The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press.
The Times and In-Nazzjon report how Joseph Muscat was aware of a drug case at a PL club, despite an earlier denial. The Times also reports how two were arraigned in court yesterday on oil procurement fraud charges.
The Malta Independent also reports on the Muscat admission and on yesterday's arraignments.
MaltaToday reports how Frank Sammut and Tancred Tabone were arraigned and released on bail.
l-orizzont places its focus on how the two accused in the oil procurement fraud case were granted bail on a deposit of €3000.
In-Nazzjon reports the prime minister’s disappointment after Tancred Tabone was arraigned in the oil procurement scandal.
The overseas press
The European Parliament's biggest political faction, the centre-right EPP, has denounced the proposed €960-billion EU budget in the clearest sign yet that MEPs may reject the recent deal struck by leaders. EU Observer reports that at a specially-convened meeting of MEPs, Joseph Daul, a French deputy who has led the EPP group since 2007, accused EU leaders of behaving like “carpet salesmen”. Speaking of a “dialogue of the deaf”, Daul said member states had ignored the EU assembly throughout negotiations on the budget for 2014-2020. The leaders of the Socialist, Liberal and Green groups also lined up to attack the agreement. Aside from finding it too small, they also pointed to the €51.5 billion gap between commitments and expected payments.
Kathimerini says Greece is braced for its first general strike of the year as workers renew their protest over austerity measures. The 24-hour strike will disrupt transport, close schools and state-run offices and leave hospitals working with emergency staff. The strike has been called by Greece's two biggest labour unions, representing half the four million-strong workforce. It comes days before international lenders are due in Athens to discuss the next instalment of a bailout.
Dnevnik report Bulgaria’s government has sacked Finance Minister Simeon Djankov – a day after nationwide protests over electricity prices. Tens of thousands of Bulgarians protested in more than 20 cities against high electricity bills, piling pressure on the government after a week of persistent demonstrations. Demonstrators threw eggs, bottles and fruit, burned their electricity bills and attacked the offices of power firms in five cities. Electricity bills bite off a big chunk of monthly incomes, especially during the winter.
Euronews says investigators continued to comb Brussels airport on Tuesday for possible evidence after eight armed robbers made off with a massive haul of uncut diamonds. Estimates suggested the packages could be worth about €50 million, making the raid one of the biggest ever. Earlier reports suggested the figure was even higher – with the Belgian state broadcaster reportedly putting it at €350 million. The diamonds were snatched as they were being loaded onto a Swiss-bound plane from a security van.
The Irish Examiner reports Prime Minister Enda Kenny has formally apologised on behalf of the state for its role in the Magdalene laundries. Some 10,000 women and girls were made to do unpaid manual labour in laundries run by Roman Catholic nuns in Ireland between 1922 and 1996. More than a quarter of those who spent time in the laundries had been sent there by the Irish state.
The Jerusalem Post says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a coalition deal with former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in his first move in forming a new government. Livni will also lead renewed diplomacy talks with Palestinians.
Radio Tunis announces Tunisian Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has resigned after failing to reach agreement on forming a new government. He had been trying to form a new coalition in response to the political crisis sparked by the killing of opposition leader Chokri Belaid. Jebali had said he would quit if his Islamist Ennahda party did not back his plan for a cabinet of technocrats.
Members of the Saudi Shura Council, including 30 women for the first time in history, were sworn in on Tuesday in the presence of King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz. Saudi Radio reports the women took their seats in the same room with their 130 male colleagues and were sworn in collectively. The assembly works as the formal advisory body of Saudi Arabia.
Mail & Guardian says South African Olympian Oscar Pistorius has denied murdering his girlfriend, saying he shot her by mistake thinking she was an intruder. He told a packed bail hearing in Pretoria that he loved Reeva Steenkamp and had never intended to kill her. Prosecutors accuse Mr Pistorius of premeditated murder. The hearing came as Ms Steenkamp's family held her funeral in Port Elizabeth.
A woman in the US has given birth to two sets of identical twin boys at the same time – a one-in-70-million chance. Houston Sun reports when Tressa Montalvo was 10 weeks pregnant, her doctor told her she was having twins, and on a subsequent visit, the doctor detected a third heartbeat. The family were later told they were having four babies, not quadruplets, but two sets of twins. She gave birth to the four boys at The Woman’s Hospital of Texas in Houston.