over to Barbara Castelli in New York by federal authorities. The art work, valued at about $4m (£2.4m) went missing after being sent for cleaning in 1970.
ABC says Prime Minister Julia Gillard's speech in Parliament on misogyny has prompted the Macquarie Dictionary to broaden its definition of the word. Last week, Gillard accused Opposition Leader Tony Abbott of being a misogynist. The current edition of the dictionary defines misogyny as "hatred of women". But the dictionary's editor, Sue Butler, says the definition will now be broadened to include "entrenched prejudice against women". She says the usage of the word has evolved over the past few decades.