The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
[attach id=214553 size="medium"][/attach]
The Times reports that Silvio Zammit pursued lobbyists after his request for €60m was refused. It also reports that young cancer patient Leah is still awaiting the go-ahead from UK doctors to fly to the US.
The Malta Independent says OLAF has denied that its president resigned over the Dalli case but on a point of procedure.
In-Nazzjon says Labour MP Helena Dalli has revealed Muscat plans to replace top civil servants. Mrs Dalli said those who were not qualified for top position should go.
l-orizzont says there is anger in Cospicua about the state of the Dock 1 project and sewage overflows after yesterday’s storm.
The overseas press:
All eyes are on Syria today as Al Bath says the army declared it would suspend all military operations to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, declaring a cease-fire until Monday – even if it reserved the right to respond to rebel attacks and bombings. In an announcement read on state TV late on Thursday, the Syrian military said it would act if terrorist groups tried to reinforce their positions by arming themselves and getting reinforcements. It also warned neighboring countries against facilitating the smuggling of fighters across borders during that period. Rebel commanders in various cities told Arab satellite channels that they would respect the cease-fire if the government did.
The New York Times quotes UN Nations spokesman Martin Nesirky saying the world body welcomed the cease-fire. He said it was in everybody’s interest, not least the long suffering Syrian people, that the guns fall silent for the Eid holiday.
The role of Islam in France is once again under the spotlight after right-wing daily Le Figaro published the results of an opinion poll that suggested 43 percent of French people believe the religion is a “threat” to national identity. The place of Islam in French society has long been the subject of heated debate, with the decision to introduce a law in 2011 banning full face veils in public causing waves at home and abroad.
The relatives of China's prime minister have controlled assets worth at least $2.7 billion (€2 billion). The New York Times said in a report their investments span banks, jewellers, tourist resorts, telecommunications companies and infrastructure projects, with the owners of the assets often concealed by using offshore vehicles or complicated holding structures. Wen Jiabao will be replaced in a once-in-a-decade leadership transition on November 8.
Meanwhile, The People’s Daily says Chinese lawmakers have formally expelled disgraced politician Bo Xilai from the top legislature. The move strips the ex-Chongqing party leader of immunity from prosecution. Mr Bo was expelled from the Communist Party last month after being accused of abuse of power, bribe-taking and violating party discipline.
VOA reports President Barack Obama has become the first US leader to cast what’s called “an early ballot” in the presidential election. He voted yesterday in his home town of Chicago, Illinois at a stop-over from campaigning in the states of Virginia, Florida and Ohio – states which are considered vital for the November 6 election. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney concentrated in the state of Ohio. Polls show that the presidential race is virtuallitied.
The New York Post says the UN has called for calm as the death toll in western Burma rises to nearly 60 as a result of sectarian violence. Security forces are struggling to stem Burma's worst communal unrest since clashes in June killed more than 80 people and displaced at least 75,000 in Rakhine State.
Clarin reports that nearly 300 sailors from the Argentinian navy ship Libertad returned home on Thursday, expressing mixed emotions after leaving their frigate moored on the West African coast. The flagship of the Argentinian navy that is used for training and humanitarian missions, was not allowed to sail out of Ghana's eastern port of Tema on October 2, after a judge in the capital of Accra accepted an injunction filed by an investment fund that claims Argentina owes it more than €280 million.
Kabul Post says two US soldiers were shot and killed by a man wearing an Afghan police uniform in Uruzgan province – the latest insider attack targeting foreign forces. More than 50 NATO soldiers have been killed in similar attacks this year.
The Financial Times reports that, London's Olympic Games have helped pull the UK economy out of its longest double-dip recession since the 1950s. Official figures show Britain's economy returned to growth in the third quarter of this year. The Office for National Statistics says GDP grew by one per cent in the period, with Olympic ticket sales contributing 0.2 percentage points to growth. The figure beat economists’ expectations: the consensus forecast was for an increase of 0.6 per cent in GDP over the quarter.
ABC says surgeons in Melbourne have made a breakthrough in attempts to regrow breast tissue for women who have undergone cancer surgery. The research team at the Bernard O'Brien Institute of Microsurgery have managed to regrow tissue for a patient using fat cells. Doctors are monitoring the woman to see if she retains the regrown tissue.